Does anyone here have any experience in dealing with a "chronic flopping" team? I know the 2004-05 Points of Emphasis on page 69 of the Rules Book says that it is a technical foul "in all cases." Is there a good balance in calling a 'T' and a "no call?"

I am working a pre-season tournament this weekend and one of the teams uses this tactic quite often. I want to be ready to deal with the coach.

This one isn't a new rule. It's been around for a long time, but seems to get resurrected every now and then. The best way to call it is:
- Talk to your local rules interpreter and get some guidance from him as to how strictly it should be called. Ideally you want all of the officials in your area to call this type of play uniformly. The coaches and players should know what to expect from game to game.
- Have a good pre-game with your partners. Go over this call--> what to look for, how to call it, whether you're going to warn each team or individual player first, etc. Iow, be prepared IF the call does come up.
- When you talk to the coaches before the game, tell both of them about the new POE, tell them what to expect, and make sure that you all call it both ways in the game, and you all call it the same way that you explained beforehand.
- Don't look for the call in the game. If it's blatant, go get it- but don't pre-judge a team expecting them to do it. Any time that you go looking for a call, it's almost guaranteed that you will find it. Iow, let the call come to you- not vice/versa.

Good luck, and have a good year.

flops
 

I have never given a T for a flop, but I do sort of change the way I call the game if a team is a chronic flop team. In most cases, I will give the benefit of the doubt to the offensive team when the D is the team flopping. If I have any doubt, I will have a no call. If the coach complains, I just tell him that they are losing calls by taking a flop on any close call. I'd also maybe mention to him that I could be giving them a T for each one, but am choosing not to. I normally don't have a problem after that conversation with a coach.

Hey Rev, great to see you here! How's every little thing, anyway?

Everything is going very well. I have this preseason Christian School tourney in Eufuala, Oklahoma. This is my first "Christian School" tournament that I have called. I've been calling public schools for the past four years.

I coached against a team coming from Illinois about 5 years ago. That is how I know they like to "flop."

Other than that, I've been pretty busy here around the church. There's always something to do, or someone to visit, something to fix in my line of work.

Thanks for all the input thus far.

Yea, I imagine!

I usually let it go, or call a block on hte player that flopped. When they jump up to complain I simply say something along "Lucky it wasn't a T for diving". This tends to make it stop.

Like Oz referee, I let it go. When they start to complain I tell the player that "Oscar" nights were a few months ago, that usually puts a stop to it.

My interpretation has always been: If there is contact, it is either a foul or no call, depending on the severity of the contact. If there is no contact, it is either no call or a "T", depending on the severity or frequency of the "flop".

Is this a good take on the situation, or should I be looking closer at this?

Let 'em know you know
 

You can help yourself on this one by giving the flopper a visible "get up" signal. It lets everybody know that you didn't just pass on it or choke, but deliberately no-called it because you think he flopped. The flopper sees it, the coach sees it, his teammates see it. It can get the point across without saying a word.

Re: Let 'em know you know
 

Personally, I don't agree with that philosophy at the high school level. Signals like that can also thoroughly piss off the coach of the flopper. He might view that play completely differently than you, and think maybe that you're making his player look bad. I think that you're much better off on these flops to either make a call, or if you're gonna no-call it and you thought that the player flopped, warn him and maybe mention that warning to his coach when you get a chance.

I remember seeing this type of play once, when it happened in the transition zone to a 2-man crew, and just as one official started his "get-up" signal, his partner called a late charge. Two "T"s later.......

I had a really bad flopper one time (oooh, that sounds bad, doesn't it?). After the second time (in about five minutes), I pulled him aside and said "you're flopping, you're not getting the call - knock it off." So he does it again - I call block. And again. Block. Again. Block! This dumb guy just doesn't get it.

Then he gets plowed - and I call block. He gives me the gears. I say "you've been flopping so much, it's too hard to tell". With four fouls, he sat until the last 5:00 of the game - I felt bad afterwards, but his flopping mysteriously disappeared and never returned.

Did his team two weeks later - not one flop. And he was moving his feet on D. Called charge after he got run over on a breakaway. Administered throw-in to him, and said, "now THAT was awesome defense". And he smiled.