One other thing from yesterday. Partner is off visiting the little officials room in the 5 minutes between games (trying to get back on schedule). I'm checking the book and I hear one of the coaches say "Mr. Official, they are trying to intimidate my team by being on our side of the floor during warmups"

I look up thinking I knew I should have waited for my partner to return and expecting to see players attempting to stare down the other team. Low and behold there is one kid...about 4' 2", 80 pounds (soaking wet) stretching in the center circle and his foot is over the center court line. I look at the coach and he says "Aren't you gonna make him get on his side of the court?" As much as I wanted to laugh at him, I ask the other coach to move his player.

My suspicions about his team after that comment turned out to be correct...they were trounced in the game, losing by 40.

Should I have suggested he be more concerned about teaching defense versus looking for instances of intimidation? :D I'm kidding of course, just suprised he even mentioned it.

These kinds of pre-game situations (running through the opposing team's warm-ups; "competing" for the center circle during warm-ups or after introductions) were actually a POE in '02-'03.

Tell the coach to remember this conversation the next time he or she is out of the coaching box. ;)

Me to the Coach. Huh?

I would not have asked the player to move. I would have just said, "coach, that is most certainly not an attempt to intimidate. He is stretching." Then I would make a mental note that it may be a LONG night with this coach and tell my partner as well.

Z

I had an official tell me about this being a POE in the past. This being my first year, I had no information on it. Tonight, at a 9th grade tournament game, the home team came onto the floor from the locker room...dribbled around the entire floor...including the visiting team as they did lay-ups...then onto their own end.

Is that a situation that was covered in the POE in '02-'03? Are we still to be watching and enforcing something on this?

POE's are issued usually because the NFHS feels that officials aren't enforcing an existing rule strongly enough. If you felt that the team that dribbled around the entire floor interrupted the other team's warm-up by doing so, or if, in your opinion, they did it to taunt, bait or try to intimidate the other team, then you should do something about it. It's unsporting behaviour. You could warn the coach that such behaviour isn't allowed and hope that's he's smart enough to quit using that crap(recommended). Alternatively, if you strongly feel that it's only purpose is taunting/baiting/intimidation, then you can nail them right away. If you do nail them, there are a coupla ways of doing so, as recommended in that POE. You can issue "T"s to any or all of the players, or you can issue a single team "T". In both cases, the head coach would also get an indirect "T" for each direct "T" that you issued.

Coach, I can see what you mean. I'd go tell him to move, but he frightens me. :rolleyes: