Would you have chosen this option?
 

Last night (actually an uneventful game), girls varsity, mid-third quarter. Home is up by 12 and it is fairly clear the visitors do not have a comeback in them. I am T (opposite)...there is a small scrum for a loose ball at the low block on my side of the lane. The L had closed down. White secures the loose ball and the girl immediately goes down to her knees. Since there was a lot of movement between me and the play I did not know if she was pushed. I held my whistle for a second to see if L had a foul...nothing so "tweet"...travel.

Home coach (had not said anything to us all game) throws up his hands then goes sit in an empty spot on the first row behind the table but immediately gets up and returns to the bench. I almost whack him for that but choose to let it go. As soon as we get to the other end I call a shooting foul and after reporting tell the coach "Don't leave the bench like that again." He says "Thanks, I thought about it as soon as I sat down."

After the game my partner said he almost stuck him for that as well. Made me feel a little better...you know, the Great Minds Think Alike thing.

That's what I would have done...there will be a ton of others on here that will disagree but hey, not all of us have "great minds" ;)

Likely whacking for that reaction.

Just throwing the hands up would get a warning if that's his first issue all game. Leaving the bench gets him a T.

Forgot to mention...these were 1A schools in Texas. That classification was just changed so that football and all the other sports would be in an actual class. Previously it was called something else (can't remember) because they play 6-man football. Both schools probably have a combined attendance of under 400 students. There were probably 25-30 people at the game. The boys game was cancelled because they are still playing football and only one boy on the basketball team does not play football.

May not make a difference to anyone but wanted to give the setting.

Under the circumstances: Good job!
Someone once said: "We are not allowed to pour gasoline" and it didn't involve anyone's safety!

It doesn't sound like he was trying to show you guys up or anything like that, and his reply to your warning suggests it was an honest mistake. Even if he was upset with the call, his response wasn't egregious in my opinion. I sometimes think limited space for basketball coaches leads to issues that you don't see in football, baseball or soccer because those coaches can roam the sideline and essentially get away from the situation much easier than basketball coaches. If he was indeed upset with the call, it sounds to me like that is all he was trying to do: move away from the situation to allow himself the opportunity to cool down.

To me, if he has this reaction, without saying anything, I'm probably letting it go.

If he compounds the action with some exclamation about how terrible the call was, I'm probably going straight to T.

Tough game; been there done that.

My concern is what was L doing that preceded all this? You stated L closed down; presuming L went to the "C" position and should of had the best look and still no whistle.

After the game, thank your partner for putting you in such a mess.

I probably wouldn't have T'd. If he's been quiet all game and the game is ugly there is a good chance he is just as frustrated as you that he has to be there. This behavior is most likely aimed at frustration towards his players and not towards the officiating. Stick coaches when you need to. I always appreciate when a coach shows that he understands his behavior is borderline juvenile and they correct it. Not Ting in this situation buys your relationship with the coach a lot of future leeway.

By that I mean it opens up communications way more than if you had given the T simply because you could have. Now in a closely contested game most likely the coach hasn't been quiet all game and this behavior could have very different ramifications. But from what you described it didn't.

So you call a marginal travel against the team getting beat in a game they aren't going to win right in front of your partner and then worry about the coach's reaction? I'm surprised your partner didn't throw his hands in the air in and walk off the court as well.

Just saying.

Marginal? In two man, this is the T's call.

I would have addressed it similarly, I think. Quietly get close to the bench and say so just he hears, "I can't have you doing that."

Was this a two man game...then yes, my apologies.

At a camp this past summer a very good NCAA Women's official put it this way - you have to understand the difference between spontaneous reaction and premeditated. We need to get the premeditated and use our judgement on spontaneous. The OP seemed like a spontaneous reaction and one that probably needed us to have a quiet conversation with the coach as Adam stated above.

This is a rising issue I've seen in my area and I honestly find it disgusting. No matter how horrible I find a partners' call, I'm still going to have his back.

This is a pretty easy wack for me if he throws up his arms and walks out of his box into the stands to sit down. Better to fix attitudes sooner than later and shows respect for officials down the road who will have to deal with it if you don't.

Wrong. We want to punish coaches and players for their bad behavior, but from this description and the fact the coach realized what he did was unacceptable (and not a huge deal from what I read) NOT calling the T strengthens the relationship.

No if this was a heated game then this is an auto T. I say that also knowing I would not reach across court for a close travel call. I would have other more pressing issues on the court and having my partner and I both looking at the same spot.

So if a coach knows he's misbehaving it justifies not giving a T?