Coaches & Officials Meeting

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Raymond

I definitely wouldn't put HS coaches in the same category as college coaches when it comes to professionalism, but I will be using HS coaches as Guinea pigs for self-improvement.

That is the main benefit I get working with high school coaches. I learn what not to say most of the time because saying something that is "real" often does not work. College coaches are easy to deal with compared to most high school coaches because college coaches would never dare do certain things as a norm and expect a different response.

Originally Posted by Raymond

I am an official who falls into the "good play-caller" category, and I know I can be a hard-a$$ when provoked. What was interesting about the D1 coach was that he acknowledged that he can be a pain-in-the-a$$, but he said he has great respect for those officials who know how to diffuse those situations without turning them ugly. In fact, he said he would rather get a technical foul than have an official say something nasty or unprofessional to him. That hit home for me because I rarely T up coaches, but I often engage in combative conversations with knucklehead coaches.

Between what the D3 supervisor and D1 coach shared with us, I am personally dedicating myself to finding new techniques to communicate with hard-to-deal-with coaches.

I am a great communicator IMO when I am dealing with thicker-skinned coaches or coaches that take things in stride. When I am dealing with guys that have a stick up their behind when you actually answer their question, I am not that good with them. Because I feel I am a grown ass man and I am going to talk to people as if they are adults. I am not going to lie to them or try to give them some line so they leave me alone. And I am going to speak when I have time to speak. Much of the time in a basketball game, I have not much time to speak. College coaches at least understand reasonableness when you are trying to give them information. At least that is the case in my experience. Rarely do I even have to come close to giving a T in a college game. I do not give many in high school games, but I have to think about it more often for sure.

Peace