Pre season coaches meeting
 

If you were going to have a meeting with High school coaches before the season begins what would you share with them about officiating to educate them andimprove relationships?

I expect that we will be limited to about an hour or so.

Confirmational bias.

The game is not called from the bench, but from the floor. If an official is hustling and in the right positions, give him/her the benefit of the doubt.

Don't comment or question every play and every call/no-call. Show some respect if you have a question or comment. If you want to pick a fight with an official, you will likely lose.

Don't officiate the game from the sideline.

FWIW, in the two PIAA sports I work (basketball and soccer), we have a mandatory pre-season coaches meeting, where the focus is solely on POEs.

These meetings are ineffective. Almost every area has these "pre-season" meetings. They are as useful as pregame sportsmanship lectures. With no bite and enforcement rules and decor are worthless.

In the end treat coaches like adults and most will be fine. The few that aren't will be the same jerks they are no matter how many times you sit them down and "talk" to them. It's just life.

Good advice. Thanks.

We do 2 states, WV & Md. in WV coach come to a clinic, mandatory, in Md, they can, but rarely do.

Empathy. How would they feel if they were treated the way they treat us?

“It’s not like I go to their work and knock the cocks out of their mouths.” — Jimmy Carr

I thought the question was what to discuss, not whether meetings are worthwhile.

OK, so how about: "Coaches, treat us like adults and we'll be fine"? [Fixed it.]

The best thing to discuss are

1. these are the rules
2. these are the expectations
3. these are the penalties when 1&2 are not followed

Then follow up on point 3 during the season. I think it's sad that you want to discuss with adults that you want to be treated like one. Just act like one. Take care of business and your job. The rest, I have found, play themselves out fine.

You don't recognize sarcasm when the quote paraphrases your comment? That's sad.

But I apologize for forgetting to use blue font.

apology accepted. It was very subtle in the contextual manner it was presented. touche.

Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) ...
 

1) Review last season's new rules, and points of emphasis.
2) New rules, and points of emphasis.
3) The always confusing (for coaches) equipment color restrictions (undershirts, sleeves, headbands, wristbands).
4) Questions about new rules, or old rules that require more detailed explanations (block/charge, screens, closely guarded, etc.)
5) Goodnight. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

I wouldn't even broach the subject of sportsmanship, and bench decorum, they already know the rules regarding such. Not the time and place for these topics.

Discussing rules with coaches is pointless. They aren't going to remember them.

Coaches in WV take the same NFHS Part I that we take.

There is no minimum score for them but it does give them a sense of their knowledge of the rules.

Just Don't Stand In Front Of The Table ...
 

Well they certainly remembered the rule change from last year, as they often coached from the down near the endline. Somebody was listening, and somebody remembered.

Somebody's got to tell them when the NFHS changes rules.

Like the big change a few years ago when we went from the hit to the release on free throws. Or the emphasis on freedom of movement against ball handlers, and post players.

They may be able to read about rule changes somewhere, but they may not understand many of the changes without someone in the "know" explaining the subtle intricacies, and permutations, to them.

That's should be the state's HS governing body's responsibility. Coaches should be mandated to attend an in-person or online rules clinic.

VA used to require the in person coaches meeting/rules clinic. Instead of continuing to hold coaches accountable, they let them now do the click play walk away come back when the slide is done version.

Fair At Best ...
 

Our state interscholastic sports governing body gives this responsibility to each local IAABO board. The governing body, and each local IAABO board, as well as the IAABO state board, have a very close working relationship, in fact, all basketball officials belong (at $12.00 each) to the governing body's official's group.

School athletic directors strongly encourage at least one member of their boys and girls coaching staffs to attend our preseason coaches meeting. Attendance is fair at best.

I will just add to the list.

Tell your players that yelling "AND ONE" after every goddamn shot is going to result in a warning followed by a technical and we will just keep going with technicals until we clear the gym.

Signed- an official sick of hearing "AND ONE" after every goddamn shot.

what do you actually do about it in your games. because i don't believe that the warning then T actually works, or is acceptable, by any means (at least at higher levels).

T-Worthy ???
 

Agree.

Unsporting? Maybe/not sure.

Warning ("Knock it off.")? Possibly, but only under extreme circumstances.

T-Worthy? No.

As a throwaway line, diarrhea of the mouth, agreed. But if you clearly direct it at me in a loud, suggestive fashion, absolutely a T. I've called that in varsity boys and will continue to do so.

I warn the coach, then go to the T. It works.

Agreed. Not sure why anyone here would say it's not T worthy. I'm sure everyone here is seeing it more and more. I know I am and I find warning the coach and then T-ing the player or bench if necessary shuts it right down.

I just tell the coach "Coach, tell your players we are not doing the AND ONE on every shot." Most of them handle it.

Just Move On And Play The Game ...
 

If it's directed at the official as a serious complaint about a foul not being called, then it may be an unsporting issue, and handled like any other unsporting issue (oral warning, written warning (bench), technical foul). But around here the statement is often an automatic response from players, substitutes, and fans, that there may have been some contact, but after being said, they just move on and play the game.

Yes, it is possible that in extreme circumstances, it can be unsporting, but around here it has become so common place that it often doesn't even register as an irritant anymore. Sometimes I just smile, and shake my head, sometimes I just ignore.

Oddly, PA's pre-season new-rules/POEs meeting is only mandatory for varsity coaches, not JV or middle school. I don't think sub-varsity coaches are even informed about it.

I ignore if it's once in a while. But I have had games where literally players are saying it, or screaming it after every. single. shot. So I am specifically referring to that scenario.

Get Back On Defense ...
 

Yes, I guess that this can be a problem. We just don't see that around here on the varsity high school level. Players just say it (like Pavlov's dog) and immediately get back on defense, since the ball is still in play after a made basket. If a player decides to spend time screaming at an official rather than getting back on defense, it isn't going to be official that takes care of business, it will be the coach, as in, "Take a seat on the bench".

But then, I've never noticed a correlation between the shot actually going in the basket and the player saying "and one" . . .

Do You Still Want Just One Free Throw ???
 

If the shot doesn't go in the player still has to get back on defense, not much time to scream at me (unless the ball goes out of bounds, or something else like that).

I get a kick out of players saying "And one", then I decide to call the foul (not because of what the player said, but because I was patient with my call, and then the ball falls off the rim. I feel like saying, "Do you still want just one free throw?", but, of course, I'm much more professional than that. Professional is my middle name. Billy Professional Mac. Yep. That's me.

I could see something along the lines of "Questioning a single call is much more effective than questioning every call." But yeah, I don't know if I'd go much further than that.