The effect of a technical foul on a coach

[Terrapins Fan]

I had a very high intense varsity boys game last night. Both teams pretty well evenly matched. Early on the visitors took an 8 point lead and the home coach was very frustrated.

Every time up-and-down the floor I was tableside and he complained about everything. After the 3rd time down the floor he said "blow you whistle and call the foul", so I did.

This was midway through the 2nd quarter, he was down 8 at the half. All he did early on was complain about the officiating time after time after time. Once he had his technical foul and was forced to sit, he began to coach. Down by as many as 13 in the 3rd quarter his team started to come back and ended up winning by 14.

I had this happen a number of times through the years that when coaches focus on coaching they do a much better job then when they focus on officiating the game.

[grunewar]

Had a similar situation yesterday. My partner stuck the coach and he sat down and was quiet as a church mouse the rest of the game and just coached.

PS - It also helped that he was up by 20 much of the second half.

[JRutledge]

My goal is always to get coaches back to coaching if they choose to officiate or concentrate on us. If I can do that without a T, that is even better. But sometimes that is all they seem to understand.

Peace

[Freddy]

When lobbying turns into incessant complaining, just give a 4-48 warning. If it works and the behavior is modified, everybody wins. If it doesn't work and the coach doesn't stop, go to the T. Sometimes the inevitable can't be avoided. But at least you're giving the process a chance.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Freddy

When lobbying turns into incessant complaining, just give a 4-48 warning. If it works and the behavior is modified, everybody wins. If it doesn't work and the coach doesn't stop, go to the T. Sometimes the inevitable can't be avoided. But at least you're giving the process a chance.

This works as well as a stop sign to some. Not all tools are used to with the same effectiveness.

Peace

[crosscountry55]

Originally Posted by Freddy

When lobbying turns into incessant complaining, just give a 4-48 warning. If it works and the behavior is modified, everybody wins. If it doesn't work and the coach doesn't stop, go to the T. Sometimes the inevitable can't be avoided. But at least you're giving the process a chance.

That was my first thought. Was a warning a possibility here or had one already been given? Given your description, it sounds like the OP may have reacted a little emotionally and served tea before coffee.

Originally Posted by JRutledge

My goal is always to get coaches back to coaching if they choose to officiate or concentrate on us. If I can do that without a T, that is even better. But sometimes that is all they seem to understand.

+1. Game recently, good young official calls offensive foul six minutes into the game. Coach (on other end of floor) comes about two steps onto the floor and demonstratively waves both arms, but doesn't say much. Good young official issues T. Can it be defended? Yes. But did it fit and was it effective? Not really because now we ended up with more tension with the coach than we probably otherwise would have. IMHO, I thought a walk-back or a warning would have been more effective in that scenario.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by crosscountry55

Coach (on other end of floor) comes about two steps onto the floor and demonstratively waves both arms,

On the floor and demonstrating? As close to an automatic as one can get.

[crosscountry55]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

On the floor and demonstrating? As close to an automatic as one can get.

Two small steps and more like a "whatever" gesture. I guess you had to be there. Normally I would agree with you, but this situation just seemed like it called for something more measured. Especially with the warning as an option this year.

[LRZ]

IMO, this is a much more important "taking care of business so the next crew doesn't have to" than fashion police issues. Recently, in a 9th grade game, I cautioned, officially warned, then finally T'd a coach. My partner said, "I've known him for years, he's always like that. He's always hyper." Apparently, no one before had ever told the coach that his conduct was unacceptable?

[SC Official]

I think coaches would collectively behave better if we got away from the stigma of technical fouls and just called them when warranted without worrying about all the repercussions. Incredible how much better NBA coaches behave than their high school and college counterparts, partially because NBA officials are not scared to TCOB when warranted.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by LRZ

IMO, this is a much more important "taking care of business so the next crew doesn't have to" than fashion police issues.

The difference is we all have our own lines in the sand with regards to behavior.

Fashion police rules are, well, rules, and it shouldn’t really matter what our opinion is.

[JRutledge]

There are rarely things that I would call an "automatic" T. For one if you are different places, there are different cultures of behavior, which means you have to handle those situations differently. And if that is the only outburst, then I might not even have to give a warning if that is all the coach did. Again the goal is not to call Ts if you can because just like stated if it does not make the game better, then you might have interjected tension into the game that would not normally be there. The Ts I gave even 5 years ago is very different than the Ts I give now.

I had a game last night with two very demonstrative coaches. If we had given a T for every time they waved their arms or clapped or ranted about something, we would have given multiple Ts. We as a crew choose to handle the situation and we did not need to give a T at any point in the game. Lesser experienced officials would have had Ts a probably an ejection. Also, no warning was given during the night. Not everything can be said to be "automatic."

Peace

[LRZ]

Originally Posted by SC Official

The difference is we all have our own lines in the sand with regards to behavior.

Fashion police rules are, well, rules, and it shouldn’t really matter what our opinion is.

I don't mean to minimize fashion police rules. What I meant was to compare the importance of TCOB re fashion rules and TCOB re coaches' behavior: if a crew does not enforce the fashion rules, and I have to do so the next game, no big deal, I do so. But crews that don't try to control coaches' misconduct? That's another story, entirely. In my little corner of PA, too many officials fail to TCOB about coaches' conduct--they have no line in the sand at all. Get in, collect the check, get out.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by LRZ

I don't mean to minimize fashion police rules. What I meant was to compare the importance of TCOB re fashion rules and TCOB re coaches' behavior: if a crew does not enforce the fashion rules, and I have to do so the next game, no big deal, I do so. But crews that don't try to control coaches' misconduct? That's another story, entirely. In my little corner of PA, too many officials fail to TCOB about coaches' conduct--they have no line in the sand at all. Get in, collect the check, get out.

Sounds great, but we are all different. What offends you, might be normal to me. What I can deal with, you might struggle with. If I have learned anything as an official, not everyone can handle the same kind of situations. So we can call Ts all over the place, that is not going to change how those react to them.

Peace

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by SC Official

I think coaches would collectively behave better if we got away from the stigma of technical fouls and just called them when warranted without worrying about all the repercussions. Incredible how much better NBA coaches behave than their high school and college counterparts, partially because NBA officials are not scared to TCOB when warranted.

I have almost no problems at all with college coaches. And the times college coaches do get T'd, they are never a problem the rest of the game.