1st grade assistant get whacked!

[howie719]

Sunday evening I had just finished a U17 Girls AAU tournament. The director of the facility asked me if I wanted to stay and help him with his evening leagues, because someone called in. I really didn't want to, but with gas the way it is the extra $100 won. How hard can a 1st grade boys game and three
6th grade boys games be. Well the last three 6th grade boys games went like a breeze. In the first one both coaches are great. They agree that you call some of the things you let the other stuff go, and kids get to play without a foul or a violation every 5 sec. However, one of the assistants didn't get it.
I just tuned to idiot out, but my partner whacked him in the second half. It was the most priceless thing I've seen in a long time. The parents on both teams started clapping when he banged him. The head coach told him he was a moron. I was literally in tears administering the T.

Referee Shirt......$30

Whistle..............$5

Whackin' and assistant coach on a boys 1st grade basketball team PRICELESS

[chartrusepengui]

Started my daughter officiating. She loves BB and I told her it was a good way to earn extra cash while in college. Anyway - her first 7th grade tournament. Big lady in stands gripin' over every call very loudly for two days straight and all of us ignored her. Aly was calling a pretty good game. Late in the 4th Q she calls a block. It was not a "judgement" call but very obvious. The lady goes off on her but she ignores, reports foul and I inbound ball as play continues. A little later coach calls TO and lady starts in again on Aly for that call.

She asked if I would say something to this lady and I just smiled. It was late in second day- and this lady wouldn't quit. She had moved and positioned herself right behind Aly. I told my daughter that she looked young and people were going to try and intimidate her. After horn, Aly takes ball to be inbounded and positions herself on sideline. Lady starts again.

Aly puts ball down and tells lady loud enough for me to hear:

"Lady, a shirt my size costs $32.95, pants, $29.95, Shoes, $53.00 and Whistle $5.00. Buy them - then write to state and get rules and test. Take your time and read both - then take the test. Once you've passed the test you can open your mouth to speak to me or put the whistle in but until you do I don't want to see it open again."

She too got applause and we never heard from the lady again! Sometimes you have to go against everything you are told - and take care of business.

[Junker]

Originally Posted by howie719

How hard can a 1st grade boys game and three
6th grade boys games be.

Harder than any high school or college game. These are the absolute worst to do in my opinion.

[Mark Dexter]

Originally Posted by howie719

How hard can a 1st grade boys game and three
6th grade boys games be.

Pretty damn bad. I had trouble once in a 3rd/4th grade rec-type game. 1 ref (me), but most of the parents and coaches knew this was a learning league.

Should have known things would be bad when the HC for the second game came in . . . with an entourage of 3 assistants. (Hint - these would be the guys who didn't realize that it was a fun, educational game.)

Anyways, I pass on a bunch of calls they want strictly enforced (mind you - I'm cutting both teams a lot of slack, not tightening it one way just because of dexter-hole coaches). One guy sitting at the end of the bench says that I need to start calling it "both ways."

I tell the head coach that his assistant at the end is about to earn the HC an indirect technical, to which the HC responds "he's not a coach - he's just a parent." I told the coach "He's on your bench, he's your problem" and, not surprisingly, the guy was told to shut up.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by chartrusepengui

Aly puts ball down and tells lady loud enough for me to hear:

"Lady, a shirt my size costs $32.95, pants, $29.95, Shoes, $53.00 and Whistle $5.00. Buy them - then write to state and get rules and test. Take your time and read both - then take the test. Once you've passed the test you can open your mouth to speak to me or put the whistle in but until you do I don't want to see it open again."

She too got applause and we never heard from the lady again! Sometimes you have to go against everything you are told - and take care of business.

I wish I had seen that!

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by Junker

Harder than any high school or college game. These are the absolute worst to do in my opinion.

I had a game at Branlynn CC a few years ago. Was an extra game that I picked up late. Younger participants than I usually do - I think the kids were 8 and 9 years old - so what is that - 3rd and 4th grade?

One team had very talkative coaches - very friendly. I learned that the AC is also a hockey coach for teenage boys. So he's going off about this and that. Now I don't want to T an AC at that level, but I will take care of bidness if needed. So I do the preventative thing, it works, no worries. Near the end of the game, closely contested, he starts again. After a TO with the throw-in near his bench, I interrupt him when he starts again.

I have to give credit to Chuck or BBR or Dan or Padgett or whomever because I said and it worked LIKE A CHARM:

"Coach, I'm not looking for mucous hanging off someone's nose."

He and his HC asked me after the game where I got that line from.

