Calling with a hot head official

[B-Lipscomb]

This is my first topic on your discussion board and I would like to say hello to all my fellow basketball officials and look forward in corresponding with you all. My first question is: How do you try and get your opinion over to a fellow official who has this demeanor of a premadonna and think that he has to call a tech in every game to try and establish control of a ball game and in turn makes the game less enjoyable for the players. I have seen this guy who is a lot older than me call a tech on a kid just because he(the kid) didn't think he committed the foul. Then after he administered the tech. He(the official) ran down the court beside the kid waiting to get some negative input and when the kid said something to him and no one could hear their conversation, gave the kid another tech and ejected him out of game. Help me here fellows.

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B-Lipscomb

[Tim Roden]

Read "How to Win Friends and Influence People." The book is 70 years old and the ideas in it still work.

You can tell him but if he doesn't listen, I'd take it up with someone who carries weight in your association such as an evaluator or a assignor. I've had younger officials who won't listen to me and I had to take it to an assignor who has a way of talking to newer officials that makes them want to listen.

[Todd VandenAkker]

I don't know what's more scary: a primadona or a "pre-Madonna" (shiver). In either case, there's probably little you CAN do to change his way of thinking, especially if he's a "veteran" official. If you suggest a different alternative, he more than likely will lecture you about why his way is the way to go. As another veteran, I'd try to ask him what was happening to lead him to give the "T's," then wonder aloud (i.e., not tell him straight out, 'cuz that will just get him defensive and shut me out) if there was another way to deal with it so as to avoid the T's. If he started to lecture me, I'd just say I'd have to disagree with him, but then leave it at that, because it isn't going to help pursuing it. In your case, he'd probably see you as an "underling" and not give your perspective the due consideration it deserves. Best you can do is to try to approach the topic without coming across as disapproving, and see how he responds. If he's open to discussion, go with it. If not, bite your tongue and let it lie. But remember and learn something from the experience yourself.

[This message has been edited by Todd VandenAkker (edited February 16, 2000).]

[pizanno]

B-

Welcome! Hope you find the discussion board helpful...I know I do.

This is a situation we've all been in at one time or another. You may not like it, but you really can't do a thing. This guy is a control freak who is abusing his position of authority and nothing you say will change his behavior.

I would just try to get through the game as painless and as professional as you can, go home, call the assignor to let him know what happened, and request that you not be paired with him again.

The assignor will utlimately be responsible for putting him back out there as a representative of officials in your association.

Learn from it and hope retirement comes knocking at his door soon.

[Mark Padgett]

Obviously, let your assignor know your reluctance to work with this jerk again. My advice is to not let the bad habits of any other officials rub off on you. Learn from their mistakes.

Remember - the purpose of a technical foul is to stop bad behavior. If you can stop the bad behavior without calling the technical, you are that much ahead.

Don't get the reputation of being "Mr. T"

[b_silliman]

All good advice.

I've found that if a person wants to dominate a game, I put my whistle away. I let him call everything, everywhere and when he asks why I tell him. Now this will not work when you are at the high school level, but a few minutes of this will bring most people back to earth. If not--then do as someone else said--refuse to work with him. Soon the assignor will not have anyone to pair him with and he will not work.

The ultimate question I have is, does your organization do any type of rating of officials? His actions must have been noted before.

[Smoke]

Hey i agree I do not think anyone likes a officail who seems to look for trouble.

[Todd (Mike) Mullen]

The only thing I would add to this is something Alaska Ref once told me:

"Always be his partner, even if he isn't being yours."

Specifically, if it was me and I knew of his reputation for being combative and initiating confrontations, I might have done something like this after the initial technical:

- As he reports, I call all the players together;
- As he turns to come back and administer the shots, I say (so he can hear) something like "now we've got a long way to go in this game so let's relax and make sure you're all around to finish it."
- Then as an aside to him, I might give him a compliment like, "Nice job nipping that in the bud, we shouldn't have any more problems. Good job."

This usually strokes their ego enough that they don't need to go looking for another shot of helium by banging the kid again.

However, just like dealing with coaches, dealing with your partner depends on your personality. This approach works for me, but may not work for everyone.

(BTW, the "be his partner" advice is something I've tried to repeat over and over in my head, especially this year. I officiated in central PA for 5 years and earned a promotion to varsity boys. But my career brought me to eastern PA and a new chapter and back to the bottom of the ladder. I don't mind working my way back up again - however, the quality of my partners this year compared to last year is significantly different - for the worse. And that has led to some sticky situations).

Thanks again Alaska Ref!