AAU time again

[Dan_ref]

Had a couple of AAU games this weekend, including a 15u championship. I mention this because 2 players of the winning team looked closer to 25 than 15. But there it is.

Play1: A1 dribbling downcourt. The ball bounces about 3 feet over his head, he regains control and continues on. Parents have a stroke TRAVEL! TRAVEL!! BLOW THE WHISTLE!!

Stupid monkeys.

Play 2: A1 shoots from 10 feet out, the ball's in the air and there's a loud slap. Gawd knows who or what was slapped but it wasn't the shooter. Parents (other team btw) can not believe their own ears. HOW CAN YOU MISS THAT! BLOW THE WHISTLE!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!?

Oh well, they both hate us. Stupid monkeys.

Best part of the game: eventual losing coach puts his arm around my waist and says "You're doing a great job, but I don't think the other coach is very happy with you."

Now there's a coach who knows how to work an official!

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Dan_ref

Had a couple of AAU games this weekend, including a 15u championship. I mention this because 2 players of the winning team looked closer to 25 than 15. But there it is.

Play1: A1 dribbling downcourt. The ball bounces about 3 feet over his head, he regains control and continues on. Parents have a stroke TRAVEL! TRAVEL!! BLOW THE WHISTLE!!

Stupid monkeys.

Play 2: A1 shoots from 10 feet out, the ball's in the air and there's a loud slap. Gawd knows who or what was slapped but it wasn't the shooter. Parents (other team btw) can not believe their own ears. HOW CAN YOU MISS THAT! BLOW THE WHISTLE!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!?

Oh well, they both hate us. Stupid monkeys.

Best part of the game: eventual losing coach puts his arm around my waist and says "You're doing a great job, but I don't think the other coach is very happy with you."

Now there's a coach who knows how to work an official!

Sometimes I need to be reminded why I don't work a single basketball game from March till November. And then someone is kind enough to do it for me.

[The Canuck]

This may be very naive of me, but we don't have AAU or anything like it where I come from. Why are AAU games full of expontentially more insane people than high school games? What is it (or isn't it) about this brand of basketball?

[dave30]

Everybody thinks their kid is the next Michael Jordan! It's one game after another where you are in close proximity to the fans and you see the same teams two times or more in one day (maybe back to back). For some reason, the fans are stupid, loud, and you notice them more. I guess not having a quality gym administrator is part of it. Sometimes the gym administrator will have a kid playing in the league and then he or she might get mad at you too! I've seen it happen!

[JRutledge]

Usually parents pay for their kids to play or they are sponsored by a company to go across the country to play basketball during the off season. AAU does not have the standards that a school will hold and someone who is not in the education system or has any training with kids or coaching can coach an AAU team.

I live in an area where we have a lot of HS leagues that are played. I can work games all summer and not work a single AAU game or tournament. HS leagues are much better to work in my opinion because the players are subjected to the standards of the school and the coach they will see during the school year. The teams are running the same offenses they will see during the season and they are trying to make a spot on the team as compared to trying to prove they are the better player when playing AAU games.

I cannot imagine going all summer long and not working a bunch of basketball. I would rather do that and know I will get paid than waste most of the summer on working baseball and the weather will completely change my daily plans.

Peace

[OHBBREF]

just finished AAU weekend number two.

13U finals boys
team A coach already has one T from my partner and I have talked to him about his antics since then and warned him he will get the second T if he continues intimating that we are calling a one sided game.
4 min to play fourth quarter. -
team A bigman goes to block a shot and bangs bodies with the shooter, He has been warned twice about him antics after calls, he immeadiatly rips his shirt out of his pants and stomps around. Whack-
We are shooting the Technical portion of the Free throws and from Team a Bench in between the attempts the entire gym could hear it, "I hope you can sleep at night after cheating these kids out of their game."
Whack and gone!
he naturally puts on a show on the way out and get applause from his fans.
one team was down 15 at this point (guess who).

AAU basketball brings out the worst in everyone.
earlier in the weekend I end up Whacking a Third grader -
He had something to say after every call - in the third quarter he tries to dribble through two defenders and looses the ball out of bounds - he turns to me and yells "you have to make a call ..D%&n it". I did!

Over all it isn't that bad I had 6 other games that were great not a problem in any - other than the Stupid Monkeys in the stands - but they are every where you just tend to notice them more here because you are usually in smaller venues.
don't pay attention to them and it isn't a problem.
penalize the insanity where you can and play ball..

[Rich]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I cannot imagine going all summer long and not working a bunch of basketball. I would rather do that and know I will get paid than waste most of the summer on working baseball and the weather will completely change my daily plans.

Peace

It's easy. Just think of the officiating money as a nice extra rather than something you rely upon and then it gets quite easy to take a few months off.

I dislocated my knee on January 19th and didn't work again until I did my first baseball last Saturday. I've worked three dates since then and the $445 I've earned almost covered my wife's day at Sam's Club and Target yesterday

[Junker]

I've been able to say no to all of these tournaments offered me so far. I hope I can hold out. That quick money just speaks to me for some reason. I think once I get the monkey off my back for one season, I'll be good for the rest of my career.

[Dan_ref]

Originally Posted by OHBBREF

AAU basketball brings out the worst in everyone.

Actually this past weekend the players & coaches were great for me. Didn't complain at all. But that is unusual I'll admit.

earlier in the weekend I end up Whacking a Third grader -
He had something to say after every call - in the third quarter he tries to dribble through two defenders and looses the ball out of bounds - he turns to me and yells "you have to make a call ..D%&n it". I did!

This kid wasn't born this way, he was trained by his parents & coaches. I once had a 6th grader demand that I "blow the f'ing whistle". I ejected him. The coach wanted to know why I just couldn't warn him. I told him to grow a f'ing backbone.

[Junker]

I used to say as a joke that AAU fees bought my whistle but not my game management. There are no warnings.

[Mark Dexter]

My favorite AAU moment was 6th grade girls. One girl (best on her team) kept on complaining after every call. I told her to knock it off, she just said "no" to me and kept complaining, so I T'ed her up.

After the game, the coach asked me what the T was for, and I explained it. He actually thanked me for calling the technical. Turns out the star player was also his daughter and, like many 13 year olds, had been developing quite the attitude.

[dblref]

Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser

It's easy. Just think of the officiating money as a nice extra rather than something you rely upon and then it gets quite easy to take a few months off.

I dislocated my knee on January 19th and didn't work again until I did my first baseball last Saturday. I've worked three dates since then and the $445 I've earned almost covered my wife's day at Sam's Club and Target yesterday

How does your wife keep it that low? There are trips where I would be happy for that amount.

[OHBBREF]

Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser

the $445 I've earned almost covered my wife's day at Sam's Club and Target yesterday

That was at each store?

If at only one store can we wife swap cause mine is good for $150.00 per grand kid and number 8 is on the way?
I can not work enough games to keep up with her.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser

It's easy. Just think of the officiating money as a nice extra rather than something you rely upon and then it gets quite easy to take a few months off.

My point is the basketball games are not going to get cancelled. If I have a baseball game in the afternoon and it rained the night before, I do not have to wonder or make 20 phone calls to find out if the game is cancelled.

I also go to a lot of camps so I want to see some basketball before and even after the camps are over to work on things or just to see more plays. I just do not have to work AAU to do that.

Peace

[Rich]

Originally Posted by OHBBREF

That was at each store?

If at only one store can we wife swap cause mine is good for $150.00 per grand kid and number 8 is on the way?
I can not work enough games to keep up with her.

Nah, total. She's not a spendy person, so I wonder what she bought yesterday. I didn't even ask, to be honest.