[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

It appears that the general consensus is that we, as officials, should not say anything to the Head Coach. That said:

Daryl "The Preacher" Long (If you don't know who he is, search Daryl H. Long in the Officiating.com Forums) and I were officiating in the YBOA Girls' National Championship Tournament about ten or tweleve years ago. Our first game of the tournament was a 13U pool play game; DHL was the R and I was the U. The entire first quarter the HC for one of the teams was yelling and screaming at his players from the opening tip to the end of the quarter. He would take a girl out of the game and would get in her face and scream at her for making a mistake. He would scream at the entire team during TOs. The content of his comments were personal and demeaning in nature. There was and still is only one way to describe his behavior: child abuse. A mother of one of the players was sitting on the Team Bench keeping a scorebook. During the TO between the first and second quarters, I discretely said to her: "In the state where my partner are from, your coach's conduct toward his players would be considered felony child abuse." The mother looked at me with a suprised look on her face. As we put the ball into play to start the second quarter I saw her talking to the HC. The HC attitude and conduct was completely different the rest of the game; he was a completely different person the rest of the game.

Daryl commented at half-time how the HC had changed after the first quarter and I told him what I had done. He did not have a problem with what I did.

I have always taken the position that I would not have a problem with either one of my sons playing basketball for Bobby Knight, but having said that, coaches of youth teams do not have the right to conduct themselves like U.S. Marine Corps Drill Instructors.

And before anyone thinks I am dumping on USMC Drill Instructors, they do not know my personal history with the USN and USMC Drill Instructors. I have the utmost admiration for USMC Drill Instructors. Notice I have not referred to them as DIs because a DI is a "dumb idiot" and I have never met an USMC Drill Instructor that even remotely a dumb idiot, and I have known two USMC Drill Instructors personally.

The fact is, the best coaches of youth teams (includeing H.S. age players) do not need to be raging maniacs to the players.

I am done for the evening. Everybody have a wonderful Father's Day.

MTD, Sr.