Quote:
Originally Posted by crosscountry55
While I'm not a big fan of this thread (I'm a softy like Rich), I do want to address the "official warning" for those that have inquired. You won't find it in the rule book, but after subtle and/or private dealings with the HC prove fruitless and their behavior starts to grind on the crew, you stop the game and issue an "official warning." This is done openly and verbally so that the coach, the table and your partner all know what's up. After I'm done with the coach, for example, I turn to the table and say loudly, "This coach has been warned." Some college assignors even mandate a footnote in the book when this is done. Bottom line, it's a last chance for the coach to recognize he's out of rope, and it helps you CYA if you have to whack him later, because it's not like everyone in the gym won't have seen it coming.
Another tool for your kit. Lots of times coaches enjoy finding out what your threshold is, so this kind of public reprimand without penalizing satisfies them and shuts them up. Often very effective.
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I find this "official warning" bullshit to be completely idiotic. If I get to the point of the game where I'm going to stop play and create a spectacle, I'm going to take my left hand and right hand and form the sign of a T and we're going to shoot free throws.
If I publicly warn and embarrass a coach, one of two things will happen. (1) The coach is contrite and cleans it up. (2, more likely, IMO) The coach gets defensive and it gets worse and I end up whacking the coach and it looks to anyone like I baited the coach.
I assign a reasonable number of varsity games (324 this year) and I will say that I don't think my officials call enough technical fouls. The stigma on them is really, really stupid and unfortunate and I'm doing my best to reduce that one situation at a time.
The best officials in the world, the NBA officials, give them out like candy -- step outside their behavior guidelines, get a technical foul. This is exactly how it should be at lower levels. I shouldn't have to work my ass off to "avoid calling a technical." I should be able to quietly tell a coach that their behavior is unacceptable and the next time it is, he gets a technical foul. There should be no shame in calling one and also no bravado or belt-notches or story telling. Coach was out of line, whack, free throws, coach sits, life goes on.