Alternatively titled: How to ensure you do not get varsity games.
I had a rather big screw up yesterday that was so painfully stupid I just feel compelled to share.
Working a JV Girls game by myself (my partner went to the visiting team's school instead) with a Frosh game to follow afterwards. We are a few minutes into the third quarter when the visiting team makes a basket. The home team calls for a full timeout before the throw in.
As we're coming out of the timeout, I get the teams lined up for the throw in...on the end line underneath the home team's basket. Not wasting the gift, the home team executes a quick throw in and attempts a shot, which is missed.
Admist the mass confusion, the ball ricochets off of some players and the visitors are the last to touch before it goes out of bounds. Just as I blow my whistle, I hear the visiting coach screaming at the top of her lungs and is a few feet on the court.
It hits me like a ton of bricks as I feel the color drain from my face. I gave the home team the ball on the wrong end of the court.
I walk over to the visiting coach and tell her: "Coach I screwed this one up, I realize I gave it to them on the wrong end line...but it is too late to fix it now."
All she can muster at this point is "Well...fine then."
Fortunately they were up by 15 at the time with no sign of losing the lead and the home team did not end up getting any points out of this.
Let this be a warning to all of you...keep your heads in the game. I've learned my lesson. The next time I work by myself, leave the ball at the throw in spot during a time out.