You can't be serious

[BillyMac]

At our Sunday local board meeting we spent some time discussing the ejection of a team's only coach (i.e., no assistants), usually in a middle school game, or a freshman game. As a result of some state-wide problems, our state high school sports governing body now has some guidelines in place.

Only coach is ejected. This ejected coach now has fifteen minutes to replace himself with a non-student over the age of eighteen. It is not the officials responsibility to ask for any certification proof, we don't even ask. No replacement after fifteen minutes leads a forfeit by the team without a coach, even if they are leading in the game.

[so cal lurker]

15 minutes? That, IMHO, is insane. The other team has to sit around for 15 minutes because the coach is a %#$%. Just like the time for a fouled out player, giving them 15 minutes to do this means that some of those knuckleheads will take the full 15 just because they can.

IMHO, there should either be an assistant coach on the books at the start of the game or not. If not, too bad. That's the school's fault, not the refs'. Game over.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by so cal lurker

15 minutes?

Not my call. Guidelines are from the CIAC, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, our state high school sports governing body.

99.9% of the time this will only be utilized in middle school games and freshman games.

so cal lurker: What are the written guidelines in your state/conference/league/association, etc. (I'm assuming California)?

Forum members: What are the written guidelines in your state/conference/league/association, etc.?

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

....

Forum members: What are the written guidelines in your state/conference/league/association, etc.?

Don't know, don't care.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

Don't know, don't care.

Just trying to show so cal lurker that the Connecticut guidelines may not be perfect, but at least we (now) have some guidelines that other states may not have at all. Or that Connecticut guidelines stink, and other states do it much better.

[Stat-Man]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Forum members: What are the written guidelines in your state/conference/league/association, etc.?

Michigan's Rule:

If a coach is ejected from a contest and an assistant coach or an assigned school representative is not available to continue as coach, the event is terminated and forfeited to the opponent. Only assistant coaches or school representatives (verified by the Superintendent or Principal) may act in place of the coach. (MHSAA Regulation V,Section 3(B)).

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by so cal lurker

... the coach is a %#$% ...

If he continues to be a dickhead, I've got another rule to pull out of my black tool belt that will take care of matters.

5-4-1: The referee shall forfeit the game if a team refuses to play after
being instructed to do so by any official. The referee may also forfeit a
game if any player, team member, bench personnel or coach fails to comply
with any technical-foul penalty, or repeatedly commits technical-foul
infractions or other acts which make a travesty of the game. If the team to
which the game is forfeited is ahead, the score at the time of forfeiture shall
stand. If this team is not ahead, the score shall be recorded as 2-0 in its
favor.

[so cal lurker]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

If he continues to be a dickhead, I've got another rule to pull out of my black tool belt that will take care of matters.

5-4-1: The referee shall forfeit the game if a team refuses to play after
being instructed to do so by any official. The referee may also forfeit a
game if any player, team member, bench personnel or coach fails to comply
with any technical-foul penalty, or repeatedly commits technical-foul
infractions or other acts which make a travesty of the game. If the team to
which the game is forfeited is ahead, the score at the time of forfeiture shall
stand. If this team is not ahead, the score shall be recorded as 2-0 in its
favor.

If they adopt adopt a stupid rule that says they get 15 minutes, you can't forfeit the game because you take affront that he is taking that amount of time to designate his replacement.

I don't ref basketball, so I have no idea what the ground rules are around here for coach ejections without an assistant coach. My opinion on what the rule should be is simply my opinion. IF the school/team wants someone to be able to take over, IMHO, that person should be named as an assistant coach before the game. If they don't do that, it's on the team, not the ref.

(The local AYSO Area has a rule that if any coach is tossed the game is over and a forfeit--the only reason I wouldn't support that for all jr high games is that some refs just become reluctant to toss the coach if they have to abandon the game, too.)

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by so cal lurker

If they adopt adopt a stupid rule that says they get 15 minutes ...

The CIAC, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, our state high school sports governing body, consists of both active and retired school superintendents, principals, assistant principals, and athletic directors that often make decisions with input of our Connecticut IAABO State Interpreter.

This learned group of educators probably figures that canceling an extracurricular school activity involving two teams of student athletes (one team traveling by expensive bus, that already left to return later in the afternoon for pickup), student athlete cheerleaders, student athlete fans, paid officials, and parents, due to the behavior of one adult who lost his temper and said the wrong word to an official, possibly in the first minute of a game, may not be the best educational plan for all involved. Why punish the many for the mortal sin of one? Why not give the coach (as long as he's not being a dickhead) some time to get a teacher, administrator, parent, police officer in the corner, custodian, or even the other team's assistant coach, to coach, thus allowing the completion of this educationally valuable extracurricular school activity? Isn't that preferable to sending everybody home and turning off the lights in the gym? When ten or fifteen minutes of time can possibly solve a problem?

When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord, “Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one who has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand be against me. (2 Samuel 24:17)

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Forum members: What are the written guidelines in your state/conference/league/association, etc.?

[LRZ]

A tangential twist to this issue: if coaches need clearances, must the "coach out of the stands" be cleared? And if so, who checks? If he/she doesn't have clearances, then what?

There was a case where a game did not have a full crew of referees. A cop, who is a DARE contact in the township's high school, is a referee, but HR said his clearances were not on file, so he could not work the game. I may have missed some of the nuances or details of the case, but that's the gist.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by LRZ

A tangential twist to this issue: if coaches need clearances, must the "coach out of the stands" be cleared? And if so, who checks? If he/she doesn't have clearances, then what?

This was the final piece of the puzzle, asked for by my local board. According to the CIAC, the substitute coach doesn't have to have state certification (usually all nonteaching coaches in the state have to have a state issued coaching certificate), so we don't have to ask; can't be a student; must "look like they're at least eighteen" (exact CIAC words).

Originally Posted by LRZ

There was a case where a game did not have a full crew of referees. A cop, who is a DARE contact in the township's high school, is a referee, but HR said his clearances were not on file, so he could not work the game.

Ever since I've been officiating we've been strongly warned not to ever officiate with anybody who is not IAABO certified (Connecticut is 100% IAABO for high school basketball, but there are a few recreation level non-IAABO officials out there with Foot Locker jerseys), even if it means working a one person game (which is allowed in Connecticut, we even have written mechanics guidelines in place). I've been told that it's for legal liability reasons.

Of course, the usual caveat, when in Rome ...