How do you respond to coach who is right but an a** about it?
 

Here's the sitch. Girls varsity game in large gym that has regulation court plus 3 courts at right angles to main court. Gym also supports volleyball, kickball, God only knows what else. The result is that there are zillions of lines on court. Unfortunately, there is another line parallel to, and just a few inches from, the half-court line. Player in frontcourt dribbles ball just over bogus line but not on real line. Ref calls backcourt violation. Coach goes ballistic. Do you reverse the call?

Yes, if it's before the ensuing throw-in ends. And, I address the coach's reaction.

Reverse the call, then T the coach. That way the turnover is now the coach's fault.

I think you should go over to the calling official and tell them what you know. Then you let the calling official decide if he wants to reverse his call.

I find nothing wrong with quietly saying to a coach, "I might have booted that call. I'll try to get it right next time". (but not too early, LOL. Some coaches may see this as a sign of weakness and work on you).

The other night, I was throwing the ball in at the table. The visiting coach said something (I can't remember exactly what it was). I turned to him and said "Coach, I'm doing the best that I can out here". I thought he was going to say something like "If that's your best.....". Instead he replies quickly "You better be". It made me laugh.

I was in the stands. Ref reversed call, but did not T-up apoplectic (sp?) coach. But let's say he did. After team B shoots freethrows, does team A then get to inbound on the errant backcourt call?

Not in HS rules. The penalty for the T includes a throw-in.

Under NCAA rules, the ball returns to POI (which would be A's throw-in on the inadvertant whistle).

I think the OP was asking a basic question about reversing a call that we (officials) would make in error. I don't think the OP meant would you go and reverse your partner's call.

Additionally, I cringe (inside) when I hear officials say, "We are going to work hard...", "We are going to do a good job for you" and especially "I'm doing the best I can..." I would say just leave those statements alone.

Nope, that's why I said earlier: B/c now, the coach's ignorant response will be the reason his team will not retain possession. I'm sure most of us have worked games with confusing lines. The coaches also know that the lines are confusing. Going ballistic over an honest and correctable mistake serves no purpose.

Thanks all. Sadly, the coach in question is a local sports legend (having played pro ball) and gets a little too much leeway at times.

I agree with the post that said go tell your partner what you know. It's up to them if they change it or not. There's nothing wrong with telling a coach you might have booted a call on occasion, but if they continue to be a jerk about it, step back and T them. Last year, we had a really good conference matchup in a conference I work often. Both coaches had and deserved the reputation of being a pain. Early in the game, we had a too patient situation that caused my partner and I to miss a foul. The H player involved then got frustrated, lost his head, and committed an intentional foul. I rotated over to the coach and told him exactly what happened, why it happened, and that indeed my partner and I missed a call. He thanked me for being honest and we didn't really have many problems with him the rest of the night.

It sounds as if Coach needs to learn acceptable behavior at the level he's working.

This was an early season, non-league contest and everyone involved was more than a little off. I've seen both those refs as well as both teams since then and they've all upped their game. The coach, however, is the same boorish lout...never changes...I don't know if this is a learned behavior or genetically imprinted.

btw (and I hope Tom is listening) this is a great time for the off official to give the coach the quick (.76 seconds is the record?) stop sign and announce that he needs to calm down, we'll take care of it.

As far as I'm concerned any response that is not close to "OK, thanks" earns a T.

I hear you Dan. My crusade is nearly over. Truth be told, it isn't so much the use of the stop sign as it is the robotic nature of thinking the stop sign is a must or a mandatory step before a coach gets a T.

To bring up something entirely different, there is a guy from the DC area that has a different take on this whole stop sign thing. He belongs to many leagues - I mean many - and is an evaluator for the NBA. He is not perfect as an official so these comments must be taken with a grain of salt. His take was a two-handed defensive or calm down approach is better than a big old stop sign. Just another possibility.

As a coach I have great respect for officials who are willing to admit they might have missed a call. I'm not perfect as a coach and I understand (as an official and a coach) that officials are not perfect.

As an official I have no problem with telling a coach I might have missed one if I think I missed it. I also don't have a problem admitting the same to the players on the floor. I think, in general, it makes the guys/gals in stripes seem more like people and not like the enemy.

A few years ago I was doing a boys freshman game; hotly contested for most of the game. Visiting team was pulling away in the fourth quarter, though, and had put their scrubs in with about 90 seconds remaining. Home team starts creeping back in it, and the visiting coach pulls the scrubs out after one of his kids gets fouled with about 45 seconds left. We’re shooting two, so the subs come in after the first free throw, and one of the scrubs doesn’t like being pulled so he kicks a chair and throws a water bottle onto the court.

Partner calls a flagrant T, coach apologizes and sends the kid to the locker room with an assistant coach. As we get ready to administer the second of the original two free throws, my partner says “two shots” to the shooter. As soon as he said it, he looked at me and we both knew he was wrong. Before he could correct himself, the home coach went ballistic. Partner walks over calmly and speaks through the coach’s antics, says, “Coach, we’ve got it handled. We’re getting it right, but we’re not going to have you show us up.” He walked the coach back to his bench while the coach stammered like a child, “but, but, but…”

Right now I’m not sure I wouldn’t T the coach.

