Coach Issues

[IchiRef]

this was a first for me...

Freshman boys. Team A shot and missed and A1 hit the ball into A's backcourt where it was retreived by A2. for some odd reason, I blew my whistle and called a backcourt violation. knowing I screwed up the second I blew my whistle, I immediately comfirmed my mistake with my partner and then gave the ball back to A for a throw-in. Meanwhile team B Varsity coach who was sitting on the bench started yelling at me about how i needed to go to the possession arrow in a situation like this. I told him he was wrong and that he was not the head coach of this game and that i would only address the freshman coach, then turned to the freshman coach and asked him to keep his bench quiet.

I thought this was over when, after the game, guess who was waiting for me outside of the locker room? you got it, the varsity coach. he was livid that I would talk to him like that and that he is Always the head coach if he is on the bench and how i was a "smart alec" etc... I spoke to him for a minute and defended myself and then attempted to walk around him to the lockerroom, when he steps infront of me, blocking me from going in the door...I wanted to throw some punches, but I ended up getting around him...

What can I do in this situation?

also I tossed the home coach in the JV game, another first. after that game a spectator, who I come to find out is the girls JV coach, was waiting for me to tell me " a good official would have done this, a good official would have done that..."

Tough night....any thoughts? anything I could have done better?

[jdw3018]

Originally Posted by IchiRef

What can I do in this situation?

Next time (hopefully there will never be a next time) don't say one word to the coach, turn around and go find game management and ask them to deal with the coach.

[jdw3018]

Oh, and a call to your assignor after the game and perhaps a report to the state depending on what happened in any sort of confrontation.

[rainmaker]

Originally Posted by IchiRef

Meanwhile team B Varsity coach who was sitting on the bench started yelling at me about how i needed to go to the possession arrow in a situation like this. I told him he was wrong and that he was not the head coach of this game and that i would only address the freshman coach, then turned to the freshman coach and asked him to keep his bench quiet.

Don't even talk to the varsity coach. You could just whack him directly, especially if he jumps up and starts yelling aggressively, but if you want to warn, only talk to the head freshman coach. Do it calmly and with no defensiveness.

Originally Posted by IchiRef

I thought this was over when, after the game, guess who was waiting for me outside of the locker room? you got it, the varsity coach. he was livid that I would talk to him like that and that he is Always the head coach if he is on the bench and how i was a "smart alec" etc..

This is just plain wrong. Turn and walk quickly back into the gym or whereever there might be "witnesses" and find the AD or other gym managment type person.

Originally Posted by IchiRef

I spoke to him for a minute and defended myself and then attempted to walk around him to the lockerroom, when he steps infront of me, blocking me from going in the door.

DOn't talk to this guy, or defend yourself . See above.

Originally Posted by IchiRef

also I tossed the home coach in the JV game, another first. after that game a spectator, who I come to find out is the girls JV coach, was waiting for me to tell me " a good official would have done this, a good official would have done that..."

"Thank you, thank you," walking quickly away into the locker room. "Thank you, thank you". Getting away as fast as possible.

[Adam]

Do you get your games through an assignor? If so, let him know.

Your state needs to know about how he treated you as well. There is no excuse for cutting you off from the locker room and confronting you like that. His AD needs a reprimand from the state.

[rngrck]

First of all, i'd like to know why the varsity coach was on the bench to begin with. Unless at pre game he was announced as assitant coach, I would have removed him.

[kbilla]

Originally Posted by rngrck

First of all, i'd like to know why the varsity coach was on the bench to begin with. Unless at pre game he was announced as assitant coach, I would have removed him.

When is anyone "announced" as an assistant? Is this specific to a certain state?

As far as I know, it doesn't matter what he is, if he is on the bench then he is bench personnel and treated as such....do you treat the trainer differently than you treat an assistant coach?

[jdw3018]

Originally Posted by rngrck

First of all, i'd like to know why the varsity coach was on the bench to begin with. Unless at pre game he was announced as assitant coach, I would have removed him.

