Check out the veteran's mechanics, court presence, calls, transitions, attitudes, etc...steal what you like, and disregard what doesn't fit your personality or style.


[/B][/QUOTE]That's excellent advice for any new official.

And I responded to your post before I read your edit.

Premature ejaculation? :eek:

:D

I recently went to our state rules meeting here in VA, and we received the same directive from the top as well. This was the first time they had specifically told us to give a warning to coaches outside the box. We were told to do it for coaches outside the box who are coaching, not berating officials.

It resulted in the same reaction from officials that I have read thus far on this board. My guess is that the enforcement of the box will still continue to be pretty inconsistent from association to association. In VA, the coaches are at the same meeting, so at least they can't claim they didn't know about it!

Anyone think this will be a problem? Do you actually think coaches will comply?

I think a better question is do you think officials will comply.

If there's no uniformity in applying the directive, fuggedaboutit. If we call it uniformly, the coaches will adjust real quick imo.

If the officials do not comply, they might not be working playoffs. I also do not think it matters if every officials complies with the rules either. Coaches should know the rules and comply regardless of who is officiating the game. It will be the coaches that get hurt when they run into an official that will enforce the rule. This is no different than what happens in football as it relates to sideline warnings. It does not matter what happen the week before, when coaches run into officials that will strictly enforce the rule; they will either comply or suffer the consequences.

Peace

If you start managing the coaching box from the get-go (including mentioning it in the coaches pregame conference) it shouldn't be a problem. Coaches have been abusing the box because officials have let them (the old "if they aren't screaming at me, I don't care where they are" philosophy). You'll be suprised at how much better they behave when they know they are being watched rather than ignored. If you're keeping an eye on the box, you'll notice them when they start to push the boundaries of the box rather than ignoring them and then noticing them when they are 8-feet out.

Z

That's what I'm doing, including it in my pre-game.

I will do the same. I just also will not worry about what other officials do. I know what I will do and I will talk about it with my partners before every game as well.

I work too many places to worry about what other officials call or do not call. When I go to different parts of the area or in the state, officials do not do the same things I do all the time. That might be the reason I have achieved some things that others do not.

Peace

JRut...
 

I was under the impression the Mercy Rule was out and I had heard they were dead red on getting rid of it at the Class A State Tournament. Any thoughts on keeping it?

Re: JRut...
 

The mercy rule is only used for tournament games before February 1, 2006. They just went back to what the rule was in 2004-2005. The coaches hated this rule for all games last year because they felt games were not called consistently by the officials either to get the game to the mercy rule or calling all kinds of fouls to allow the clock to run after the mercy rule was in affect.

I am not sure what you are talking about as it relates to the Class A State Tournament. Last year the mercy rule was used at all games except any State Tournament games. There was nothing special about the Class A Tournament as it related to this rule.

Peace

I heard at the State Tourney they were getting rid of it completely.

I was never used in the state tournament. Or at least it was not supposed to be used in the state tournament. It was never used in the state tournament. If the mercy rule was used in the state tournament it was used incorrectly.

Peace

No No No :)

What I was saying was: while I was at [attending] the State tourney, I heard they were getting rid of it completely, not that they were using it.

My guess is they want these tournaments during holidays that feature JV squads to be painless, thus keeping it for tournaments.