Quote:
Originally Posted by JetMetFan
I can but there aren't many 
If the kid is rockheaded enough to mouth off in that situation and his coach - or assistant, if there's one around - isn't aware enough to stop him, then he deserves whatever he gets. |
I'll expand just a bit. I suppose it depends, as bob says, and what is meant by "mouthing off," and it may mean something different to me than to the OP. But a coach needs to be proactive in taking care of his bench in this situation, IMO. It would be pretty easy for him to hear the comments and address them before I had the chance, and I'd likely give him a second to address it before I stepped in. Most games around here, the coach would shut this down quickly.
In the case where I'm willing to ask the coach to step up, it'll be something along the lines of, "Coach, do you want to take care of your bench, or should I?" And if his response isn't immediately to address his player, we're shooting free throws.