Situation #2 this weekend.

I am administering the first of two free throws early in the game for Team A. I look over to Team B coach is taking the opportunity to coach his guards. He is kneeling by the sideline with a marker in hand, and then begins drawing up a play using the hardwood as his canvas.

I was shocked. Now, this is a tournament so all teams are playing in a rented facility. As the officials, we are the only ones there representing the tournament (there is an administrator floating between the two gyms). I walked over to the coach and let him know that this will not happen anymore. He said ok. Let my partner know what happened and he said that he would have stayed out of it. Was I being overly officious? I did let the administrator know at halftime so that he could handle. But I didn’t want this guy to continue.

The marker did come off when I talked to the coach. Not really in my jurisdiction but…

You answered your own question. Let the gym administration handle it.

Jurassic, would you let the guy write on the floor till half time, then bring it up to the administrator?

I might mention it to the coach if he was writing on the court in bounds, but I'd let game management take care of anything further. If game management decides that they don't want to do anything, forget about it.

If I do anything, it is:

I'm going to let team A shoot her 2nd FT.

As soon as team B gets control of the ball (2nd FT goes in, B rebound on the FT, or B possession somehow after A rebound on the FT) I have a whistle and talk to the game mgmt. Interrupt the game on B's possession.

I understand that it's not my jurisdiction, but I am in a position to prevent damage to a basketball floor. We all know how much it costs to fix/replace basketball flooring. I know nothing that tells me he isn't using a permanent or otherwise damaging marker. I might even suggest game mgmt to get a pen and sheets of paper for him.

Before the days of the white, dry-erase boards, many coaches used chalk to draw up plays on the paint outside of the out-of-bounds line. Let game admin. handle this stuff.

Its a sad situation when you as a ref have to act like a parent of a 5 year old when dealing with a coach. How can you teach your team about having respect for opponents, the game, the locker room etc, and then start drawing on the floor. My 8 year old knows enough not to write on the floor anymore, you would think this coach would know.


For the record, I think you need to put a stop to action like this just out of concern for the facility and the tourney. This goes outside the realm of being a referee into the realm of being a responsible adult. I know I have told kids to quit trashing a bath room at tourneys, even though they are not on my team. I just felt as a participant of the tourney, I bore some responsibility for making sure the tourney was run well.

The dry-erase pens do exactly what the name implies...it dries, and then it wipes off with a towel. Does exactly zero damage to the floor, the finish on the floor, etc...why in the world would you want to get involved in trying to handle something like that? Don't we have enough to worry about with what's going on on the court???

I've found that reffing is a lot easier when i DO think of treating coaches the way I treat my 5-year-old.


Yea, but does the ref know for sure that it's a dry-erase? I think it makes sense to at least pay a little quiet attention. Like take the ball out-of-bounds on that side, and say to the coach, "You'll wipe that up, won't you?"

[Edited by rainmaker on Mar 22nd, 2004 at 11:33 AM]

I agree totally!! It is sorta like 3 seconds. I mean it is a rule but are they really gaining an advantage if they have their heel/toe in the lane without trying to post up or screen? There are a million other things to worry about out there.

Why?

Perhaps it depends on the relationship you have with game management. A lot of times when I'm working rec ball, my partner and I are the management for that site. I would feel responsible to at least create the possibility that damage won't be done by the marker.

If while working a game you are in fact game management then fine, make sure the coach aint vandalising property. OTOH if you're NOT game management there's no reason to assume that role, IMO. I mean...you aint gonna make sure the restrooms are clean & stocked with tp between games, are ya? :)

(And FWIW if I'm game management I might take a little more direct approach with the coach, as in "What the **** are you doing??!". ;) )

Well, I'm still working on the "inner male" thing. I doubt I'll ever get quite that.... well, male.

:) I knew that was coming!