Coach walks off floor....with players

[NYBLUE]

Girls AAU Tournament played back in early April.
This particular game was 16 and under (I think).

Coach asks for a TO midway through the 1st half and wants to talk to my partner and I at midcourt. He proceeds to say he doesn't want to see any of his girls get hurt and asked if we can tighten up the game a bit (we had already called 8-10 PF's at this point). He didn't even talk to his girls during the TO, just us.

Early in the 2nd half, coach asks for another TO and immediately instructs his girls to pack up their stuff and vacate the bench. Nobody said a word to my partner and I nor to the other team and coaching staff.
Apparently, he wasn't getting his way and called it quits.
At the time of forfeit, his team was trailing by 12 or so.

Anyone ever see or hear of something similar happening?
A coach simply pulls his players off the floor and leaves??!!!

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by NYBLUE

Girls AAU Tournament played back in early April.
This particular game was 16 and under (I think).

Coach asks for a TO midway through the 1st half and wants to talk to my partner and I at midcourt. He proceeds to say he doesn't want to see any of his girls get hurt and asked if we can tighten up the game a bit (we had already called 8-10 PF's at this point). He didn't even talk to his girls during the TO, just us.

Early in the 2nd half, coach asks for another TO and immediately instructs his girls to pack up their stuff and vacate the bench. Nobody said a word to my partner and I nor to the other team and coaching staff.
Apparently, he wasn't getting his way and called it quits.
At the time of forfeit, his team was trailing by 12 or so.

Anyone ever see or hear of something similar happening?
A coach simply pulls his players off the floor and leaves??!!!

NYBLUE:

Welcome to the wonderful world of AAU, YBOA, and any other alphabet soup group you can think of. All I can say is take you game fee and be thankful for the extra time you have to rest before you next game.

MTD, Sr.

[JRutledge]

Yep, it happened in a couple of real HS games this past season (Not games I was working). One coach was suspended by his conference. The other coach for all I know did not get in any trouble.

Peace

[canuckrefguy]

What a wonderful lesson that coach is teaching his players.

To quit.

What a loser.

[RookieDude]

Yes...it happened to me and my partner some years ago. (2 person crew in WA)

Varsity game...big schools, 4A....big rival...radio game.

Visiting team losing by 30...visiting coach had history as a hothead. (Ex- UW player turned part-time coach...big guy...had kicked a few official's room doors after losses in his time...generally abusive...I believe he had been reprimanded, by his school, before.)

Anyway, about the end of the 3rd Quarter...this guy starts *****ing about calls. I ignored him about once. He stood up on his next complaint as I was running by...WHACK! He said we were screwing him...I told him, "Coach, we aren't 30 points bad".

He said, "What you'd say...WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"...I ignored him.
He said, "You can't talk to me that way"!...and preceded to call his team off the floor. He walked off to the locker room, ranting the whole way.

The Home crowd is loving it...the radio guy looks confused...the Home coach has a smug smile on his face...and the visiting crowd doesn't know what to think.

My partner and I get together at mid-court and calmly discuss our options.

My partner wanted to forfeit the game right then and there. I wanted to wait for a bit. (Could have easily walked then...and coach would have really been hung out to dry...probably fired, as later told)

Well, the Principal of the visiting school was there...and asked us to come over to the scorer's table. He begged us to allow the team back on the floor...he asked if we would just give him a minute to talk to the coach.

I said sure...my partner wasn't so sure. But, we ended up letting the Principal go to the the locker room and talk to the coach and his team.

To make a long story a little shorter...the principal got the coach and team to walk back on to the floor, amongst a raucous crowd. As the smirking coach was walking back on the floor...I WHACKED him with his second T and pointed to the door. His assistants had to hold him back...he seemed a little upset.

His assistant coach took over and actually did a pretty good job...he got them within 20 in a losing effort.

SIDE NOTES:
As my partner and I were being escorted, by the local police to our cars...the local sports beat writer came up and asked me for a minute. I told him we weren't allowed to talk to the media...he used my name and said "... you might want to reply to this." "Reply to what", I asked him.

The writer went on to say that he had spoken to the ejected visiting coach...and the coach had told him that I said, "you are losing by 30...and I'll make sure you lose by more if you don't sit down and shut up"!

I was flabbergasted...all I could tell him was, "that is absolutely false"!

I phoned my assignor, as soon as I got to the car, and told him everything. He said don't worry about it (he was pretty laid back) it will probably all blow over in a few days. I wrote my report...and that was pretty much it.

I did hear that the school showed the WIAA the game tape...because the coach had cried favoritism...and from what my assignor said, they could only come up with two questionable traveling calls for the whole game.

My assignor put me on this teams games the following year and many years to come. Never had another problem with the big guy. He has recently got out of coaching...and from what I heard, if we hadn't of let his team return, that fateful night...he may have been ousted much sooner.

Soooo, for better or for worse...we may have done the guy a favor.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by RookieDude

To make a long story a little shorter...the principal got the coach and team to walk back on to the floor, amongst a raucous crowd. As the smirking coach was walking back on the floor...I WHACKED him with his second T and pointed to the door. His assistants had to hold him back...he seemed a little upset.

Dude, you are now officially my hero.



You penalized the perp, not the players.

[Mark Padgett]

I think RookieDude and his partner did a great job in the way they handled this. The only suggestion I have (and, of course, this is hindsight) would be to have told the principal right up front that you would let the team come back out but not with that coach.