[rockyroad]

Reminds me of the time my middle son (he is now 15 and a freshman) was playing in a Parks and Rec co-ed league for 8 year olds...one official...it was just a chance for the kids to learn a little basketball. The other team shows up with two coaches, both wearing suits, alligator-skin shoes (one of their wives informed us of that), carrying the dry-erase boards with the court diagram, etc...I turned to my wife and said "Uh-oh. This is gonna be bad." Took all of 3 minutes before they got their first warning...got their first T in the first quarter on the HC...AC got two and was gone in the second quarter...at half-time the ref went to the next door gym where older kids were playing and had two refs and brought one of them over...HC lasted about 2 minutes into the second half - he ended up getting tossed after he threw his chair against the wall. One of the moms came down and finished coaching and told the kids loudly "OK, now that those two are gone, we can all have some fun!" The kids cheered and so did all of us in the stands...All in an 8 year old league...

[Adam]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

Reminds me of the time my middle son (he is now 15 and a freshman) was playing in a Parks and Rec co-ed league for 8 year olds...one official...it was just a chance for the kids to learn a little basketball. The other team shows up with two coaches, both wearing suits, alligator-skin shoes (one of their wives informed us of that), carrying the dry-erase boards with the court diagram, etc...I turned to my wife and said "Uh-oh. This is gonna be bad." Took all of 3 minutes before they got their first warning...got their first T in the first quarter on the HC...AC got two and was gone in the second quarter...at half-time the ref went to the next door gym where older kids were playing and had two refs and brought one of them over...HC lasted about 2 minutes into the second half - he ended up getting tossed after he threw his chair against the wall. One of the moms came down and finished coaching and told the kids loudly "OK, now that those two are gone, we can all have some fun!" The kids cheered and so did all of us in the stands...All in an 8 year old league...

Just for reference, the HC should have been sent packing after his third tech. Once the AC got his 2nd, that's two indirects on the HC; combined with his first quarter direct, that's a disqualified coach.

[JugglingReferee]

I'm not a parent, yet, but I think 8 year olds just want to have fun.

Sure, I played all-star rep basketball for many years. When I was ~ 25, an old teammate, Chris Wood, and I were talking to one of our old coaches, TW. The conversation steered towards our past and TW asked if we remembered winning championships. Chris and I both agreed that we had a successful number of years, but don't specifically recalling that at 8 or 9 or 10 years old, we remembered winning the Hamilton Blessed Sacrament tournament, or many other tournaments. We did remember the friendships we made, getting to pig out on oranges at half-time, shopping in malls that were in other cities, etc.... We remember the bagpipes at the Brookwood Tourney in Pierrefonds, QC. I remember driving to Ottawa in only 4.5 hours.

(Now, winning the Eastern Canadian Championship in Fredericton, New Brunswick is a different story. )

I hope to remember these things when I'm a parent.

Why do I mention this? In case there are any coaches lurking here!

[rockyroad]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Just for reference, the HC should have been sent packing after his third tech. Once the AC got his 2nd, that's two indirects on the HC; combined with his first quarter direct, that's a disqualified coach.

True, but the ref there tried to give the guy a break...didn't work out very well.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

True, but the ref there tried to give the guy a break...didn't work out very well.

I've learned this lesson as well.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by howie719

However, one of the assistants didn't get it.
I just tuned to idiot out, but my partner whacked him in the second half. It was the most priceless thing I've seen in a long time. The parents on both teams started clapping when he banged him. The head coach told him he was a moron. I was literally in tears administering the T.

Not everyone agrees with this, but I'm finding I have far less tolerance at this level. Fussy coaches lead to fussy players, and I'm not about to put up with temper tantrums on the court.
Nip it early, with a warning or a soft word if you like. But if you go the route of a warning, only do it once.

[JoeTheRef]

During this offseason, I'm making it a point to have a coaches meeting before every game. Mostly to remind them of what current rules we are playing by, the timeouts and how we will be putting the ball in play on the second horn, coaches box (if one), and more importantly, sportsmanship. I put the sportsmanship responsibility for bench, players, and fans on the coaches, and if they can't handle the responsibility, then we will take care of the matter. This lets them know up front that they will be no junk in today's game. Plus it's a good way to stay in practice. Just my .02.

[JoeTheRef]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Not everyone agrees with this, but I'm finding I have far less tolerance at this level. Fussy coaches lead to fussy players,

I totally agree with you; it also leads to fussy parents, WHO COULD BE THE WORSE!!

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Nip it early, with a warning or a soft word if you like. But if you go the route of a warning, only do it once.

This route is not really necessary at this level, but one warning should do.

Originally Posted by JoeTheRef

During this offseason, I'm making it a point to have a coaches meeting before every game.

That really does help, well 75% of the time maybe. You can tell which coaches planned to act a fool by this response: "Pregame? We haven't done that all season".