I had this happen a few years ago -- a court with more lines on it than possible sports to play -- heel hits line, partner whistles a backcourt violation, realizes almost immediately it's an inadvertant whistle.

Coach said it happens a few times each season. Shrugged. Life went on.

I can't imagine a coach being a jerk about this. I wonder how a coach like this would act when he had a reason to be upset.

[quote=biz].. I think, in general, it makes the guys/gals in stripes seem more like people and not like the enemy.[/quote]

Yesssssss! From the mouth of a coach.
How many times today during normal conversations disagreements and so forth has anyone used a stop sign today? Didn't think so. :D Coaches are people and officials are people.

I put up the stop sign twice but I kept knocking my flat screen monitor over so I won't do it again.

btw Tom...you know what they say about coaches opininions, dontchya?

If you believe them when they say you're right.... :)

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I'm aware of how flawed human beings can be so I don't believe much of anything. Think about what kind of trust issues I have since I work with most guys for the first time being new.

If you later realize you had the wrong line, I would tell both coaches you made a mistake and put it back in play, like a do over. Don't make the same mistake again.

If you were correct, point out to the coach that he or she needs to pay closer attention.

It's not a do-over. It's an inadvertant whistle which is handled POI.

I agree. That should be understood, you'll do your best all the time. You wouldn't say, "Sorry coach, my heart's not really in it tonight!" Would you?:)

I'm guilty
 

We all kick a call once in awhile...unlike coaches. I had a situation about a month ago in a boys varsity game that ended up going to double OT (I know, my partner and I screwed up not only once, but twice :D ). Anyway, with about 2 minutes left in regulation, Team A was in the bonus and shooting a 1 and 1. I was administering the FT and when I entered the lane I told the players that it was two shots. For whatever reason my partner did not catch my mistake. Needless to say, the shooter missed the front end of the one and one and the ball was caught be a Team B player who then promptly handed it to me out of bounds. Immediately the Team B coach realizes the mistake and starts to scream that it was a one and one. I know how we handled the situation, but I would be interested in how you would do it.

Even though the game went to 2OT it was some of the most fun I've ever had in a game. I would definitely take a few more like this every year.

Trigger, from the sounds of it, I'd have gone AP.

How I respond to coach
 

First, the coach is communicating to get the call "correct" so, cut him/her some slack. Secondly, fix the error and tell the coach we will draw straws to pick which line to play in the 2nd quarter -then smile. It's just a game.

Communicating != "Going ballistic"

Unless you're a coach yourself :)

This is why you penalize!

I hope you were being sarcastic.

Seems to be a lot of that going around lately. The "hope," that is.

Okay... so being a coach, I have to agree with this - especially if the game is tight - an error could mean the difference in the game. That doesn't mean that you get to act like an a**, but some lattitude should be given - imho

Example - this past Sat we were playing a tight conference game - opponents are in the 1 and 1, and a foul is called on one of my girls... the scorer's table is yelling 1 and 1, and the ref signals 1 and 1 and is heading to the line. I'm yelling to the refs (as politely as I could) that I wanted a verification on the foul - was it a player control foul.. they just kind of looked at me and thought I was complaining about the call.. I continue - finally, I went to the table and asked them to hit the buzzer - it got their attention - I said I need an interpretation - this was a player control foul, no 1 and 1... they agreed, and they nodded and contiued. Now, I was pretty excited, I don't think anything warrented a "T", but I did kind of step on the floor - but as stated above - just to get the attention of the refs... I'm sure they could have called a "T", but I think they handled it the correct way...

There's a difference between "communicating" and doing what this coach did. Tell him you're reversing the original call, but now we have a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Unsporting behavior is unsporting behavior, coach. There are <b>no</b> mitigating factors.

If the coach stands up and has a foot on the court while he is getting the official's attention, then by rule wouldn't that be a technical?

But if he is calm, and respectful, and reminds the ref it is 2 FTs, or whatever the case may be on a mistake like that, would you call the technical? I don't think most officials would. If the answer is no, then it definitely is a mitigating factor in not calling the T. Now, if the coach is a jerk, then of course I agree with you.

Is that unsporting behavior?

No, but it is a technical, by rule, if he is on the court, at least NFHS. I don't know if it is in NCAA, or if it is just not enforced.

Admitting error
 

Some years ago, as 'Lynn' was walking up the court past the visitor bench after a change of possession, the visiting coach was giving him an enthusiastic earful about a call he thought had been missed. Lynn looked at him, smiled, and said, "You're probably right." Cracked me up, and it seemed to work with that coach. He calmed down a bunch. I don't know that every official could get away with it, but Lynn has lots of experience, and is always calm and friendly.

And your point is....:confused:

I was responding to amcginthy's post about agreeing with R. Giacoma that you should cut a coach "going ballistic" about a call some slack. Sorry, but going ballistic about a call is unsporting behavior. Imo, you don't cut people slack for unsporting behavior. Putting a toe on the floor isn't unsporting behavior, and it also has nothing to do with a coach going ballistic that I can think of.

Iow, I really don't know what point you are trying to make.