T?

[Amesman]

So many of these travel ball coaches fall into two camps: green and don't know better or overly aggressive and probably should know better (but maybe don't).

To Rut's point: I usually find a word or two to the coach in question (or even an assistant you might perceive as bright enough to "get" it and pass word along), can rectify the situation. Most coaches don't want to think they're getting on the bad side of the refs.

As to the OP or some of the other demeaning comments from coaches written about here, I think there's an important limit to what you let an aggressive coach get away with. There's a big difference between, "You have to move your feet and block the baseline!" and "You're going to let HER beat you baseline?" or "You're going to let THIS team beat you?!" If one player demeans, taunts or intimidates another player on the court, there's justification for a T. So we're going to let a coach loudly insult opposing kids for everyone to hear?

A coach ripping his team is one thing -- it can be done just for his/her players' ears. Bellowing about another team or player so those kids/opponents and the entire crowd can hear is something on a different level, especially if it's mere kid ball. That gets back to my first point about some game management with the offenders initially; if they choose to display poor sportsmanship after that, stiffer measures might be needed. There's no way around it. So, no, I'm not proposing playing coach while in stripes, and I wouldn't got to the T as a first remedy. But I'm certainly not letting an utter lack of respect and decorum take over, either.

Isn't the first thing said in a pre-game to the players and coaches (at least at the high school level) something about sportsmanship?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Amesman

Isn't the first thing said in a pre-game to the players and coaches (at least at the high school level) something about sportsmanship?

That is largely the problem. There is no meeting like this at all in travel. There is no overall governing body that seems to legislate a lot of things. So you get the wild wild west. One of the reasons I stay away from these games. I remember a coach thought it was my job as an official to teach the kids the game. And was baffled when I told him, "That is not my job, I call the game, I do not coach it."

But the beauty of what we do is that officials have all kinds of opinions for all different kinds of reasons.

Peace

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by Amesman

Isn't the first thing said in a pre-game to the players and coaches (at least at the high school level) something about sportsmanship?

Do you actually think the stupid pregame meeting makes a difference in how players act? Newsflash: they're not listening to us 99% of the time.

[RefsNCoaches]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

I know our “T” thresholds are all different, but I just wanted to take the pulse of the Forum:

4th Grade Boys Travel, at halftime, the 1st place team is losing a close game to a sub-.500 team. Huddle is 10 feet from where partner and I are sitting. HC screaming at his players “That team STINKS”! I can’t believe you are losing to them (points to the other team), this will wreck our playoff seeding. You’d better get it together in the 2nd half!”
Obviously at the HS level, nothing, but 4th graders…I didn’t do anything, anybody whacking him?

8th grade girls, travel playoff game, in the first minute I notice Team A HC and 2 ACs standing. At the next dead ball, I tell the HC that the ACs must be seated. He says OK, and AC1 immediately sits down. I walk back to administer the throw-in, and I see AC2 still standing. I look over at him, and he says “I am scratching my back”. Then he sits. Not giving that T bothered me more than the first one. Just took me a little too long to process what he said.

I Coach 5th grade boys travel...I also have reffed a lot of lower level stuff in my 19 seasons. I'm probably not T'ing that up (despite my despise for this guy and that coaching style). I guess some guys think that works....it doesn't work for me and my players and it's not my style as a coach. I'm gonna get more out of my kids without demeaning them or my opponent. We focus on what we are doing well and what we need to do better at. My concern with the other team stops at what sets they are running against us and what I need to have my kids do. And I could give a rat's about my seeding...we gotta play whomever we play.

Positive Coaching Alliance program should be MANDATORY for every youth coach...problem is, if you got a few kids and a couple hundred bucks, you too can be a bball coach!

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

4th Grade Boys Travel, at halftime, the 1st place team is losing a close game to a sub-.500 team. Huddle is 10 feet from where partner and I are sitting. HC screaming at his players “That team STINKS”! I can’t believe you are losing to them (points to the other team), this will wreck our playoff seeding. You’d better get it together in the 2nd half!”
Obviously at the HS level, nothing, but 4th graders…I didn’t do anything, anybody whacking him?

I had a similar situation several yrs ago in a Girls Varsity game.

In a a fairly quiet gym, the coach was yelling at one of his players, "Are you going to let HER do that to you?" "If you want to get to the next level, you can't let a player like THAT cover you!" "Take her to the basket!" etc.

While I thought the coach was an a$$hat, I didn't feel it was my place. The parents and administration are apparently allowing that behavior every day. Let them handle it.

PS - He's not there anymore and was eventually let go.