[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by Fritz

Worked a close BJV last night with a sitch I'd like some advice on.

Small old-school gym where the entrance is underneath a basket and only about 5 feet off the endline. I'm lead, home team has the ball down a couple late in the game. Guard drives the lane and leaves a shot short expecting contact from the defense - there was minimal and I passed on it. Ball goes out of bounds and into the hands of a person in the home school's sweats. I thought he was like an asst principal or something but hadn't met him. He'd been standing there for much of the 2nd half without incident.

Home coach is screaming for a foul, fans are upset of course, I look to the guy with my hands out to get the ball so we can head back the other way. I then turn briefly because the table sounds the horn for a sub and as I look back at this guy, he fires a fastball at my head from about 20 feet away while giving me the stare down.

I get both hands up and deflect the ball down and onto the court where a visiting player grabs it and gives it to me while I thinking "you don't T up a fan, even if they are a school administrator of some sort." Fans are laughing and clapping a bit. I tell the kid "thanks," take a step around him to stare back at the guy and say, " a bounce pass works just fine thank you." And we go on.

Would you have done anything different? As it turns out, the guy was actually the Varsity coach watching some of the JV guys before heading to their main gym for their game (I didn't have the V game) and is known as a hothead.

Didn't want to interrupt our game but if I hadn't gotten my hands up quick, I'd have a bloody face.

Sayonara.