coaches "working" officials

[bebanovich]

I am a coach who is always reevaluating my philosophy on interacting with officials during games and I would like input from thoughtful refs. When I got back into coaching a couple of years ago after a long layoff, I decided that I was going to put all of my game energy into coaching the bench and was not going to say anything to officials during the games (except when necessary for a clarification or conference, etc).

Without going into too much detail, my biased but considered opinion is that by the end of my first game back I really did my team a disservice and allowed the opposing coach to clearly gain an edge in terms of how the game was officiated (by a relatively young crew) in this case. After that game, I decided that I couldn't just say nothing and needed another plan.

In our league, we mostly use a particular organization and I found myself working for more calls (with self-imposed limits that I can go into if anyone is interested), with mixed results - never really feeling good about this but at least feeling like everything was evening-out in the end. Anyway, I kept hammering away the same way every game until our tournament when officials from a different organization were brought in. At the end of the first quarter, one of the officials came over and pointed out that a call I was demanding on our opponent was really going to hurt my team and our style if he started to mete it out how I wanted it it at both ends. The only other thing I said to officials all night was a quip to the same ref as he ran by and it ended up being a tournament win for us.

Since then I am much more selective about the types of calls being made and the crew before I open my mouth. My question is - is the pressure/chatter from coaches a necessary evil in this equation? I'm sure there must be some temptation to just mandate that they all sit down and shut-up except to coach the kids. But there must also be times where a coach says something that rings true to you and might legimately influence the flow of the game and the calls, or even just one call or situation.

I am sure you have seen colleagues who are more vulnerable to an angry or smooth-talking coach than others. I have run across one official who gave a T to a coach who asked for a clarification on the type of contact involved in a foul - thankfully it wasn't me. How much a part of the game is the coach's interaction with officials and is it OK that it is any part of the game? Is it a positive factor as long as you can control them well?

[Ref Daddy]

I view coach's behavior and comments as them being advocates for their team.

When I hear a stinging remark from a coach I ask myself "is the commnet an opinion, an observation, a valuable contribution"? and then I move on.

If the comment is an insult, a hint of bias or demeaning, then my attention turns to the coach's behavior and not the matter of rules communications.

If a coach is gonna get "nasty" I CANNOT listen objectivly to their possibly legitimate questions or comments. I start blocking them out.

I'll also add the absolute HARDEST call to make is one the coach is pining for loud enough for the fans, other team and my partner to hear. Makes the offical look a puppet.

Finally, I belive coach's underestimate the view a referee has. We travel up and down the floor inch's from the teams and have a really good sense of who's, pushing, pulling, loose, quick, polished, talented, hot, intimidated, out-manned, etc. A coach has no way of knowing what I am seeing - but they know what THEY want me to see.

Thanks for working with our kids. Hope this is valuable to you.

[assignmentmaker]

Originally posted by bebanovich
I am a coach who is always reevaluating my philosophy on interacting with officials during games and I would like input from thoughtful refs. When I got back into coaching a couple of years ago after a long layoff, I decided that I was going to put all of my game energy into coaching the bench and was not going to say anything to officials during the games (except when necessary for a clarification or conference, etc).

Without going into too much detail, my biased but considered opinion is that by the end of my first game back I really did my team a disservice and allowed the opposing coach to clearly gain an edge in terms of how the game was officiated (by a relatively young crew) in this case. After that game, I decided that I couldn't just say nothing and needed another plan.

In our league, we mostly use a particular organization and I found myself working for more calls (with self-imposed limits that I can go into if anyone is interested), with mixed results - never really feeling good about this but at least feeling like everything was evening-out in the end. Anyway, I kept hammering away the same way every game until our tournament when officials from a different organization were brought in. At the end of the first quarter, one of the officials came over and pointed out that a call I was demanding on our opponent was really going to hurt my team and our style if he started to mete it out how I wanted it it at both ends. The only other thing I said to officials all night was a quip to the same ref as he ran by and it ended up being a tournament win for us.

Since then I am much more selective about the types of calls being made and the crew before I open my mouth. My question is - is the pressure/chatter from coaches a necessary evil in this equation? I'm sure there must be some temptation to just mandate that they all sit down and shut-up except to coach the kids. But there must also be times where a coach says something that rings true to you and might legimately influence the flow of the game and the calls, or even just one call or situation.

I am sure you have seen colleagues who are more vulnerable to an angry or smooth-talking coach than others. I have run across one official who gave a T to a coach who asked for a clarification on the type of contact involved in a foul - thankfully it wasn't me. How much a part of the game is the coach's interaction with officials and is it OK that it is any part of the game? Is it a positive factor as long as you can control them well?