There is absolutely no basis for you to do this. And in lots of schools in different areas the frosh or JV coach is actually just a varsity assistant coach, and many times I've seen the varsity coach sit on the bench as an assistant in those instances.

[kbilla]

Originally Posted by jdw3018

There is absolutely no basis for you to do this. And in lots of schools in different areas the frosh or JV coach is actually just a varsity assistant coach, and many times I've seen the varsity coach sit on the bench as an assistant in those instances.

Exactly...I don't even know how you would know, what do you go to the HC before the game and ask what the role is of every non-uniformed person on their bench?

[Corndog89]

Ichi...

First, let me say that I agree with everything other posters have said before me on this thread. There's no excuse for the coach confronting you after the game...he lost face and sounds like he couldn't deal with it and that now must be addressed with your association, state, etc. However......

Go back to the start of the confrontation...you started it when you dorked up with the IW. Not a major mistake and one easily corrected, but it was your mistake to start with (and we've all done similar "DOH's"). When the V coach started yelling that you had proceeded incorrectly (incorrectly, BTW) you had a choice to make and it sounds like you reacted defensively. Technically you were correct, but, IMO, you escalated the situation by immediately telling the V coach "You're wrong" and then directing the frosh coach to shut up his "assistant" and keep him in line. Again IMO, you put the frosh coach on a huge spot because it's rare the HS frosh coach who is an "equal" to the V head coach...the frosh coach invariably works for the V coach in some capacity and is unlikely to direct or stand up to the V coach. Now the V coach has been publically humiliated over a minor mistake in a freshman game and the proverbial molehill has grown into a mountain.

What would I have done? Being a freshman game, and even though the V coach was technically an assistant, I would have brought him and the frosh coach together and explained my mistake and that we're going POI per the rules (I don't have my rules book with me so I can't cite the exact rule). By treating the V coach (who, face it, would be my real target for pacification in light of my error) as the de facto guy-in-charge, it would probably prevent any further blow-ups. Call it game management, call it humility, call it real-politick, but I want the game to continue without unecessarily bringing on more and bigger problems. This should never have escalated into a pi$$ing contest between me and the V coach.

For me the toughest part of officiating is dealing with coaches, and when I let my emotions overcome detached calm and logic, that's when I start to have real problems. Just one guy's 2 cents worth.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Corndog89

Call it game management, call it humility, call it real-politick, but I want the game to continue without unecessarily bringing on more and bigger problems.

Or maybe call it a lack of balls....

Just one guy's two cent's worth.

[kbilla]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Or maybe call it a lack of balls....

Just one guy's two cent's worth.

Ha ha how did I know this was coming?

[Corndog89]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Or maybe call it a lack of balls....

Just one guy's two cent's worth.

Just the opposite...it takes balls to address your own mistakes and solve problems. Are you telling me you would have handled the original situation (not the V coach's actions after the game) as the original poster did? Look what balls did for him.

And nice job of taking one part of a larger commentary out of context.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by kbilla

Ha ha how did I know this was coming?

Well, hell.....

-official blows an accidental whistle
-officials corrects accidental whistle as per rules.
-a member of bench personnel who is NOT the head coach YELLS at official that he is wrong.
-official warns bench personnel about YELLING at him.
-official warns HEAD coach that a member of his bench personnel is getting out of line.
-warnings work without further in-game incidents.

There's not a damn thing the matter imo in the way that the official handled the incident. The actions of the varsity coach were wrong, and inexcusable.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Corndog89

Just the opposite...it takes balls to address your own mistakes and solve problems. Are you telling me you would have handled the original situation (not the V coach's actions after the game) as the original poster did? Look what balls did for him.

And nice job of taking one part of a larger commentary out of context.

Yes. See my answer above.

It takes balls to take actions that will benefit other officials that have to go into that school for future games. Maybe next time the Varsity coach might hesitate before yelling at an official when he damnwell shouldn't be.

As for your larger commentary, for the record I disagree with it. The original poster didn't escalate anything. He stopped the unsporting actions of the Varsity coach.

As I said, just one guy's 2 cents worth, like it or not. Shrug.