Now, let me chime in with a slightly more cynical view. (Maybe since I'm still using cold medications it's affecting my normally cheerful personality...) In the OP, we just heard the asst. coach's point of view; we haven't heard from the official. What else happened throughout the game? Had there been other comments made prior to this? What tone of voice did this asst. use, or what were the facial expressions? Granted, it appears the official was heavy-handed, in this version. But since we don't know all the facts, I'm not ready to hang the official yet on this one. For example, I had to T a coach this year for simply saying, "Oh my god." And he asked my why he got the T just for saying that. Of course, that fact that he said it loudly, with his hands raised, standing outside the coach's box, after I had reported a foul on his team played a big part in the decision, not just the words alone.

Um, calling the kid over to the bench wasn't an option? Was the kid so far away from the bench he was out of earshot of anyone on the bench telling him to get his azz over here? So, is there another side to the story? Maybe not, but just sayin'.

As for letting the sub in, I probably wouldn't have allowed it until after the first FT as well, since there were multiple FT's and it wasn't a disqualifying foul. Now that I look at it closely, it does say "personal" foul. So maybe I do have the option of trying to diffuse the situation quicker by allowing the sub in for this player.