Worst thing you ever saw happen in a game?

[a4caster]

Mine was similar to eyezen. The FIRST BV game I ever did. Home team was up by quite a few in the 4th, then the opponents came back and made a game out of it. I'm T with about 2:20 left, V grabs a steal, going coast to coast. H player comes to defend, the ball handler makes a quick stop, the defender leaps into the air, BH ducks to avoid the brunt. H player goes over the top, falls on his head, shoulder, neck, back quad point, and starts seizing. All this while I'm +/- 5 feet away. Needless to say, teammates are freaking out seeing their teammate in such a situation. At the time, all I could think to do is "push" the players back away from the downed player. Thanks to a freak snowstorm, ambulance takes 30 minutes to arrive. V team gives up and declared forfeit.
Ever since that game, I have always wanted to be prepared for just a freaky incident, regardless whereever I might be. So, that following spring, I got certified in First Responder, which is the basics; Airway, Breathing, Circulation. In the case described, at least I would have had the forethought to toss a towel or a jacket underneath the kid's head. But if it is life/death (and I know this will tick some of you off) the stripes come off, and I help the kid. Not for a twisted ankle, not for a bloody nose, but something that requires paramedics, AED's, CPR, etc.

[BillyMac]

Girls varsity. Small town. Dislocated elbow. Took about 15 minutes for the ambulance to arrive, and another 15 minutes to load her on the stretcher. She screamed the whole time. I can still hear her. I think about her everytime I walk into that gym.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by a4caster

(and I know this will tick some of you off) the stripes come off, and I help the kid.

Doing a semi-final football games about 4 years ago. The favourite is losing and they're not happy about it. Winning team is on offense with about a 1 minute to go and slow playing the game, but nothing illegal. Good coaching actually.

Then a defender ends up tackling late, and then a winning team player responds. Of course this all happens about 10 yards in front of me. I close in to diffuse somewhat and throw the flag for DQ on the losing team player's and UR on a different winning team's player, who was knocked down.

I can see the look in the defender's eyes that he's going to do something bad. I totally could have tackled him as he ran back towards the opponent (winning team player) who was still on the ground. I did nothing, as per our officiating policy. What does the losing player do? He jumps on the defenseless opponent and drives his foot (spikes on his shoes) into the guy's throat.

It took me a whole year to resolve if I saw that act again would I intervene.

[icallfouls]

I was working a game a couple of years ago. It was the last home game for one of the local HS's, so it was also senior night. Meaning that there was higher than usual turnout for the impending blow out.

Midway through the second quarter, the visiting team makes a subsitution. Just as my partner is about to put the ball in play (has handed the ball to the offense). The visiting coach is going crazy and screaming for a timeout. Now this coach is known to be very calm and not prown to such outbursts. As I am blowing my whistle, out of the corner of my eye, I see a player colapse in a heap to the floor. Fans were already calling 9-1-1 and there were a couple of shouts. The paramedics arrived 12 minutes later and started to perform CPR, injected adrenalin, and quickly headed for the hospital. It was said that the young man died on the way to the hospital, but it was clear that he passed right there in front of a couple hundred people.

What a terrible night for everyone. The young man had many friends in the 10 schools that make up the league and it was quite a blow.

Sometimes we get caught up about why we didn't get selected to work such-and-such game, or why we aren't going to work a playoff/state tournament game. I don't think of it that much any more, but every now and then it comes up and helps to put things into perspective.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by a4caster

Mine was similar to eyezen. The FIRST BV game I ever did. Home team was up by quite a few in the 4th, then the opponents came back and made a game out of it. I'm T with about 2:20 left, V grabs a steal, going coast to coast. H player comes to defend, the ball handler makes a quick stop, the defender leaps into the air, BH ducks to avoid the brunt. H player goes over the top, falls on his head, shoulder, neck, back quad point, and starts seizing. All this while I'm +/- 5 feet away. Needless to say, teammates are freaking out seeing their teammate in such a situation. At the time, all I could think to do is "push" the players back away from the downed player. Thanks to a freak snowstorm, ambulance takes 30 minutes to arrive. V team gives up and declared forfeit.
Ever since that game, I have always wanted to be prepared for just a freaky incident, regardless whereever I might be. So, that following spring, I got certified in First Responder, which is the basics; Airway, Breathing, Circulation. In the case described, at least I would have had the forethought to toss a towel or a jacket underneath the kid's head. But if it is life/death (and I know this will tick some of you off) the stripes come off, and I help the kid. Not for a twisted ankle, not for a bloody nose, but something that requires paramedics, AED's, CPR, etc.

Why would you allow the game to be a forfeit? Suspend the game and let the authorities decide what to do about the remaining time on the clock.

MTD, Sr.

[ace]

I had a 7th grade boys game my first year out the shoot. Kid had massive heart failure. Died 3 days later. Though in all reality, he died that night on the court. It took 30 minutes to get a pulse back.

[daveg144]

Last year at a camp with very high level U-16 boys players, second game in the "elimination" round (early Sunday afternoon). A local team has managed to survive and now must face an undefeated team from out of state. Local team has about 7-8 players, out of state team has about 12.

We have a "bad apple" on the local team. Commits stupid fouls, argues with teammates and coach (nothing too bad towards the officials, just a moan here and there). One time when he's getting upset, I advise his coach that he may want to sub him out to avoid a problem. Coach is cool, and takes him out until the end of the half.

Out of state team gradually pulls ahead in 2nd half. With about 5 minutes to go in the game (by now, it's about a 25 point lead for the out of staters) our "bad apple" commits a hard foul on a fast break. As the T, it's not in my primary, but I immediately come up with an intentional foul. The lead looks at me and agrees. I report the foul and line up to shoot. As I'm standing on the court, I hear the crowd yelling. The bad apple walks right up toward the crowd (under the basket) and is cussing and yelling at someone.

We blow the whistle and I go to him and escort him back towards his bench. As I'm doing this, two people in the crowd start yelling at each other (full blown cussing like druken sailors). We get all the kids off the court (toward the other end of the floor). By now the two people are ready to fight (did I mention that one is a woman? bad apple's mom). I go look for some security because I'm thinking someone's going to go postal and whip out a gun! After a few minutes, security shows up and escorts the two combatants out of the building.

We resume the game and finish without further incident ("bad apple" remains on the bench). After the game, the clinicians on the court gave us all very high marks! One said, "anyone can ref an easy game, but not everyone can handle a mess like this." A week later the guy that runs the tournament picked me up for the next season.

Ugly deal, but it worked out okay in the end!

[a4caster]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

Why would you allow the game to be a forfeit? Suspend the game and let the authorities decide what to do about the remaining time on the clock.

MTD, Sr.

The LOSING team forfeited. It wasn't a game for playoffs or conference. Both coaches agree, and that is as far as I can go. Not trying to pick a fight, but would you tell both that we reschedule? I never really thought about refusing to declare.

[theboys]

This one's on the lighter side. High school-aged AAU boys game. Team wins a close game. Player tosses the ball high into the air, it hits part of the sprinkler system, and immediately the downpour commences. They had to postpone the remaining games for the day.