I was approached by the new high school varsity coach with just your question. She was a championship D3 college player, plenty competitive, but she is - all to her and her parents' credit I would say - a well-mannered and polite adult. She felt that opposing coaches were gaining an advantage, that the squeaky wheel was inevitably getting some grease (if it didn't crash and burn first, to melange the metaphor).

At the time I told her I thought she should hold to her personal style, that officials would be appreciative of her behavior and be sure not to let another coach's more demonstrative behavior create any edge. After some reflection, though, I felt differently. But what could she do?

Last night I had a specific example of how a coach can be assertive without being out-of-line. The (ultimately) winning coach only said a few things to me in the course of the game. One was to ask me to keep an eye on the other team interfering with the ball after a made basket. I told him I thought the opponents had reflexively pushed the ball towards the endline, and, in the little gym we were in, it had bounced off the wall before his team got to it. He agreed that nothing flagrant had happened, but, he said, his team depended on fastbreaking, so, if I would keep an eye on it . . . he sensitized me to an element of the game of particular importance to his team. Not a bad move.

[bebanovich]

I'll also add the absolute HARDEST call to make is one the coach is pining for loud enough for the fans, other team and my partner to hear. Makes the offical look a puppet.

It's always a very uncomfortable moment for me too when I hear the whistle after I pine for a call I think I'm not going to get. You'd think I'd be happy but I usually want to crawl into a hole. If I'm standing, I make sure I sit in a hurry. I immediately yell some coaching instructions at least as loud as I just yelled, "WALK!"

[Dan_ref]

bebanovich,

I bet you're coaching little kids (not nearly ready to shave).

If that's true then leave the officials alone, coach your team. Let your oppoent scream his fool head off.

Working the refs at this level is not your objective.

[bebanovich]

Originally posted by Dan_ref
bebanovich,

I bet you're coaching little kids (not nearly ready to shave).

If that's true then leave the officials alone, coach your team. Let your oppoent scream his fool head off.

Working the refs at this level is not your objective.

Nope. I am coaching some of the hardest-a$$ high school kids you have ever seen. They are shaving and they will shave you too if you are not careful.

[Dan_ref]

Originally posted by bebanovich

Nope. I am coaching some of the hardest-a$$ high school kids you have ever seen. They are shaving and they will shave you too if you are not careful.

I doubt it.

This has to be a "hard a$$" rec league, right?

I mean, no real league would hire refs who would let coaches work them like you claim you can.

[bebanovich]

Originally posted by Dan_ref

I doubt it.

This has to be a "hard a$$" rec league, right?

No sir. Whatever it is you're thinking, why not come out and say it? Do you think my question is intended to be insulting so you are questioning my credibility? Do you think that I am too stupid or naive to be a high school coach? Or that a real, competitive high school coach wouldn't think twice about ripping some ref's a$$? Just say it so we don't have to go back and forth for 15 posts.

[Dan_ref]

Originally posted by bebanovich

No sir. Whatever it is you're thinking, why not come out and say it? Do you think my question is intended to be insulting so you are questioning my credibility? Do you think that I am too stupid or naive to be a high school coach? Or that a real, competitive high school coach wouldn't think twice about ripping some ref's a$$? Just say it so we don't have to go back and forth for 15 posts.

I don't think it's possible for anyone to be too stupid to be a HS coach, so I guess you're not either. That goes for "competetive" coaches also.

As for you being tough enough to rip a ref's a$$, maybe you need to run into a real ref to settle your "competetive" self down a bit. Apparently the guys in your area back down too easily. Lucky you.

In any event, if you think working the refs is the way to win games then knock yourself out, Mr "competetive" coach.

Just don't come back here complaining when you find yourself escorted from the gym one fine day...if the guys in your area find the balls to run you.

[ChrisSportsFan]

Coach, I will say this: any coach that is trying to work me will eventually get tuned out. Then, when you need a timeout or have something (for real) to talk to me about, it's going to take extra effort on your part because I'm used to ignoring you.

IMO, when a coach spends alot of time on the officials, you will notice your players spending alot of time on the officials. If the other team is focused on playing basketball, that's to their advantage. I do think that if you pick your spots, we could have a great game.

Something we all need to remember is that coaches are watching the game with their heart while the officials are watching the game with their eyes.

