Engaging Coaches Who Get T’d
 

What are your thoughts on when you whack a coach and the partner who replaces you proceeds to have a conversation with that coach during the free throws? Seems to be a habit of some of my partners recently and wondering if I’m the only one who gets irked when I see it happen.

As long as they've issued T #2, I'm fine with it.

Depends on what the partner says. Sometimes the job is to calm th coach down and that can be done withou throwing the partner under the bus.

But is it really our job to calm the coach down?

Problem is, regardless of what the partner says while he's standing right next to the coach, the perception is that he's playing good cop/bad cop.

Perception to who?

Partners. The last thing I want to see my partner doing is having a chummy conversation with a coach who I just stuck.

In addition to the fact that it’s generally taught at camps to leave the coach alone other than to remind him he’s lost the box.

Maybe ???
 

Maybe he's backing you up by explaining the call previous to the meltdown that led to the technical foul? Hopefully, it would be a very short, and not a very "chummy", conversation.

Only if you choose for it to be your perception. I've never once paid attention to what my partners say to a coach after I issue a T. Only care that coach gets seatbelted if HS game.

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What's wrong with good/bad cop? Manage the game. That includes dealing with coaches.

It is our job to manage the game, so, in a way, calming the coach is part of our job. If they're laughing and knee slapping, I may wonder what it is up, but beyond that, let your partner manage as they see fit.

Why?

Trust Issue?
 

You need to trust your partners that they are doing the right thing. If they are throwing you under the bus you need to address it with the assignor. As an assignor, crew integrity is a huge thing for me and I would address it with the official and it would/could cost them assignments.

I'm not saying this is the case, but to me if it is happening a bunch on your T's and you are always watching the other officials engage than you may be second guessing yourself?!?!?!? I only say this because I am usually thankful when a partner of mine will go help manage the game by getting the coaches focus back on the game.

Here is a real life example in a collegiate game: My partner called a T on a coach and the coach was livid but not deserving of being tossed. The gym was crazy loud (coach was of the visiting team) and the fans were giving it to him. I went over just to tell him we needed to move on and I kept him engaged with me and said "coach, get it out now because when these free throws are done, you need to get back to coaching or you'll have to leave." Coach said his peace, wasn't profane towards us and coached the remainder of the contest. Maybe it was luck, but I honestly don't think we could have handled it better as a crew for that situation.

In my opinion, it really depends on the situation. I think the coach looks like a real dumb ass if he was making a scene when you hit him with the T then tries to buddy up to your partner during free throws.

I try not to make issuing a technical foul an emotional thing. Just enforcing the rule. I don't hold any animosity towards the coach and have no issue with my partner being there as long as the coach is behaving. Basically after the call I'm moving on and would have no problem resuming normal communication with the coach.

I'm going to trust that my partner is not doing something crazy like telling the coach they didn't deserve the T -- maybe if that happens one time I will change my opinion.

I am not there to calm down any coach. My job is to enforce the rules and inform them what is next. If they choose to continue then that is on them if further action is taken. In many cases that might mean I will completely ignore them. If they do not know what the rules are or if they cannot comply then they will have to answer to someone higher than them as to why they do not know the rules or could not control their behavior enough to stay in the game.

Peace