When Enough is Enough
 

On nights I don't have school games, I officiate at a local venue which is home to both training and year-round leagues, for all grade levels throught HS. It can be ugly at times, and the pay is lower than any school games would be, but it offers me a place to officiate all year, so I like having it available...with that in mind, I left tonight at halftime of my 2nd game of 3.

There is a coach there who is a staple for that facility. He technically has no authority or title, but he trains players and has a key+building alarm code, so he definitely has more pull there than I. He was coaching this particular game and they were getting beat by 20+ toward end of 1st half. Leading team A1 shoots a last second 3, and gets hammered in both the back and his shooting elbow. Sure, I could let it go considering the lead and league itself, but it was an obvious and hard shooting foul, so I make the obvious call at the buzzer. My partner also had his fist raised from a far-side trail position. I report and tell A1 he's shooting.

Coach B is immediately all over me. At this age and league, I try to give as much leash as possible bc it's rare we have this happen. However, CB has done this before on more than one occasion. His "Are you serious?" Is met with an "Absolutely," and I clear the lanes. He continues to yell as I am ready to administer, and I look at him and advise him to stop it's over. I bounce the ball to A1 and CB starts yelling again. As soon as shot gets even close to basket, I whack the coach as the shot goes in. He continues to yell as my partner is half-ass attempting to calm him. He yells "I don't gotta be quiet...you don't make that call...that's terrible."

As we walk into office at halftime, CB comes in there (this is normal for any night) and is still berating me. I look at the guy who runs the day to day ops there, and he doesn't say anything. That moment was when I decided enough was enough. I have risen a long way this season and have a good reputation that is spreading. My time and ability is worth more than being harassed with no repercussions. I changed my shoes, put my jacket on, and told him he can keep my money for that game and I am not going to stand there and take that behavior for the money being paid. Then I left.

Was I wrong for leaving at halftime? Bear in mind, that will have zero effect on my scholastic schedule. Sorry for the long post but much more could have been said.

I think another option is to run the coach, finish out the game and never go back.

Many with way more experience than me will chime in, but I would say you should have finished your games that night, then never went back. It never looks good to quit.

Of course that would be the preferred route. I wish I could paint a better picture, but believe me when I say this guy comes and goes as he pleases. Tossing him would have only caused a scene for kids that don't deserve that. The way it went down in the office, with the person overseeing the gym sitting right there, made it clear to me he wasnt going to be made to do anything he doesn't want to do. I hated having to do what I did, believe me. Realistically, how do you envision that 2nd half going?

I doubt you will find much support here for what you did. Call the second T at some point. Sounds like it should have been while still shooting free throws. If the coach refuses to leave, then you can forfeit the game and go home.

This ain't gonna do your reputation any good.

While finishing the game would be ideal, but lets look what happened in the Site Manager's office: B-HC's is running wild and the SM did nothing to stop him. My instincts tell me that had B-HC been tossed, the SM would still have defended B-HC and done nothing to defend the Game Officials. Therefore, it makes sense to go home early because no official needs this kind of grief.

MTD, Sr.

If all this had occurred on the court, I would say toss him and finish the game. But once he entered the office he violated your personal space, and that's outside of basketball. That League reaps what it sows.

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It's one thing for a coach to go insane on the court, but to come into the locker room during halftime and keep throwing a temper tantrum? And furthermore the administration is doing nothing about it while being RIGHT THERE? Hell no.

Quitting like that is usually not the right thing, but if how you describe things is how it went down then... if I were your partner... I would have walked out with you.

No embellishments here, fellas. Another fellow official, who also works there on occasion, told me he has had this same coach come at his partner like that before. He described it as a poor representation of that facility, as it is a great place for basketball. I have had numerous people compliment me both in person, and to others who have relayed back to me. I am known to be as fair as they come and I do well with all ages.

I assure you all, had I stayed and issued a 2nd T, there would have been zero enforcement from the gym mgmt. I hate that I had to make the decision, it would have only gotten worse.

What did your partner do?

I'm assuming he stayed. He did back my side of it up, but nothing other than that.

That would be a reason for me to stay. Figure out a way to handle the HC, toss him if you have to. When he refuses to go, you can leave together. Can't say I blame you overall. Dealing with that kind of abuse, especially in a league like that, is pretty awful.

Way to go. The words of a much wiser man than I come to mind in that situation. Put the ball on the table and go home.

This should not be a consideration.

AremRed beat me to the punch.

The “it’s all about the kids” mantra. :rolleyes:

Our job as officials includes penalizing unsporting behavior. When the coach hangs himself, we have to take care of business. It’s not about being fair to “the kids.” If anything, it’s showing them that acting like an asshat is not acceptable.

