Starting OT with 2 shots and the ball
 

Had a game Saturday afternoon -- Girls Varsity. V is up by 2 with about 10 seconds left. H with the ball. The manage to dump it into the post to someone wide open for a game tying layup. V calls Timeout, which I grant, and immediately look at the clock upon blowing my whistle. As I look at the clock, it is already stopped, with 2 seconds left. V wants more time put up, but I turn em down. They get nothing on their inbound, and we're headed for overtime. After the timeout before we begin overtime, Assistant, who was whining before the timeout period about more time, now starts saying that this is the second half in a row that the other team has gotten into double bonus and they haven't. Team fouls on the board were 10-9, and it may have actually been 11 or 12. Anyhow, I tell the Head Coach that he needs to get his assistant under control or it's going to cost him. His response, as my partner is entering the circle for the toss, is, "Well, he's just telling the truth." WHACK!!! I just have no tolerance these days for coaches who think they have to get the last word in.

There's the problem right there.

That is exactly correct. I gave the HC an opportunity to fix the problem. He chose to join in instead.

Good technical.

However, coaches are just as much A-type personalities as refs. If they get the last word sometimes - who cares? Let it go. I do (at least I try to).

Also note, assistants often become head coaches. I treat them all with respect (so long as they reciprocate).

You should look at this as a learning opportunity rather than getting a pat on the back. You're reffing a tight game that both teams want to win. Then you tell the coach to do something "or else" - this is a challenge. Now, he should have heeded this warning. But it's not all that surprising that given how you handled it - he challenged back. Try using different words with the coach that don't include an ultimatum. "Coach, help me out with your bench/assistants please."

All that said, his words warrant a technical. In the future you might be able to avoid it all and not have to start the overtime with a technical.

"If you don't sit your worthless assistant down and shut him the hell up, neither one of you is going to be here to see the jump ball, let alone the end of the game."

That is an ultimatum.

"Coach, you need to get your assistant under control or he's going to cost you." is not an ultimatum. It is a simple statement of fact. It is also a courtesy to the head coach, allowing him to solve the problem without penalty. Now if the coach is too much of a beligerant *** to capitalize on that opportunity, well that's not the official's problem.

BTW, what would you have done, if in response to "Coach, help me out with your assistant, please." the coach responded, "Well, he's just telling the truth." Cuz my guess is that's exactly how he would have responded to your kinder, gentler, and sadly not suprerior way of handling this situation.

Okay - I guess you're way of handling the tight game was perfect. You started overtime with a technical.

You said exactly the right thing and shouldn't have to listen to other ideas.

If I could pat you on the back through the internet, I would.

With all due respect, bullpucky.

A simple warning was given to the head coach. He responded to that by doing exactly what the warning was about....he crapped on the official. You have to deal with it. As an official, If you don't have the gonads to deal with it, well, maybe you should think about becoming a coach. If the last word that you want to give the coach turns out to be derogatory as it was in this situation, then the last word should never be ignored. There's one helluva big difference between letting a coach get in a last comment about a call that he thought that you might have missed versus letting him crap on you.

Not very good advice at all imo.

Nice sarcasm.

You said exactly the right thing and shouldn't have to listen to other ideas.

Coach deserved this T no matter how you slice it. I've noticed a trend, at least locally: coaches will say something that seems totally innocent, but in the same unbelievably condescending tone of voice that my pre-teen sometimes uses...and then have the nerve to ask how you could give them a T for saying that?

Huh...coaches acting like kids. Maybe in retrospect, it's not such a new trend. :)

Sounds kind of like a T I gave at this same tourney on Saturday. Boys Varsity. I was working with a couple of pretty new V officials. Partner made a call that coach didn't like. I was C, all the way across the floor from the bench of the coach who's team had just been assessed a foul. As my partner was reporting, Coach threw a roll of athletic tape at his gym bag which was on the floor between his bench and the table. Tape bounced off and rolled out on the floor a little way. I waited a second to see if my partner was going to do anything about it, I assessed the T. As I went to report, coach was just flabbergasted that I had assessed it. He said, "I threw it at my bag, it just happened to bounce out on the floor." I said, "That's exactly right Ed, You THREW IT." He would have gotten the T even if it had landed and stayed in his bag. His team ended up losing by 2, after leading but as much as 14 in the 3rd quarter. Their star player fouled out on a PC foul with about 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. After the game, I ran into him in the cafeteria, and he said we did a nice job, but that he still didn't think he deserved the technical.

Lucky ??
 

Not bad. A compliment, and a polite complaint, from losing coach, who lost by two points, possibly the two points that resulted from the technical foul, outside the dressing room, or locker room. This could have ended up a lot more ugly.

Every coach is different, every player is different, everyone is different - you'll never be able to handle two coaches or players the same way. One coach might respond and whip his assistant into place, this coach - decided to jump on the band wagon.

an official much wiser than told me this once.

First of all, it wasn't my game. So yes, my handling of that game was perfect, flawless, an inspiration to all aspiring officials. :D

Second of all, I did listen to your ideas. I considered them. And then I disagreed with them. I'm sorry if that hurt your feelings.

If I could give you a big hug through the internet, I would.

Is this one of those Dan_Ref's "yeah yeah yeah go f@ck yourself" moments?

Haha. Well put and fair enough. No feelings hurt here.

As my post says, I agree with the technical. I just try to avoid language that threatens a technical in an unltimatum way. When I can let a coach have the last word, I try to. When I can't, I act accordingly. (If the coach said that to me or a partner, It's likely to be the same outcome with me.)