Player in twilight zone

[Jerry Baldwin]

Mark,
Thanks for your orginal post. All of the comments helped me in would will be a similar situation for next week. I will be reffing a small Christian school vs a potential state chanmpion team. Already word has come to me that the better team intends to set a state scoring record and a state record for holding an opponent to fews number of points scored. I have wrestled with this delima all week; how do I want my crew to handle these games. I realize we officials have no business coaching teams while reffing and we should not dictate how the the game is played or the score. That being said, I am anticipating a 100-150 point spread in the SV girls game and the boys game won't be much different. I really would like to know how you guys would handle a game like this? Just let it happen? Tighten up the foul line particularlly in backcourt? I am really dreading these games on Jan. 9. Thanks.
Jerry

[Mark Padgett]

Originally posted by Jerry Baldwin
Mark,
Thanks for your orginal post. All of the comments helped me in would will be a similar situation for next week. I will be reffing a small Christian school vs a potential state chanmpion team. Already word has come to me that the better team intends to set a state scoring record and a state record for holding an opponent to fews number of points scored. I have wrestled with this delima all week; how do I want my crew to handle these games. I realize we officials have no business coaching teams while reffing and we should not dictate how the the game is played or the score. That being said, I am anticipating a 100-150 point spread in the SV girls game and the boys game won't be much different. I really would like to know how you guys would handle a game like this? Just let it happen? Tighten up the foul line particularlly in backcourt? I am really dreading these games on Jan. 9. Thanks.
Jerry

Despite what you may feel emotionally, the most professional thing you can do is to just officiate the game straight as an arrow both ways.

This way, all the focus will be on that coach for his total lack of sportsmanship, and no one will say a word about the officiating trying to even out this or that.

[williebfree]

I AGREE WITH YOU, I MISREAD THE ORIGINAL POSTING IN THIS THREAD...
I do not feel I was not trying to generalize (lump all coaches into an evil category)... Sorry if it read that way.

I do not doubt you are doing the right thing... I am still open to SUGGESTIONS of getting parents "on board"...

FYI: I have coached a variety of sports teams at the lower levels (Kindergarten thru 7th Grade). I have found a brief "newsletter", at the start of the season, communicating my goals, objectives, and stressing sportsmanship has worked well.

[Hawks Coach]

Sorry if I overreacted a bit, I think we would find ourselves in agreement on most issues in this vein.

This has been my worst year parents wise, but I also do a letter. I have regular parent's meetings with my girls AAU team, because of the problems I have experienced. I explain my approach to the game, that I will put player development over wins (and show that this is in the interest of those who are looking for college scholarships), my rules of the road (no coaching during games, no ref baiting, etc.) goals for the season, and go from there. I try to talk to parents one-on-one on a regular basis.

I still catch hell from the misguided few who know nothing about basketball, the quality of their players or the competition, and all that.

[Jerry Baldwin]

Thanks Mark. I had pretty well decided to do just what you suggested before I read your post. It will be horrible but my crew will work the game fairly and will not try to even out the field, that will be done by the players. I hope the sportsmanship emphasis will win out and the better team will back off. Last time I had this team in a blowout, the coach would only allow his girls to shoot 3's the 4th quarter. If they went inside the arc and scored he bencehed the player for awhile. Later in the year it paid off because his team stayed in a tight game because of their 3's and went to the the state tournament.

Jerry

[Richard Ogg]

My previous joke was intended to speak a bit on how the game is called. Now let me be very specific.

We often talk about refereeing the level of play. That is, if the players can play through a little, let them play through it. If they can't ("disadvantage"), then make the call. So, JH will find some fouls called for acts that would be passed on in a varsity game. Similarly, in a good HS game I will not tollerate traveling (e.g., the little shuffle of feet). At the JH level I mostly ignore that (or the minor infractions of it) or the game will never end.

Now to your mis-match. Consider the skill level, and call it accordingly. Remember that you cannot deviate too much between the two teams. If the state champs can play through a little contact, then pass on those ticky-tacky fouls. If the small Christian school cannot, then they should be called. This doesn't mean that you will not call fouls on the lower-sklled team, but you might be tighter one way than the other. Never pass on anything blatant or rough.

As for the travels, the low-skilled team probably needs some latitude or they will become frustrated with never getting down the court. The high-skilled team has earned your closer attention to those shuffles to help them tune their game for the bigger matches to come.

As for the press, if the team that is way ahead gets even close to an opponent in the backcourt, I'm sure there must have been a foul there. Call every one, and soon the small school will at least be able to cross the division line.

Good luck, and tell us how it went. (I had a girls JV game last night that was 35-5 at the half, 53-20 at the end. They aren't much fun.)

[rainmaker]

Originally posted by Hawks Coach
I would also point out that parents are usually the worst problem. They have less understanding of what is going on than coaches and are less aware of sportsmanship concerns,player development issues, perspective based on age level and level of competition, etc.

I absolutely agree with this. The really bad attitude coaches wouldn't last a week if the parents would pull their kids. But too many of them have stars in their eyes and rocks in their heads. Your description is so charitable, but I have become quite cynical about a lot of this. Even so, it's not all of them. I did have a dad apologize once. And I heard a mom after one game that almost made me break my rule about not volunteering to talk to aprents: Her daughter's team had lost by about 35 or so, but she said, (with unfeigned enthusiasm) "Great game, honey!! That cross-over dribble looks fabulous!" The girl was grinning sheepishly, but she was feelin' no pain. No, she won't end up at UConn or in the WNBA, but neither will the kid of the #$%&*%* who says, "Only 10 points tonight son? Didn't get enough sleep last night?" (Okay there are some gender issues in that last sentence, but you get my idea...)

WOW! Way emotional! Just finished a game with a very awful parent on the score table. Very awful. Very awful. Feelin' anti-parent at the moment...

[Edited by rainmaker on Jan 6th, 2001 at 02:08 AM]

[williebfree]

I greatly enjoy your posts in here...

Iritating Parents, for better or worse, are a part of the game... It seems their courtside ettiquitte improves as does the ability/longevity of their "player".

Having said that... Thank you to the parents, for having your kids involved in sports.

In my full-time profession, I get kids of "parents" who have ignored them.