More coach fun

[blindzebra]

Youth development league, 12 year old boys. Top team, who really should be playing up an age bracket, with the four best players in the league and a bench that could start for all the teams.

Vocal coach, who does not like the league rules of just man and no press, or the fact that similar contact on his players can be incidental on his team, but a foul against him on defense.

The league had several complaints about him and his behavior. His team starts off 22-0 and he is telling his kids to back off on defense, but in a way that is pushing the line of insulting the other team.

His big kid goes up for a shot and steps back, trips and falls. The kid is holding his leg, so we hit the whistle and wave the coach in. As he comes to check on the kid he comments on the lack of a foul call. I told him there was no foul to call. A parent for the team getting killed says something to the coach and the coach says, "Scoreboard, baby."

I very loudly say, "Knock it off, we are out here for the kids and not for you two to try to show each other up," followed with, "I'm not going to hear another thing from anybody of that nature."

A few minutes later the coach makes a comment about a call and my partner whacks him.

Just before the half there is a foul call and then an OOB call going to the team getting beat. The coach says,"Don't guard them, put your hands in your pockets and let them go."

I tossed him. He said, "You are tossing me for that?"

I said, "You are darn right I'm tossing you for that, I've heard enough of that type of comment disrespecting the other team."

We had about 20 parents thank us after the game.


This one happened a couple of weeks ago with a nice follow up today. Coach #2, he's young, cocky and coaching 7th and 8th graders. His team is following his lead.

I'm working with a younger official and we are lining up for free throws, coach #2 team's shooting.

My partner goes one shot and bounces the ball to the thrower. The thrower takes two dribbles, bounces the ball back to my partner, resets his feet and says, "Ball!"

My partner looks shocked, I hit my whistle and call the violation. Coach #2 explodes and ends up getting a T.

After the game is over he walks over and says his players can get a reset anytime they want during a free throw. He talks about playing high school and college ball and they always could do that.

I said," Ah, no that is not in the rules."

He said, "Give me your phone number and I'll give you mine, we will both look it up and see."

I dig a rule book out of my bag, hand it too him and say, "Here you go, it is not in there."

Well today I show up and his team is playing. He does not say a word and his kids are not saying ball either.

This was my last game of the day, so I grab my stuff and head to the parking lot. He's out there waiting. He asked if I looked up the reset rule.

I said, "There was no need to because it's not in the rule book, did you find it in there?"

He said, "No, but since it is not in there you can do it."

My reply was, "It does not say anything about walking out on the floor and hitting another player with an axe either, so do you think you can do that too?"

I then said, "Check out rule 2-3 next coach," and walked away.

[crazy voyager]

well that settles it, we have at least one ref who knows how to handle a coach, I'd love to play wiht you as ref if you're as good at handling people as you sound.

[ChrisSportsFan]

Yup, you're right. He's the only one who knows how to handle a coach. Unfortunately, he doesn't play the game much anymore so you'll have to work a game with him if you want to get some time on the basketball court.

[dsturdy5]

Ben Gordon did something like this in a game while at UConn. I cracked up when I read the initial post and my fiance, who like myself is a UConn alum, asked me what was so funny. I read it to her and the first words out of her mouth were, "Ben Gordon did that versus St. John's in 2002!"

When my fiance, who six years ago didn't know what a basketball was, knows the rules better than the coaches and players, something is wrong.