Last week, I was the trail in a girl's basketball game. There was a scramble for the ball if front of the home teams bench during transition. Four or five bodies mixing it up on the floor. Ball goes OOB. BTW, I call visitors ball. Home team coach leaps high off the bench and gets in my face, "How could you possibly make that call???!!!!" At about the same time, one of the home team players involved in scramble gets up off the floor and says, "Coach, it was off my leg." The coach says nothing, immediately does an about face and shows me where the sun don't shine as he goes back to his bench. My thoughts were, I wonder if this is the one and only...<b><i>BBallCoach</></i>.

Many of them just look alike.

Was the coach a chimpanzee with a clipboard and a towel?

So...
 

That explains why he went "ape" over the call!

I hope you said something about his players honesty and sportsmanship.A good,"Thank you 23,I appreciate your honesty,that is good sportmanship," would not only encourage proper conduct,but it would further turn the screws on the coach.

I don't know if he is the infamous BBallCoach, but I do know that he would have received a direct technical from me.

Call
 

Of course, never more appreciative than when I am doing a game on center court in one of the cavernous gyms when a rocket pass goes OOB and a player runs the length of a football field to retrieve the ball for the inbounds play. Although in this situation, as I recall, <b><i>BBallCoach</b></i> substituted for that player almost immediately.

Direct
 

Mark, when you give a direct technical is that like, "in his face" and when you give an indirect is that like, "not in his face?"

T
 

I don't really see much rationale in giving a T (in his face or not :)). I don't usually get worked up when a coach asks me how I made a call; I usually just tell them that the coin in my pocket was Tails.

I like the idea of giving good positive re-enforcement for the good show of sportsmanship (they just about cancel each other out!)

I had that tonight (from a coach who was up by 30)

My reply: "I dunno, my eyes were closed."

Coach just stares...then says "I think they WERE closed".

My reply: "Oh, good, then."

Coach then looks at me like I just flew over the cuckoo's nest. Priceless.

A DIRECT technical because it was DIRECTly in front of the bench. A DIRECT technical because his statement was a DIRECT contradiction of what actually happened. A DIRECT compliment to the player for honesty.

I think a nice 'thank you for being honest' to the player (loud enough so the coach and fans could hear it)would have more of an effect than a technical, although the technical is certainly warranted in this case.

The coach probably just lost a contact lens prior to the play. Did you have his name notated in the book? :D

Call
 

I know your buddy put you up to that one, Mr. Over The Back. Along those lines, I was doing a game this week after reading your article when this play occurred. I was the trail on the table side about ten feet in front of the visitor's coach when a shot went up. The rebound came down just outside of the paint. The center for the home team (6' 3") went up for a rebound from behind the home team point guard (5' 6"). They came down both clutching the ball. The point guard bends over and puts a hip check on this center that Wayne Gretsky would have been proud of and sends the center sprawling on the floor. (I'm thinking TH's article) Nothing from my partner, who is six feet away. Tweet, foul, I've got the point guard.This is a tough call from the trail position in two person. Instantly, the visitor's coach is all over me like a FOS. From his angle behind me, I've got to believe he is straight lined on the play. My partner is no help and his face is as white as a ghost. For the next two minutes, the visitor's coach is working me hard even though I've taken time to explain it to him. Over the back is all I hear from him. I tell my partner to switch so I can get away from him. I am now the lead when the visitor's point guard gets a rebound along the baseline and decides to drive to the hoop with nothing but a wall of players in front of the the hoop(and the visitor's coach, I might add) Things had just returned to normalcy when, tweet, I've got the point guard on PC foul (used arm to clean out defender,) and the point guard's coach has been screened on the play. Some nights you just can't win even though the coach did accept my explanation on that foul. (Can't wait to see my ratings on this game.) And, yes, the saving grace, the contact lens were in the book. :) Incidentally, I've sent your article to my interpreter (which he thought was very good) and he going use it at our next better officiating meeting. [/B][/QUOTE]

Ahhh thanks
 

How nice that all of you zebras are thinking about me. Its nice to know that a Coach is on the minds of officials so much.