coaches "working" officials

[PGCougar]

Originally posted by bebanovich
No, not a throbbing vein, but sarcastic, snarkiness. Certainly a swing and a miss in either case. I don't understand this implication that I'm here to "work" anyone here and I find it kind of silly.

OK, let's just get past this argument over semantics of "working" versus "communicating" or "having an adult conversation." If all we're really doing is communicating with the officials, that's OK, in fact necessary at times. Good communication fosters an exchange of ideas, and that's a good thing. Sometimes it even influences one of the two parties involved.

Where I think we veer into different directions is the notion that you can build a predictable strategy based entirely on this approach. It's really the substance of whatever you're going to discuss with an official that will determine whether or not you might gain a sympathetic ear. Substance, not the form or manner. And so there's no real way, other than to be honest and earnest with the officials in the flow of the game. I think that some concepts, like ratcheting up the pressure on an inexperienced ref or backing off an experienced ref are not consistent with the "honest or earnest" approach.

Picture a parent coming to a coaching forum looking for a tactful way to influence a coach about a team style of play that would definitely work to his kid's benefit. I wonder what kind of initial response he might get from the coaches. Or even more personal, how well would you take to a parent behind your bench strategically trying to engage you during the flow of a game, questioning your team's approach or making observations about might would work better?

In the grand scheme of all things that influence the outcome of a game, I'd look first to turnovers, then to defensive rebounds, then to offensive rebounds, then to shooting percentages (missed lay-ups, free throws left at the line including missed front ends of 1&1's, etc.) Focus and improvement on all these factors have a much higher yield in the outcome of a game, making the need to "influence" the officials in your favor moot. Whenever a parent tells me the official blew a game for us, I can immediately point to the missed free throws, missed lay-ups, and turnovers and then blame our team for not taking care of business...