coaching box questions

[caref]

In California we use the 6 foot coaching box. I am just curious as to how other areas who use this enforce it. My association seems tp go with the attitude, "if the coaches are not bothering me I don't care." I don't feel confortable with that since some coaches can get away with wandering all over the place while the majority honor the requirments. Seems to make for a double standard.

How do do other areas of the country and other parts of California handle this?

[ChuckElias]

In MA, we use the 14' box. The attitude around here is generally, if the coach is anywhere near the box, and s/he is coaching, then I've got better things to worry about.

If the coach is standing on the endline to coach, then we have a problem, and I'll walk him/her back to the box. But if s/he's close to the box, and coaching (as opposed to yelling at the officials), then I doubt that I would even notice.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally posted by caref
In California we use the 6 foot coaching box. I am just curious as to how other areas who use this enforce it. My association seems tp go with the attitude, "if the coaches are not bothering me I don't care." I don't feel confortable with that since some coaches can get away with wandering all over the place while the majority honor the requirments. Seems to make for a double standard.

How do do other areas of the country and other parts of California handle this?

My first year as a basketball official was the 1971-72 season, but the first year of the coaching box rule was the 1970-71 season and it was in effect at both the boys'/girls' H.S. and men's college level. Without going into detail, the rule was very simple, except under very few situations, the head coach kept his tuckus glued to the bench. I lived in Glendale, CA, from 1982 to 1984, and the rule as it was written in 1970 was still in effect. My very first game in Los Angeles was a girls' H.S. varsity. About half way through the first quarter I was lead when Team B scored and Team A was trying to inbound the ball against Team B's press. The next thing I know, Team A's coach was standing beside me on the endline coaching his team. Of course I whacked him, but he could not understand why he could not be where he was. He was not too happy but he stayed on the bench after that.

[Hawks Coach]

Never allow a coach across half court - that should be an automatic T.

Don't let the coach obstruct the scorers and timers (the box helps prevent that). If they are in the way of the scorers, warn them. If they are way outside the box by the baseline, warn them. If they are close to the box and coaching, not causing a problem, leave it be. You have much more important things to worry about. Especially if your state uses the six foot prison box as opposed to the 14 foot. If you use 14 foot box, it is enough space and if the coach wanders enough, again you may want to warn him. But be really careful about the use of the T for this "offense."

I know of one ref that emphasizes the coaching box. It's always his own box by the way - he awarded me a TO when I was coaching from the painted 6 foot box on the court! He always awards a TO and threatens a T if you say anything - that's in his pregame! He did this to me in the second half of a two point game, and when I was in the prescribed box. Only because my captain failed to understand that he had his own definition of the coaching box that he gave in his pregame with the captains! As you can probably guess, he doesn't do a good job on the court, but he is always aware of the box as he defines it. Don't be this ref!

[Rick Vietti]

Nevada was using the 6ft box but is going to the 14ft box. In general our philosophy has been if the coach is coaching then we put that on the radar like a 3 second call.

[DownTownTonyBrown]

The coaching box is for coaching. It is not for evaluating or berating officials. Coaches are not officiating clinicians. Those actions should get a T-bone everytime whether he is in the box or out.

The general concensus in our area is if he is near his box and coaching, never mind.

Many of the gyms I work in are quite small. One in particular, the players have to consciously keep their feet under their chairs to keep them off the floor - hey! we don't have the gym this year. They got new facilities.

However, in that gym the coach would regularly be on the court. There is no other place for him to be if he is not in his chair. This again was not penalized as long as he was not interfering with the play/activity and was coaching.

We are not there to penalize reasonable activities. The T-bone is for gross, intentional, abuses.

[stan-MI]

In Michigan, we use a 6-ft. box. I'm not going to T a guy for standing outside the box if he's just coaching his team. If he strays too far or too often, though, I might remind him with a quiet word or a gesture.

If a coach is outside the box and arguing our criticising the officiating, I'll walk him back to the box, or even look at the floor and point to the box. That often has a calming effect on the coach. Or I might T him. As long as he's off the court, the T depends more on what he's doing and saying than where he's standing.

[JRutledge]

My attitude is not much different than most that work a lot of varsity. If they are not yelling at me either, I really am not paying much attention to them at all. Now if they start yelling at me and they are not in the box, they usually get a warning or are told to get back in the box. That is there pass, at least from me. And it also depends on what they are yelling about. Usually in most 3 Man games that we do, it is very easy to keep them in the box with a slight suggestion, no matter what they are yelling about.

I really feel that this is really an non-issue most of the time. You have to understand that these guys work hard all week, usually 6 days from November to March. I think if they are not yelling at us, it is not our responsiblity to give them an opportunity to correct the situation first, especially when they are not screaming at me.

Peace

[KingTripleJump]

Most coaches (not all) who are out of their box are out of there for a good reason--yelling a kids, calling plays--in general, coaching with some heart. That is what I like to see. So when that happens, I don't give a flying flip what is going on.

NONETHELESS--the moment, and not a second later, they even try to critique my officiating is when I have a problem and let them know.

So bottom line--if they're doing nothing but good ol' coaching, then who cares. But if they even give you a nasty look, let em' know--God made that box for a reason.