Officiating philosophy

[BillyMac]

In a perfect world, the only time we should be spending time with the head coach is during the pregame captains/head coaches/officials meeting:

"Coaches. Are your players properly equipped and do your players know how to wear their uniforms properly? If so, coaches and captains. My partner and I expect that you all will be practicing good sportsmanship. Have fun."

However, it's not a perfect world. How often will varsity officials be observing the junior varsity game that precedes the varsity game, and the head varsity coach, maybe from either team, but most often from the home team, actually comes over and sits down in the bleachers with the varsity officials? Maybe it's just to say hello. Maybe it's to ask a question about a rule or interpretation. Or, maybe it's more than that. Maybe the varsity officials may have been officiating this coach's games for over twenty years, and the coach feels that a professional bond has been formed and asks how the season's going, did your families enjoy the holidays, did you hear that Official Smith tore a muscle doing his game last week, etc. Another scenario from the real world is that the officials may often dress in the coach's office, and he's in there before the game, getting a score book, getting some water bottles, tape, etc. and decides he wants to "shoot the breeze" for a few minutes.

These are situations that should be avoided, because, as I've stated earlier, perception often gets confused with reality. Although these situations should be avoided, sometimes it would be awkward to avoid them, and all we can do is answer in a friendly, but terse, manner, and hope that the coach goes away as soon as possible. Maybe there is a professional bond that has formed between the official and the coach. After all, they both share a passion for basketball. I, in fact, relish these bonds, but not at the expense of being perceived as a "homer".

[JRutledge]

You are right, but those are very rare and might not happen but one or two times the entire season. And there are many ways not to put yourself in a situation where a coach can easily talk to you. I also cannot control what locker room they put us in and most people are never going to know where that room is or is not. The point I am trying to make is we worry too much about what people think and we need to just do our job professionally. And if a coach is that concerned because the coach had a conversation with me that I did not seek, so be it. I have many other things to worry about and who I am taking to is not one of them.

Peace

[tomegun]

Most of you who have been on this board know how I feel about this subject.

I had more to say, but this is on my mind

I can't really knock his hustle (getting the games, NOT actually hustling), but let's not be so blinded by the TV games to not recognize what really is.

Rut is 150% (had to slip that nonsense in) right. Why are we spending so much time chatting with coaches anyway. And, I personally like to keep some distance between myself and a coach when possible (not always possible if I'm in the C during live ball) so nothing can be said so quietly, in either direction, that can be twisted around later.

Wow, he really said that (the "video")? I never would have thought it from him.

[Mark Padgett]

My usual pre-game conversation with coaches goes something like this: "Hi Coach. Did you want to buy foul insurance?"