Cool Breezes on Hot Tempers

rainmaker · #1 (**permalink**) Wed Feb 04, 2004, 11:55am

It appears from several threads posted in the last few days, that we have reached that time in the season when tempers are getting a little steamy. A few too many losses, a little bit of rough play, and the coach has had enough. Or a player who thinks she's a star isn't getting the write-ups in the newspaper she expected. Whatever.

The question is what preventive officiating can we do early in our games to delay or even avoid the blow-ups? Is there an extra sentence we can put into our pre-game conference that might help release some of the pressure in a benign manner? What words do we say in the first quarter to keep the basketball at its best in the fourth quarter? Speed things up? Slow things down?

Smitty · #2 (**permalink**) Wed Feb 04, 2004, 12:34pm

I'm not sure anything said in the pregame could have prepared the coaches and my partner & I from the wonderful game we had last night. This is a league JV boys game. My first call of the night is a travel against a kid on the home team after he clearly comes down one foot before the other on his jump stop. The coach goes nuts telling me he practices this move 10 minutes every day and coming down one foot before the other is not a travel and I need to read the rule book. The rest of the night he thinks we're "out to get him" and at half-time he waits at the table, on purpose, just so he can wait till I'm in earshot when he asks his AD if there's any way he can send in an evaluation of us. What a sweet guy. Sometimes you can't prevent a hothead no matter how much you try. Oh by the way, he lost by 2 but was up late in the game and had every opportunity to win. Bummer.

Then as I'm telling one of the varisty refs about how my night started, he agrees with the coach that on a jump stop the kid can come down one foot before the other. I debate this with him for about 5 minutes and neither of us caves in. I go out to watch the first quarter and during warm-ups the partner of the guy I was debating with comes over laughing thanking me for getting his partner all riled up. I was happy to go home.

Dan_ref · #3 (**permalink**) Wed Feb 04, 2004, 12:52pm

Quote:

Originally posted by Smitty
I'm not sure anything said in the pregame could have prepared the coaches and my partner & I from the wonderful game we had last night. This is a league JV boys game. My first call of the night is a travel against a kid on the home team after he clearly comes down one foot before the other on his jump stop. The coach goes nuts telling me he practices this move 10 minutes every day and coming down one foot before the other is not a travel and I need to read the rule book.

This behavior needed a T. Would have made the rest of your game go smoothly imo.

Quote:

The rest of the night he thinks we're "out to get him" and at half-time he waits at the table, on purpose, just so he can wait till I'm in earshot...

When I see a coach waiting at the table at halftime I take a few steps back past midcourt and wait along with him. Eventually he'll leave.

DJ · #4 (**permalink**) Wed Feb 04, 2004, 01:02pm

Sounds to me like you should have been doing the varsity game rather than the official that doesn't know jump stops. You also gave the coach something else to work on in practice. Great call!

Smitty · #5 (**permalink**) Wed Feb 04, 2004, 01:19pm

Thanks for the confidence builders and great advice. Dan, when the coach got upset at the travel call, he wasn't yet at the tirade stage - he just complained about the call, so I just told him as I went by that the kids feet had to come down together. It wasn't until a few questionable calls and no-calls by my partner as the first half went on that he got really animated. I had a partner who worked in slow motion and most of the time I didn't even know what he was calling. He was an older guy and pretty set in his ways and our halftime conversation was pretty much about how we were going to handle the coach in the second half, not to mention the fact that the varsity guy (the one who argued the jump stop later on) was already in our locker room and decided to get in a cultural discussion with my partner, who is native american. I agree that giving him a T as soon as he started would have been a possible way to handle it, but he didn't yell and I was the only one to hear it, so I erred on the side of letting it go. It was the beginning of the game and I wasn't expecting him to be so ornery, but I should have seen the red flag. My mistake. I like your idea about waiting for the coach to leave at halftime - I will definitely follow that advice the next time something like that happens.

DJ - thanks for the ego boost. I needed it.

TPS2859 · #6 (**permalink**) Wed Feb 04, 2004, 02:39pm

Sometimes I think blowups are carry-over of how the coaches day has been and the game gives he/she the chance to vent it out on us as reffs. All to often I tend to do the same after a $hitty day at work then go home and unload on those we love!

So look at it this way, the coach loves you so much, they choose you to unload on. NOT!!!

garote · #7 (**permalink**) Wed Feb 04, 2004, 03:40pm

I don't know about the rest of you, but in my area as the season is coming to an end. The tempers are flaring up because its all region play and the play-offs are on the line. Add to that most of the team playing are rivalries even with out the region play.

What I do is acknowledge the rivalry, in the captain/coaches meeting. I say I know this is a rivalry, but I expect good behavior and sportsmanship. Just so that they know I'm overly keyed in on the possibility of showboating etc....

Just my two cents

Ref Daddy · #8 (**permalink**) Wed Feb 04, 2004, 03:47pm

CONSISTENCY!

Call what you've called all year. Call what you've called all game - regardless of situation or score.

One of the rewarding challenges of officiating BBall is ALL of the pressures to "get it right". The pressures change through a season or game.

Stay loose and consistent. Belive in yourself, your knowledge, experience and your partner. You cannot control the influences on the fans, coach's or players.

Ignore these disractions.

Mregor · #9 (**permalink**) Wed Feb 04, 2004, 05:43pm

It's not just the coaches and players; I know I get tired too. I've been more "on edge" lately and I tolerate less from coaches than earlier in the season. Heck the other day I wanted to T a fan for their comments.

Common sense prevailed.

January was a very busy month for me. When filling my schedule for next season, I'll be sure to schedule some off-time about now. I have girls defending state champs at last place conference team next Tues in what should be a blowout. Will have to be mentally prepared.

Mregor