Many of you have worked lots and lots of games , so over the years what has been some of your best lines you've used in situations to a coach. Don't forget to let us know what the situation was.

Thanks.

"Hi coach. I'm Bob Jenkins. Good luck tonight."

I don't say much else.

This thread comes up reletively frequently. Do a search (using google).

Say what?
 

I try to leave the one liners to comedians because you never know how clever the coach might think that you are not! There is a fine line between being clever and being a smart ......!

Does not have to be funny.
 

Let me say this. I agree that you should not come up with any canned "one-liners" but you can develop "scripts" to address specific questions or specific situations. It has to fit into your personality. And they do not have to be funny. All they have to do is get the point across.

Peace

Not looking to be funny, just looking for lines to defuss situations that have worked in the past.

thanks

There are a few things I like to say.
- I hear you.
- I understand.
- What did you see?
- That's enough. (when it gets to that point)

Something short that can't get you in trouble. A nod of the head.

Yesterday, a coach asked me to watch for illegal screens during a dead ball period. We were doing a three-person and I had been really focusing on off ball, screens etc... I could have given him a long winded explanation about this. I just said OK. Many times coaches just want to be acknowledged.

"Know when to hold them, Know when to fold them. Know when to walk away............"
 

The problem is that there are no one-liners that are going to diffuse the situaiton all by themselves. It has to fit within your personality and in how you deliver a so-called comeback.

I have said to coaches, "my partner had a great look at that play." Instead of saying "it is not my call."

I had a game last week and the player got in the face of one of my partners about a call, and the official addressed the player directly, the coach go up and said, "why is he in his face (talking about the official)?" I turned to the coach, who I was standing right in front of and said, "he should not be saying anything to him at all, he is lucky he did not give him a T." Coach did not say a word the rest of the game, at least to me.

I even on Friday told a coach that was crying for an "over the back" call and said, "coach the rules of verticality have nothing to do with being on someone's back." He responded and said, "I have not heard that word in 20 years, but you did see he was on his back." In reality it was not to use rulebook language to impress him, it was to shut up him using that stupid term all night long. And guess what? He did not complain about much the rest of the game. And there were other plays he might of had a beef with.

The point is that works for me, might not work for you. And whatever you say to a coach, it is about the delivery. Some guys can be funny, others cannot. And I did not even talk about facial expressions or body language. Because if a coach is screaming and yelling at me, I am not going to be screaming and yelling back. I might not say anything. But if a coach is standing right next to me and is calm and asking a question in a calm and professional tone, I have not problem saying something back.

Peace

Just my personal thing, but I never say "good luck" -- always "have a good game" or something to that effect. I was talking to a coach once and he was asking why so many officials say "Good luck" -- his response is, "Am I going to need it?!" :)

While I genuinely agree with the advice that has been given, I had one Friday that worked well. So I'll share. TO after a foul where A's big man pushed off of his defender to go after a lob pass. During the TO the assistant comes over and asks, "Why would he need to push off of a 5 foot 8 defender?" My reply, "That's a very good question, coach. You ought to ask HIM that." Coach nodded and walked away. Might never work again, but it did that time.

"Good luck? Am I going to need it?"
"Can't tell yet coach, I'll let you know."

Had a non-verbal response that worked well the other night. Called A1 for travel when he had a jump stop that wasn't. One foot came down before the other. As players are heading the other way, coach tells me that was a jump stop. Probably didn't need to respond, but I wanted to stop his bellyaching while I had the chance.
I simply picked one foot up, then the other, while looking at him. He smiled and looked away. Not a word from him the rest of the game, until I gave him my favorite line. "Coach, that's your last time out."

Used this recently:
ref: Coach, you don't have to agree with me, but don't verbalize it.

coach: I am not verbalizing it.

ref: If I can hear it you are verbalizing it.

Silence for rest of game.

So you were just "floating" there --in mid-air?

No wonder he shut up -- I'd be speechless, too, if I saw that. ;)

I work girls V and JV team camp in the summer. There are only 1 or 2 other trained officials there. The rest of the refs are players from the college team that hosts the camp. The coaches are told to worry about coaching their team and not the refs' calls. Some of the coaches try to get on my case about a call. I tell them "Coach, I'm not telling you how to coach your team, so stop telling me how to ref this game."

We're all speechless!:D Maybe he could teach us though!;)

A conversation between myself and the varsity girls coach during the jv game...

Coach: "Can you watch for the illegal screens."
Me: "Okay Coach, I'll look for them."

Coach: "Oh and watch over the back too."
Me: "Okay, I'll look for that too. Anything else. Be careful though, you only get three requests. You might want to save one for the varsity game."

The whole thing caught me off guard since he's normally not the friendliest of coaches. I was just happy to see him smile.

Had a coach one night complaining about the fouls being 7 for her team and 1 for the other. Last 3 minutes of the 2nd quarter all I would hear was 7 FOULS TO 1, 7 FOULS TO 1! I walked up to the coach during a dead ball and look her right in the eye and said. Coach the fouls should be even.... But were cheating. Winked at her and walked away. Next time by, she said good one. Never heard another peep out of her the rest of the night.

"Coach, I never saw an illegal screen during a dead ball period."


Sorry, couldn't help myself.:D

Had my best liner from a fan to my partner last night...
Hey ref, Hey ref, are you pregnant? You must be cause you've mist three periods!!! We both busted up laughing..

Surprise
 

Sometimes the best one liner to tell a coach after you missed the call and I used it last night, "yes coach he was on the back and I missed the call." Sometimes it is hard to say but it is the most effective way to handle the situation. In 27 years of officiating I have never had a negative response to this comeback!