Doing a solid....
 

Great game the other night. Senior night. Home team losing by twenty or so. Visitor coach was quiet as a church mouse. Towards the end of the game, home coach whispers in my ear as the C, could you get #25 some free throws? I thought about it for a second and since the game was going so good, said will do coach!

#25 gets the ball but passes right away. Gets it again down by the block, guarded by a JV player from the visiting team. Tweet! Hand check. Bonus shots. Kid made one of two.

Fair or foul?

Well obviously I called a foul, but you know what I mean ;)

I don't know if I would responded to the HC.

But I have a true story to tell. 1994: Elimination game in the Loser's Bracket of the Constellation Tournament of the AAU Girls' 18U Nationals. I think the team was from Colorado and their center was being recruited by Univ. of Nebraska. She got into foul trouble early in the first half and didn't play the last ten minutes (at least) of the half, and the game was a close one at half time. The U of Nebraska coaches had the audacity to approach my partner and I at half time and ask us to go easy on the player in the second half so they could evaluate her. We told them that we would officiate the second half the same way we officiate the first half. They looked surprised by our answer.

MTD, Sr.

I'm good with itt
 

Since it was senior night and the game was out of reach, I'm good with it. I would probably call it both ways and find a foul at the other end.

I don't know for sure what I would do in that situation, but I am pretty sure I wouldn't respond to the coach or acknowledge the request. If the game was totally out of hand, I might find a foul to put the kid on the line, but I'm not admitting this to anyone and would be something that could be justified through video. In other words, it isn't going to be a completely phantom foul.

This coach should ask the opposing coach to have one of his guys foul this player. Our job as officials is to remain neutral and stay out of these game manipulation scenarios.

In our middle school league down here, we get those kinds of request often for kids who haven't scored all season. Being a Catholic school league, the opposing coaches will usually discuss it beforehand and pose it to the officials at half time or between quarters. We usually respond by suggesting that the defense just allow the person to take it all the way to the goal to score as players at this level may miss those free throws and make the game a bit of a farce. Keeps the officials neutral but aware of the situation.

Life's too short to care about these things. Coach asks, I'll probably go along.

A couple of years ago I had a small school JV girls game, about 45 minutes out of town. One team was just outclassed and would have been in violation of Nevada state rules. The home team got off to a 56-0 start.

At one point, I called a phantom foul and to put a visitor on the FT line. The home player put her arms up and looked at me like I was crazy for calling her for a foul. I took a leap and made it clear to her why I did it, and she was good with it at that point.

Not sure I'd do it in a varsity game, I've never been in that exact position in a varsity game.

I like this approach better.

Had a special needs player in a game a few yrs back and the COACHES agreed he would come in late in the game and get an uncontested layup. They explained it to us. No decision on our part. It was cool when he scored on the last play of the tournament.

I had a similar game which went like this. 8th grade boy home team down by about 12 with about 1 minute to go. Home subs in a special needs boy. Coming down table side I paused and told Visitor coach to take a time out and could we let the boy have some shots? Table over heard the plan and joined in. Well the boy had several opportunities,but not a shot would drop. With 2 seconds left in the game the (visitors) inbounded the ball to the young boy.The clock did not start. He took one shot and missed,got his own rebound and put up one that went and the buzzer went off. You would have thought that he had won a state championship as everone cheered for him. The visiting coach thanked me afterwards for being able to be a part of it all. It was a feel good moment for me also.

I think the real benefit of this approach is it reinforces perspective to the defensive team, and they get to play an active role in the event instead of being forced into it.

^^^
My daughter played on an AYSO soccer team that was among the best in their league. Their final game of the season was against a team that not only had not won, but had not scored all season. At half time, the girls (not the coaches, the players) concocted how they could give up a goal without the other team knowing it was a "gimme.":)

Varsity game. Both teams were trying to let a kid score, but he couldn't make it to the rim -- tried twice. Blew my whistle and reported the foul on 352 to the table.

He couldn't make it to the rim, so you're going to let him try to shoot from further away? ;)


But in all seriousness, even in this situation, I don't think I'd make up a foul and then make up a 3 digit number as well. I have no issue with calling a phantom foul like this if the circumstances are right, but call it on a kid on the floor, hopefully someone you know doesn't have 4 fouls.

We do weird things when officiating for the D&B. They got a kick out of it.