7th grade girls rec game yesterday. Coach gets very loud to me protesting that I should have called a throw-in violation on a girl that dribbled the ball before throwing it in. He was insistant that this was a violation to the point where at the next dead ball he yelled across the court to my partner... "Hey, can they dribble the ball before throwing it in?" To which my partner replied, "Sure". At this point the coach yells, "then your going to have to show me that in the book because I know your both wrong!"

Later in the game this same coach wanted to know why I blew the ball dead on a 1 and 1 and didn't allow rebounding when the ball didn't come within 3 feet of the ring.

This was the 5th game of the day and I never wanted to get out of somewhere faster in my life. Earlier in the day I ejected an *** coach for yelling across the court that the PC foul I called against his team was the worst call he had ever seen (this after getting a PC his way about 1.5 minutes earlier) and then yelling after my T that the T was the second worst call ever. He got another and an exit.

It's this kind of crap that seems to get worse every year that is going to make me get out of this !!!

Those are some of the exact reasons to work those games. Coaches and fans will say the darndest things and have the greatest questions (even though they ask them in the form of a complaint). If a coach needs an explaination give him one. If a coach needs a warning then give it to him. If a coach needs a T, then by all means, be my guest. I really don't mind some of those games every now and then, especially if I have a good partner. I won't take any rec games during the HS season though.

Don't take their comments personal, they ref with their heart and we ref with our eyes and the rule book.

You know a lot of these rec coaches have no clue. They are trying to emulate what they see coaches do on TV. They have no knowledge of the rules. They forget that they are there for the kids and not for there own glory. It is hard for me to have the same kind of patience with these guys as I do the high school coaches.

Unless 7th grade rec ball is the highlight of your schedule (meaning that's the highest level you work), you shouldn't allow that kind of game to get under your skin. Although I am no one to be giving advice on how to keep your emotions in check during a game, I tend to get more headaches from rolling my eyes from the comments during these types of games as opposed to letting these uneducated (basketball-wise) coaches get to me. If you're not having fun doing this, especially at that level, then what's the point of doing it at all?

Your first words gave the problem away ..... 7th grade rec game.

nuff said.

Yeah but the scary part is.... I am seeing this at the High School level as well. I can't wait till I finally get to do a Varsity game where most of the coaches in my area are very knowledgeable. The only down side is, it usually takes about 10 years to get there in my association....

You can either cut back on this level of games. You can understand that this is just what happens at this level. Or you can concentrate more on HS games and understand that on some level you are going to deal with coaches that are not the most intelligent when it comes to officiating issues. Do not think that it just is a piece of cake when you start officiating varsity ball. There is actually more pressure there and what they coaches say to you might be more intense and harsher. What varsity coaches might do is pick their spots. Do not think for a second that they just leave you alone. You will run into coaches that will not say much, but you will find coaches that complain a lot and you will have to deal with their behavior and giving a T is not always the best option.

Officiating is a choice, it is never a requirement. Before you accept any game consider what you will have to do when you take that game.

Peace

Very true. The varsity coaches will generally pick their spots better but when they do get on you, it's more calculated and tends to hit home. Their trick is doing that and not crossing the line. They tend to know the rules better and so if you stumble, boy-howdy, they know it. All that said, it's still a more exciting game to work because of the intensity and quality of play. Plus, there something to be said for players that can line themself up for freethrows.

This is true. They're still not always right, but you'd better seriously consider what they're saying. With Jr. Hi it's very rare for a coach to get all the nuances right.

Amen!!

Illegitimus non-carborundum!

Hi, my name is Juulie, and I'm an Academi-holic. I've tried to look good: quoting classy sayings, and using big words, and mentioning things like Rumpole, and PBS. But the truth is, I only know enough Latin to fake my way through Freshman Biology. Hydrangea. Pileated. Radius Ulna. Stuff like that. It's all just a sham, an image, a shallow mask.

Is that enough confession to get me a translation?

As I remember
 

As I remember, this is faux-Latin, said to be WWII General 'Vinegar' Joe Stillwell's motto. It's widely 'translated' as 'Don't Let the Bast*rds Grind You Down'. You can see the allusion to 'bast*rds' (Illegitimus) and 'grind' (carborundum - which I believe may at one time have been a trademark for an abrasives manufacturer . . . itself an allusion to carbon).

Don't you have a babelfish?

Use those games to your advantage! That type of play and administration can only help you on high levels when you have to give out technicals or deal with coaches. I look at Rec Ball as practice for High School and beyond!

Re: As I remember
 

Yup! Plural version is "illegitimi non carborumdum". Carborumdum is a trade name for silicon carbide - a very hard abrasive material used in grinding wheels, etc.

I've found that the better my schedule gets, the less I want to put up with in the lower level games. I'm also really getting to the point where I don't enjoy the majority of them. There are nights when I'm working lower level just for the money and I really don't like being out there solely for that reason. Another season or two and I am going to give them up completely. The coaches and fans just make it no fun.

Chris - glad to see you showed a little more restraint than another mckenna we both know.

Hmmmmm.... I wonder who LeftCT is???? Email me

I love it! It's going into my personal lexicon right next to Carpe Ductum. Oh, and it's going onto my sig line :)

I don't understand some of you who say you don't enjoy working games with terrible, uneducated coaches. I think it is fun hearing them and how stupid they can be. The fun comes in how you deal with their stupidity. Have fun with them and of course don't be afraid to throw their sorry butts out of the gym if you have to. That only has to happen once or twice before they realize. But then if they all realized, you wouldn't be able to have that kind of fun anymore!