Timeout to Vent

[texaspaul]

Prior post almost covered my situation. 1st quarter of an uneventfull 8th grade boys game. Home team calls TO and as I go to report it, I look at the coach for a 30 or 60 option. He turns his back to me, so I walk closer and ask again as I approach. He tells the kids," everyone on the bench." Spins to me and says, "Full!..... and tell your partner I want to talk to him". I give him the stop sign and report the full TO and head to my floor position. I'm really not interested in having a head coach ask me to be his message courier. He barked something across the floor, but I really couldn't make it out. Told my partner about it during the quarter break, but we agreed, no sense in creating a commotion. I try to watch my partners back as much as possible.

Speaking of this, when I get in the angry coaches clutch and have to listen to a chewing, I always come over turn my body, perpendicular to them and continue this through the full, usually one sided convo. An occasional nod and a simple "I understand ". Sure, I've had one or two that we went in a semi, funny circle, but it works for me. I think most of the time, I avoid serious problems with the simple fact that I let them vent and acknowledge they were heard. If the convo turns defamatory, I stick-em.....

[rainmaker]

IMO, you shouldn't be taking a whole 60 TO full of coach venting. The TO should be for coach to talk to players about the game. Let the coach say a sentence or two, acknowledge their concerns and then head to position on floor. I definitely agree about your not serving as message courier for coach to partner!

[Loudwhistle]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

IMO, you shouldn't be taking a whole 60 TO full of coach venting. The TO should be for coach to talk to players about the game. Let the coach say a sentence or two, acknowledge their concerns and then head to position on floor. I definitely agree about your not serving as message courier for coach to partner!

For the record and correct me if I'm wrong, I assign a full time out if a coach doesn't specify what length of time out they desire. It saves the hassel of trying to communicate with them and chase them around the players in some cases. Is this wrong?

[Adam]

Same here. If I don't get a signal or response by the time I get to the table, it's a full. I'm with rainmaker, on this also. Don't listen to the coach for 60 seconds. If he has a question or two, answer them. If he's venting, it's going to be very short.

[blindzebra]

I tell them at the coaches meeting to let us know which you want before we get to the table.


Timeouts are for talking to their team, not us...if they have a legit concern I'll listen and respond, if all they want to do is vent, I'm walking away. If they chase, physically or verbally, they are getting whacked.

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Loudwhistle

For the record and correct me if I'm wrong, I assign a full time out if a coach doesn't specify what length of time out they desire. It saves the hassel of trying to communicate with them and chase them around the players in some cases. Is this wrong?

It's not wrong. That what one of the books says to do.

[Coltdoggs]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

It's not wrong. That what one of the books says to do.

The Good Book of Nevada?

Ok, seriously....Is that in the NFHS rule or casebook?

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Coltdoggs

The Good Book of Nevada?

Ok, seriously....Is that in the NFHS rule or casebook?

From a POE in the 2001-02 Rules Book:

"It will still be the responsibility of the coach of the calling team to immediately signal to the official as to whether a 60 or 30-second time-out is being requested."

I've read more somewhere else, but can recall where at the moment.

[jdw3018]

Originally Posted by Coltdoggs

The Good Book of Nevada?

Ok, seriously....Is that in the NFHS rule or casebook?

There's nothing specific to this in the rules book, but it's been emphasized at rules meetings and to coaches in both states I've worked.

[rainmaker]

Originally Posted by Loudwhistle

For the record and correct me if I'm wrong, I assign a full time out if a coach doesn't specify what length of time out they desire. It saves the hassel of trying to communicate with them and chase them around the players in some cases. Is this wrong?

Loudwhistle, you posted this in reply to my post about not allowing a lot of venting from the coach. Did you mis understand what I was saying? Or just trying to move the topic forward?

[tomegun]

I will ask twice, without going to the huddle, and then it is a full. I've noticed that several people mention hearing from the coach before they get to the table or it is a full. Do you realize your partners are floating in the abyss behind you?
I talk in my pregame about timeout procedures. I will:

1. Grant the timeout
2. Find out full or 30
3. Tell my partners
4. Make sure we know where the ball is going to be inbounded
5. Report the foul

It took about 100 times longer to type that then it takes, but I do things this way so my partners don't have to wait for me to report the timeout before going to the correct spot. Also, it gives the teams time to go to the huddle before the timeout starts. Maybe this is just one of my small quirks, but I don't like to wander around waiting to find out what kind of timeout it is.

[jdw3018]

Originally Posted by tomegun

I will ask twice, without going to the huddle, and then it is a full. I've noticed that several people mention hearing from the coach before they get to the table or it is a full. Do you realize your partners are floating in the abyss behind you?
I talk in my pregame about timeout procedures. I will:

1. Grant the timeout
2. Find out full or 30
3. Tell my partners
4. Make sure we know where the ball is going to be inbounded
5. Report the foul

It took about 100 times longer to type that then it takes, but I do things this way so my partners don't have to wait for me to report the timeout before going to the correct spot. Also, it gives the teams time to go to the huddle before the timeout starts. Maybe this is just one of my small quirks, but I don't like to wander around waiting to find out what kind of timeout it is.

I'm a bit confused by your statement, Tomegun - I think all of us try to find the "full or 30" bit as soon as possible. The discussion is around a coach that doesn't give that information right away.

My process is almost exactly like yours, including making sure the opposing coach knows the type of TO as well. But the coach isn't always helpful in being able to do this...

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by tomegun

I talk in my pregame about timeout procedures. I will:

1. Grant the timeout
2. Find out full or 30
3. Tell my partners
4. Make sure we know where the ball is going to be inbounded
5. Report the foul

That would confuse the heck out of me.

[jdw3018]

Originally Posted by tomegun

I talk in my pregame about timeout procedures. I will:

1. Grant the timeout
2. Find out full or 30
3. Tell my partners
4. Make sure we know where the ball is going to be inbounded
5. Report the timeout

Here's to another thing I learned on this forum that I implemented in my games. I'd never really thought about my process on reporting TOs before. So last night I followed tomegun's suggestions and, while not a big thing, it sure seemed to make for a consistent process.

We didn't have any issues with coaches not telling us what they wanted, which was nice, and this process was a great way to have a consistent routine.

I'm implementing it for all my games now.

[Loudwhistle]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

Loudwhistle, you posted this in reply to my post about not allowing a lot of venting from the coach. Did you mis understand what I was saying? Or just trying to move the topic forward?

Rainmaker,
I was just trying to move the topic forward, (still figuring out how to post with quote, without quote, etc,) finally getting the guts to jump into these great conversations! Love reading the posts, starting to find out that reffs are some of the wittiest and crabbiest (depending on the subject of course ) people around. I never realized scrapper was as old as that picture showed (grey haired guy with a beard showed up yesterday in a forgotten post). Its been fun learning about basketball and an elite group of people, my dad has been asking me for years, why would you ever want to ref so people can ***** at you? I tell him its just like elk hunting, very challenging with lots of action, plus I get to be in the game now that I'm to old to play. I live on a small island in Alaska and reffing is a good way to get unpopular real quick! We always have the same reffs (local guys) at our games, only the teams fly in or ferry in to play our highschool.