Coaches Say The Darndest Things ...

[BillyMac]

Our local interpreter has been trying for years to get us to ask coaches if they want a "Thirty second timeout or a sixty second time out?" instead of asking if they want a "Thirty second timeout or a full time out" and then reporting "Thirty second timeout" or "Sixty second time out" to the table instead of reporting "Thirty second timeout" or "Full timeout".

For many of us, "Old dog, new tricks", and "Old habits die hard".

Yesterday I had a coach request a "Half timeout"

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

1) I had a NAIA Women's game dacades ago: The Team Foul Totals for the First Half were: Home: 2 and the Visitor: 6; H-HC ran up to my Parter and me said: "I can't believe that I am getting homered on my own court!"

2a) Very first game of Pool Play in AAU Boys' 12U Nationals in the late 1990s: Team from Florida is winning 55-15 at Halftime. My Partner (Who is the Director of Officials for the Tournament and one of my goombahs; he also looks just like Joe Pesci and is not taller than Pesci and I am three inches taller that my partner.) and are walking off of the Court to go to our dressing room when the Florida HC (Who is about 6'-03".) comes us to us and tells us that we need to start calling Three Seconds because we are letting his Team's opponent is camping in the Paint. ��

2b) AAU Nationals are divided into four team pools so that each team plays one game per day through pool play. But the Florida Team is in the only five-team pool in the tournament which means each team in the pool will have one day in which it will have to play two games. "Joe" makes sure that Officails do not see the same team twice in one day or in pool play. Unbeknowst to "Joe" the Tournament Director changed this Pool's schedule and when I show up to my last game of the day, the Florida Team was one of the two Teams (the other being a Team from Connecticut). FL thought that they were going to role over CT but CT had other ideas. Mid-way through the 2nd QT my Parther, (Who was the U for the Game.) who was the L calls a PF on FL1 in the FT Lane who took exception to my Partner's call and let my Partner know which resulted in FL1 received at TF for Unsporting Conduct. Fast foward to the middle of the 4th QT and CT is leading FL by 8 points and the FL fans are not happy with the officiating, ��. My partner, again from the L, calls another PF on FL1 in the FT Lane, which is his 3rd Foul of the Game and FL1 repeats his post Foul conduct and receives his 2nd TF and which results in his Disqualification. Up until this point in the Game FL-HC had only been 'chirping' about the Officiaiting but he never stepped over the line but he now exploded and he picked up a trash can that was behind FL's Bench and hurled it onto the Court toward me. If you assumed that the game ended at the moment, you are correct.

MTD, Sr.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

For many of us, "Old dog, new tricks", and "Old habits die hard".

Finally, this year, after several years of signaling incorrectly, I'm getting really comfortable using the open hand stop the clock signal before the held ball signal.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

For many of us, "Old dog, new tricks", and "Old habits die hard".

I'm finally geting used to the four (now eight) "special" designated spots, as well as the new "bounce across the lane" on the backcourt endline mechanics.

However, these new mechanics have distracted me enough that I often forget to use the "designated spot" or "run the endline" backcourt endline signals that I previously did 99% of the time.

Biggest problem with the "bounce across the lane" mechanic is that the players don't want to be that far away from me and automatically "follow" me to my side of the lane.

Even young dogs have problems with new tricks.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Finally, this year, after several years of signaling incorrectly, I'm getting really comfortable using the open hand stop the clock signal before the held ball signal.

I was curious so I looked it up.

The held ball signal sequence change was made in 2019–2020.

Has it really been six years?

[Stat-Man]

At a recent CYO girls 7th grade game, B1 commits a blocking foul on airborne A1 and I award the two shots. Coach B tells someone on her bench, "I thought a blocking foul was on the floor?"


I can't recall if it was boy's Freshman or JV, but I had a coach insist in that game I couldn't award free throws for a holding foul.

[BillyMac]

I worked a game last week with a school named "Foote School".

Every time the announcer announced "Foote Ball" I chuckled.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I worked a game last week with a school named "Foote School".

Every time the announcer announced "Foote Ball" I chuckled.

MTD, Sr.