Its Got No Teeth ...

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I misspoke earlier. Coaches see the same slides, etc., that we see, but may get a slightly different oral explanation since their rules knowledge won't be as complete as the rules knowledge of officials.

Also, officials will often share "secrets" that only officials can say to other officials (protecting star players, different calls in close games versus lopsided games, rule of thumb shortcuts, etc.).
...

I have no "secret handshakes". Again, maybe I'm just used to dealing with different types of coaches than you have in your little corner. I find just being honest about what I'm doing (I don't explain for my partners) is the best route. Also, my state is not in the habit of putting "secret handshake" material in the annual clinics.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

I have no "secret handshakes". I find just being honest about what I'm doing is the best route.

So you would have no problem saying, "Yeah coach, they both hit him and maybe #15 did hit him a split second before #12 did, but #15 is their best player and he has four fouls in the fourth period a close game".

Note: I'm not a big advocate of protecting star players, but I do try to be aware of star player foul totals for 50/50 calls in the last period. Other officials I work with, in my opinion, go over and above to protect such players.

Originally Posted by Raymond

My state is not in the habit of putting "secret handshake" material in the annual clinics.

Exactly my point (for presentations to coaches).

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

So you would have no problem saying, "Yeah coach, they both hit him and maybe #15 did hit him a split second before #12 did, but #15 is their best player and he has four fouls in the fourth period a close game".

Note: I'm not a big advocate of protecting star players, but I do try to be aware of star player foul totals for 50/50 calls in the last period. Other officials I work with, in my opinion, go over and above to protect such players.



Exactly my point (for presentations to coaches).

Since your Little Corner apparently has a problem with coaches knowing the rules maybe your locality should change up the ineffective "coaches only" training presentation and have them receive the same one you get. And maybe your locality shouldn't be including "secret handshake" training with its officials. Coaches, players, and fans are not stupid. The recognize when officials are blatantly calling the game differently for stars or for blow-outs.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

... problem with coaches knowing the rules maybe your locality should change up the ineffective "coaches only" training presentation and have them receive the same one you get.

The only "educational" contact we have with coaches is regarding new rule changes and Points of Emphasis.

It's only an hour each year, and yet we have problems getting coaches to attend. Penalty for not attending is not eligible for annual sportsmanship awards. And each team only has to send one coach, even if it's the freshman coach.

After a few years of coaching, I realized that I didn't really understand all the rules, and was getting a lot of technical fouls. So I took the local rookie officiating class only to learn the rules. Took the test, passed the test, and then discovered that I could make some extra money officiating basketball (Connecticut teachers were poorly paid back then). Coaching lasted for "only" twenty-five years, forty years later and I'm still officiating.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

The only "educational" contact we have with coaches is regarding new rule changes and Points of Emphasis.



It's only an hour each year, and yet we have problems getting coaches to attend. Penalty for not attending is not eligible for annual sportsmanship awards. And each team only has to send one coach, even if it's the freshman coach.



My first year coaching, I soon realized that I didn't really understand all the rules, and was getting a lot of technical fouls. So I took the local rookie officiating class only to learn the rules. Took the test, passed the test, and then discovered that I could make some extra money officiating basketball. Coaching lasted for "only" twenty-five years, forty years later and I'm still officiating.

This portion of our conversation only happened because you said coaches need to receive a different presentation than officials. I said I like it that we all receive the same presentation down here in Virginia.

If your schools are not taking the training presentations seriously, why are you so hell-bent on defending that process?

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[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

If your schools are not taking the training presentations seriously, why are you so hell-bent on defending that process?

I'm not. It's not a great system. Attendance is only required by our local officials organization, not the state association. Those that do not send a team representative will not be eligible for the sportsmanship awards, but that's not why they come, they come because they see some value in the presentation.

I would like to see the state association (CIAC) make attendance mandatory, even if it's only for one team representative.

And it's the twenty-first century. So it doesn't have to be in person. It could be a Zoom (or whatever) presentation.

Even a flyer emailed (maybe with attached slides or video) to each team (in addition to the live or virtual presentation) would be better than what we have now.

All local IAABO interpreters will have access to a professionally produced IAABO "new rules" video, just send it to each team (in addition to the live or virtual presentation).

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I'm not. It's not a great system. Attendance is only required by our local officials organization, not the state association. Those that do send a team representative don't do so to be eligible for the sportsmanship awards, but because they see some value in the presentation.



I would like to see the state association (CIAC) make attendance mandatory, even if it's only for one team representative.



And it's the twenty-first century. So it doesn't have to be in person. It could be a Zoom (or whatever) presentation.

My state, preseason rules clinic is mandatory for schools and officials. We all receive the same presentation in the same format. When these things were done in person, coaches and officials attended the exact same clinics. If the state wants special attention on a subject, coaches and officials all receive the same information.

A preseason rules clinic by the state is not the same as association training where the assigner or supervisor tells his officials his philosophy and how he wants certain things handled.

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[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Those that do not send a team representative will not be eligible for the sportsmanship awards ...

We also tie our sportsmanship awards to whether, or not, local coaches send in their "votes" for the state tournament.

Many local coaches don't send in "votes" if they know that they won't make the state tournament (40% wins). Our assigner hates that because that leaves some of our local officials off the state list, and my local board gets fewer representatives in the state tournament than do the other five local boards that have local coaches that do a more complete job of voting.

Don't come to the preseason meeting, or don't vote for the state tournament, and that team isn't eligible for a sportsmanship award, even if charged with no unsporting technical fouls all season long.

Seems silly.

Are these carrots or sticks? If carrots, how tasty are the carrots? If sticks, how painful are the sticks?

Silly monkeys.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

So you would have no problem saying, "Yeah coach, they both hit him and maybe #15 did hit him a split second before #12 did, but #15 is their best player and he has four fouls in the fourth period a close game".
....

You are way too verbose.

"I had a foul on #12, maybe I got it wrong".

You pose questions to me like I'm new to this and trying to figure things out and your giving me examples of things I never fathomed.

I answer direct questions with as few words as possible. I don't conduct rules clinics on the sidelines. If a coach starts a whole bunch of BS after I respond to them I say, "You asked me a question, I answered it" then turn my attentions fully back to court. I'm not worried about what a coach is thinking at that point.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

"I had a foul on #12, maybe I got it wrong".

The whole truth ...

Of course we would never say, "Yeah coach, they both hit him and maybe #15 did hit him a split second before #12 did, but #15 is their best player and he has four fouls in the fourth period a close game", to a coach in a real game, but I'm sure that some of us have heard this philosophy at our officials-only meetings, if not "officially", maybe at the pub after our games.

Answering, "I had a foul on #12, maybe I got it wrong", while knowing that there's actually more to it, is our little secret.

Players know it. Coaches know it. Fans know it. But it's never talked about in the presence of non-officials.