Setting ball down
 

Inner city summer league...ages 18U...10 second clock, no shot clock. All teams but one are city HS teams preparing for upcoming season, including some younger kids trying to make each team. Remaining team is AAU travel. League allows this because primary focus is keeping kids off the streets. Games not involving AAU girls are very competitive...games with AAU girls are one-sided. Here's the rules question: After AAU team is well ahead, they are instructed by their coach to do some things that are often interpreted by the other teams as "rubbing it in". Believe it or not, this league has playoffs, so when some teams meet with AAU girls again there may be some difficult-to-control emotional responses. Most actions appear to be legal. One thing bugs me though...when AAU is safely in the lead with little time left in the half, they will dribble ball past half-court line, set the ball down, and get back on defense. Is this a violation? Delay? Unsportsmanlike? Thanks.

You're thinking too much imo. Just referee the game. There's no rules against the action that you described. Maybe the AAU coach just want to work on his D....who knows, who cares?

Sounds tasteless and unsporting, but leave it alone.

Would you rather he continue to run up the score?

Leave it alone.

Interpreted by the other team or interpreted by you? What are some of the things to which you are referring?

Agree...

If I were that coach, I'd have my players keep playing but with restrictions on how they can play that will actually benefit them...such as:

• only dribble with weaker hand
• Long range shooters can only shoot layups
• Inside players can only shoot outside of 15'
• Layups can only be with the weaker han
• Everyone must touch the ball before a shot is allowed
• Don't allow them to dribble...passes only

As a soccer coach, I've done similar things when I've gained a substantial lead. I put players in their weakest positions...forwards played defense, defenders played forward. It made them work at something different. It gave up a couple of points because the forwards were not very good defenders.

If I were friendly with the coach, I might even make the suggestion that he try one or more of these things rather than just giving it to the other team.

If they want to play defense, let them. Leave this alone and officiate as if it did not even happen.

Peace

Here's another situation for you guys.

I've never done this, but know a guy who has a few times. In some of the summer tournaments you only get 3 timeouts per game. Now let's say you've got a sub that you need to get in for whatever reason. You can't get a whistle and you can't waste a time out. How would you react to the coach going,

"____ (insert name) come over here and hand me the ball."

The kid does as requested by the coach. The sub is at the table. Do you call an unsportsmanlike T or out of bounds? Does the score matter? etc?

If it's one of the coach's players, call the violation. If it's an opposing player and he does so, call the "T" on the coach.

Pretty straightforward.....

I'm curious, why would you call the "T" on the coach if an opposing player does so?

Well....because the coach used an unsporting act imo to cause the opposing team to commit a turnover.

Would you let that coach and his team benefit from that act without doing something about it?

So if the coach of the defensive team say or yell out "shoot the ball" and the player do so, will you give him a "t" for that action?

I am curious as to what player would actually turn the ball over to the opponent's coach upon request? Wouldn't he just think "screw you" to himself, and keep on going?

Under certain conditions, I sureasheck would give a coach a "T" for that. If the coach did that deliberately to distract an opponent, and it worked....or if the coach did something that <b>directly</b> causes a turnover, as in the situation above, I'm gonna call it every time. Imo, it's unsporting and unethical behavior on the coach's part to try and gain an unfair advantage with unsporting actions like that.

Now, what would you do in those situations?

Yup, if the player's got any clue at all, he'd ignore the coach. I'd still quietly tell the coach though that he's better cut that sh!t out. Much as I'd like to see it happen sometimes, I really don't need two oppopsing coaches screaming at each other during a game....and I'll guarantee that the opposing coach is gonna be doing a whole buncha screaming at somebody if his opposite causes one of his kids to commit a turnover. The officials in that game don't need those extraneous headaches imo.

Nip it; nip it in the bud.