On Monday I did a middle school playoff game and a mom came up in said, "You let the visiting coach intimidate you into making calls for his team." My mind goes back a few days when I was in a packed gym, rivalry game for first place in region, #2 versus #5 in the state, with a shot at the horn to win it 65-64. Yep that 7th grade coach had me shaking in my shoes.
Tuesday I have another game 1st and 2nd place teams in their region, and my first call of the game is a obvious hit on the arm of the dribbler who had beat the defender. Slight pause and the ball is clearly loose and heading toward another defender and my whistle blows. A lone voice yells, "Call it when it happens!"
Later on the home team star pins the arm of the opponent, pulls it down and goes up for the rebound. Whistle, hold #23. Same guy, "What, you gotta be kidding, you are terrible, you've been awful both ways so you are consistent, but you are terrible!"
Tonight senior night, rivalry game of two schools about 2 miles apart. We just had a travel on one end, followed by a travel on the other. We have a foul on the next trip to bring the foul count to 6-6, and guess what we hear?
Yep, you guessed it, "Call it both ways!"
Late in the game we send a player to the line and hear, "Oh sure #42 gets fouled, but they never foul." #42 had 4 fouls and fouled out about a minute later.
Right at the end a player catches the ball on the wing, steps, shuffles, is out of control and crashes into the defender stepping up. Travel.
From the other end, "Oh sure on that end it's a travel, on this end you called it a charge." The trouble was we never had a charge the entire game on either team.
2 regional games and a regular season game awaits next week, I can hardly wait.