I understand and I agree with both of you on a fundamental level. With this essentially being a Rec format, and with his status at that facility, a 2nd T would have been met with zero enforcement from the staff on hand. It would have been a circus with no real meaning, and that is what I meant by enough is enough.

Your promote what you permit
 

Unacceptable. Someone needs to run him. If not you, who? If not then, when?

Losing officials is likely the only way the facility will figure out that they have an issue, and hopefully deal with that issue. Hindsight is 20/20, but I would have put it at the feet of the administrator in the office. Tell the admin that the coach is ejected and if he isn't removed from sight and sound, then you are gone. I know you said no enforcement WOULD have happen, but, to me, I feel like I'd need the lack of enforcement to actually happen before I walked off. This could have all been determined within that office before the halftime was over.

I am guessing this is the guy that pays the bills and the reason the site manager does nothing. When he came into the locker room and the SM did nothing, that was clearly crossing the line and you and your partner should have left at that point. Support by partners goes both ways and if your partner didn't leave too, I think that shows up badly for him as well.

If he didn't come into the locker room, I agree that assessing he second T during the game would have been the way to go. Then if the coach/SM refuses to follow the rule (ejection), leave. "If you aren't going to follow the rules, you have no need for us to be here."


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I was assigned to do four games at this complex that has 8 courts and only does tournaments. They also form complex teams and do training for a small fee lol. I show up and have worked there a few times before so I knew the drill no big deal. I get with my partner and see the GM of the complex on the court running drills so I ask my partner and come to find out not only is he the GM of the complex but he is HC of two of the teams. I find this a huge conflict of interest but oh well. We start the game and it is going even though the GM is crying over every little call but I ignore. His player drives the lane but extends his arm and pushes off so I get him for offensive foul and the GM goes crazy. It was shocked at first that he would cry over such a obvious call but I let him vent a little until he says loud enough for the entire complex to hear "I run this place and I will make sure you never work here again" I walked over to him and said "this may be your house but its my court and you just got a T" he is furious but coach came over to calm him down. Half time hits and I go to the bathroom when I am walking back I hear him on his phone telling the assignor to get him a replacement for me. I am ticked off at this point tell my partner and decide to stay professional. We get ready to inbound the ball for the second half and he is standing so I tell him he has lost the box because of the T. He tells me he is standing and who is going to enforce it the GM and he laughs. I see now that even if I dump him he will not leave and I will have to put up with it the rest of the game. I walk over to my partner apologize and tell him I got to go and he says I completely understand. I walk over change my shoes put my coat on and start walking out. The GM says you are a POS and no sooner then he says it my partner is behind me with his coat on saying life is too short to put up with this shit. We left got a beer together and played some pool.

I'm not going to say that I disagree with your actions but I think that you still have to implement the rules. If you issue a second "T" and he is ejected then he does not leave you can rule the game a forfeit and go home within the rules. You can't say if I do this he won't do that (if he is ejected he won't leave). Maybe he receives the second T and leaves the confines, the game continues without issue from there on out. Is it likely? Probably not but might as well use the tools we have to manage the game.

I think some are forgetting that this is rec ball and "the rules" don't always apply.

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When coaches are so far of out control and GM is not helping, the normal principles don't apply, in my judgment. I see no point in insisting on futile gestures simply to "abide by the rules" or to "manage the game." In the two examples posters have given, there was ample justification for walking away.

I would have done the same thing. My partner and the league admin can finish the game out by themselves, or have the coach help, I wouldn't have cared one bit.

The Toledo YMCA does not have one complex but many branches through out the area. Years and years ago, one of the branches and a Sunday night men's league. One of the teams that played in it was a team made up of Y employees including the Director of the branch. On this particular evening I called a PF on the Director who took exception to my call to such an extent that I had to WHACK him. At that point he exclaims that T-ing him up was not a good idea because he was the one that signed our game fee checks. I said: "Good, here is your 2nd TF, now you can go sign our checks!" He gives me surprised look and says: "Are you tossing me?" I said: "Yes. Now go sign our checks!" My partner loved it.

MTD, Sr.

I agree. Go home early and have a cold (root) beer.

MTD, Sr.

I wouldn't have had the discipline to not say "Man, f*** you" straight to his face. I'm still working on that aspect of self-improvement.

Post of the week.

I am probably making this too black/white but this seems to be a question of only one thing: integrity

What is you integrity worth? If nothing, then succumb to the situation. If something, then do not officiate there.

You did what you felt you had to do as the person in the moment, not looking back in hindsight and saying "never quit" or some other platitude.

I've been in some similar situations and ultimately always had someone in the facility enforce things accordingly but in your case I'd have done the same thing and not really thought twice about it.

You have to decide what you are willing to accept as a man and if you cannot reasonably change the situation then sometimes you just have to remove yourself from it.

Sounds like you've outgrown that facility with the way its currently run. Don't look back.