[Skarecrow]

I guess I am WAY out of line here, but I thought, from the flavor of the posts, that the Coach was asking for some legitimate feedback on how to INTERACT with the refs, and not WORK them....the squeaky wheel (unfortunately) often gets the grease, and I believe he was looking for valid input on how far his interaction with the refs could go before he was crossing the line....I am too new to have my opinion really count, or deter comments like those made by senior refs, but the coach posted here in good faith....let's respond in the same manner.....

[bebanovich]

I don't think it's possible for anyone to be too stupid to be a HS coach, so I guess you're not either. That goes for "competetive" coaches also.

As for you being tough enough to rip a ref's a$$, maybe you need to run into a real ref to settle your "competetive" self down a bit. Apparently the guys in your area back down too easily. Lucky you.

In any event, if you think working the refs is the way to win games then knock yourself out, Mr "competetive" coach.

Just don't come back here complaining when you find yourself escorted from the gym one fine day...if the guys in your area find the balls to run you.

In my last post I was actually wondering out loud if you were questioning my credentials because I DO NOT present myself as a win-at-all-costs coach and DO NOT set out to rip any ref's a$$. So I see that you are just reacting emotionally to the premise of my question and I will borrow the sage advise of many thoughtful officials I have seen on this board about handling an overly emotional individual . . .

. . .I hear you ref.

[Dan_ref]

Originally posted by Skarecrow
I guess I am WAY out of line here, but I thought, from the flavor of the posts, that the Coach was asking for some legitimate feedback on how to INTERACT with the refs, and not WORK them....the squeaky wheel (unfortunately) often gets the grease, and I believe he was looking for valid input on how far his interaction with the refs could go before he was crossing the line....I am too new to have my opinion really count, or deter comments like those made by senior refs, but the coach posted here in good faith....let's respond in the same manner.....

Why are you out of line?

Mr competetive coach essentially wants to know if being a pain in the @ss will help his team win.

The answer is no, assuming he coaches above some level where he sees competent, confident officials.

[Dan_ref]

Originally posted by bebanovich

. . .I hear you ref.

Good.

You're not hopeless.

[bebanovich]

My goal is not to push my interactions with officials to the edge. I don't get 'T's and don't want them. I do see them in our league so I know most officials are not afraid to call them. My goal is to not get out-greased by another squeaky wheel.

Here are my guidelines for interacting with officials.

- players never argue / question calls
(captains can request that officials watch for a particular violation “#24 is grabbing #3's shirt on cuts if you can take a look” but they have been coached how to do it with respect) any other players saying anything else means we all run suicides the next day in practice. My players are not perfect but they do police each other on this.

- Comments can never be personal or ever question the overall ability or integrity of the official. Question a call or series of calls but never suggest an intentional bias or general incompetence. If I really think an official is incompetent or biased I will request they don't officiate our games anymore. This hasn't happened.

- I don't argue for calls against the other team that I don't want to see called in abundance against my team. My team pressures like crazy in the open court and light body contact and wrist contact will not ever end up helping us if every instance is called. When the other team does it I bite my tongue.

- If an official seems especially confident in a particular call that I argue, I usually say something like, “OK, gotcha. Thanks.” If he/she seems less confident, I turn up the heat a little and describe confidently what I saw and what I think they missed. In this case I will shake my head and say, “come on” or “your killing me” but I try to poke a little without being too disrepectful or showing anyone up.

- The worst I resort to is sarcasm. It's annoying, it makes the crowd laugh and it's impossible to rationally 'T.' Use sparringly.

- If I get a call I have been looking for (for whatever reason) I try to make a quiet quip to the official whenever possible to keep the energy light and winkingly acknowledge that it's all part of the game.

- I never swear (personally I think this should still be an automatic 'T' for high school coaches but maybe I'm a little old-fashioned).

- Never kick, slam, rattle or throw anything.

- The better an offical seems, not just at calling the game but at managing all players, coaches and bystanders, the more my interactions are quiet, positive and jovial.

- If an official is a hothead, let the other coach/players dig their own grave.

I think anyone out to give me a T is going to have a very hard time doing it without looking very irrational.

I do believe the the better and more experienced an official is, the less they respond to a squeaky wheel. However, I don't buy the premise that anyone is a violation-calling machine devoid of human emotion and fallibility anymore than officials here would believe that I objectively see the action on the floor in my own games. To some extent the squeaky wheel does get greased.

Officials in our area are far better than rec league but they haven't had a raise in over 15 years and there clearly is a broad range of experience and ability. Without reasonable pay, we have a mix of very committed, experienced officials and youngsters who are hard to retain for very long.