The only thing I would add to this is something Alaska Ref once told me:
"Always be his partner, even if he isn't being yours."
Specifically, if it was me and I knew of his reputation for being combative and initiating confrontations, I might have done something like this after the initial technical:
- As he reports, I call all the players together;
- As he turns to come back and administer the shots, I say (so he can hear) something like "now we've got a long way to go in this game so let's relax and make sure you're all around to finish it."
- Then as an aside to him, I might give him a compliment like, "Nice job nipping that in the bud, we shouldn't have any more problems. Good job."
This usually strokes their ego enough that they don't need to go looking for another shot of helium by banging the kid again.
However, just like dealing with coaches, dealing with your partner depends on your personality. This approach works for me, but may not work for everyone.
(BTW, the "be his partner" advice is something I've tried to repeat over and over in my head, especially this year. I officiated in central PA for 5 years and earned a promotion to varsity boys. But my career brought me to eastern PA and a new chapter and back to the bottom of the ladder. I don't mind working my way back up again - however, the quality of my partners this year compared to last year is significantly different - for the worse. And that has led to some sticky situations).
Thanks again Alaska Ref!
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