[mplagrow]

Originally Posted by CMHCoachNRef

One other thing to keep in mind, the COACHES are frequently subject to similar chatter -- frequently from the same group of parents.

You will frequently hear "coaching" from the parent's section throughout the game. I was working itty-bitties a short while back with my son. A parent who had planted himself in the first row at midcourt was screaming at his son for not "cutting straight to the ball" while trying to break the press. About 50% of the time, the player would, indeed, cut straight to the ball. The other half of the time, he would take about four hard steps away from the ball and V-cut back to the ball. Having spent many years as a coach, I observed that the back player in the "I" of the two guards was tapping the inside of his fellow guard's ankle to indicate the direction the front guard was supposed to cut. Naturally, about 50% of the time, he tapped the front player's (this parent's son) RIGHT foot. When he did that, the player would cut away from the ball -- EXACTLY as the coach had instructed the player to do. To this player's credit, he IGNORED his dad and did what the COACH wanted. All too often, that does not happen making it even more challenging to coach!

By the way, at the end of the game during a time out I had a throw-in right near the parent. I mentioned the little "indicator" the players were using. Naturally, he didn't know anything about it....

Point is, there are always a few parents in the stands making our lives as referees miserable. In many cases, those same people are making the lives of the coaches miserable as well. Sometimes, when a coach gets irritated during the game, ironically, it might be an irritation with the SAME PEOPLE we are irritated with -- just for a different reason.

My favorite gym is in an old grade school. It's the second court, the old one they used to use before adding on. It's got second story bleachers only--no fans at floor level. I think the coaches like it for the same reason!