When I call a foul on player and the he/she does not like the call, I never allow that conversation to get the best of me. I do not single that player for the rest of night either. The are nine other players on the floor that I have to watch.
As for during FT's, I do not mind if a player wants to come and ask me what he/she did. That is something that I stress in my pre-game to the captains. If you do not understand call, please do not hesitate to ask. Plus, I think it develops a good relationship between players and officials before the game starts. Players realize that they can come and ask our officiating crew a question.

I'm not trying to be a wise-guy, but do you really think that anything you say in the captains' conference is going to develop a relationship with the players? First of all, you're only talking to 4 or maybe 6 players at the most, not the whole teams. Second, they're not listening to anything you say anyway. They don't need or want your approval to question your calls. You don't need to encourage them to talk to you.

Just my opinion, but the captains' meeting should go like this: "I'm Mr. A, that's Mr. B. Who's your floor captain tonight? Good luck."

Chuck

I think that a lot of pregames are just a lot of noise, but some officials have a way of expressing themselves that does draw attention to what they say and lets you know where they are coming from with respect to officiating the game. But whether or not the captains listen is another thing, and it probably doesn't get to the rest of the team. I have yet to see a player come back and say anything more meaningful than "ref said make sure your shirts are tucked in!"

Wow! Wouldn't it be great if I could get'em to do that!! :)

when a player questions a play that i call, i will lend him an ear and try to explain the call to him. i rarely ever get technical by quoting rules word for word, and i try to speak in a dialog they will understand. i feel when refs dice up the conversation by quoting rules verbatim it makes us look cocky and like a know-it-all. referees are human and it makes sense to me to give a human answer. coaches and players are not expected to know the rules 100%, they are expected to know the jist of the rules and try to play within the boundaries.

if i know i missed the call that player has more rope than on an obvious call and can let his emotions flare for a brief moment. on plays that are tough, coaches and players get a couple of seconds to vent because their emotions can get high and it is a natural reaction. i will not be quick to whack on a tough play or a play that i kicked. 3 or 4 trips down the court after i have addressed the situation and a coach is still griping he has hung himself.

I don't care who you are, if you come to me with respect, proper timing, and an appropriate question, I will give you a honest and proper anwser. I give a player credit for asking in certain situations. The player knows they did something, and if they want to know what they did so they can correct it, i have the utmost respect for them. That is taking inisitive and being a good ball player. No matter what you do, i won't hold a grudge against you. A lot of officials do, but in order to someday be considered a "great" official, you have to treat everyone the same.

I agree with Doug and crew. We as officials have to understand that we are going to be asked about calls throughout game. As officials, we should be overjoyed that the players ask us what they did wrong and not react the way we expect them to.
Chuck, all do respect to your opinion, but I disagree with your approach. Players now are listening more then we think they hard to the pregame captains meeting. I think sometimes your approach sets up problems for the later satges of the game. But, that is just my opinion. My summary is we as officials need to be pro-active in communicating with players and coaches. What better way, then to allow a player to ask us about a call from time to time.

John, if players actually care about what is said in the pre-game conference, I'd be shocked. However, I could obviously be wrong about that. I would not encourage lengthy conversations in the captains' meeting anyway. But this is largely a matter of style probably, and I don't think either approach is inherently bad. It's just that -- in my personal experience -- most of what is said before the game is forgotten within 30 seconds. If you think it's working for you, then keep doing it.

Having said that, let me say something in case I've been unclear. I will never discourage a player or coach from asking me a genuine question. If a player doesn't understand what the call was or who it was on, I don't turn those questions away. I'm not saying that we should not interact with the players. My only point was that the captains' meeting is usually not a productive time to try to interact with them. Personally, I find it more natural and relaxed to talk to the players during the warm-ups (while I stealthily check them for jewelry).

Just my opinion.

Chuck

Chuck,

I try to do the samething doing warm-ups as well. I agree with you that the captain's meetings are probably forgotten about shortly after having it, but it does make me feel better addressing this issue during the meeting though.

I do agree with you about coaches and players asking genuine questions only. That is what I was refering to as well. I am not a big fan of players and coaches the percieve the idea of talking to us, as we can talk to the officials about every call. I did not allow that, however as you said if it is a genuine question, I am going to make every effort possible to listen to them.

Just my take.
John

Looks like we're pretty much on the same page, John. Thumbs up, right back atcha! :)

I had girls games yesterday :p and one of the teams (actually, quite a few of the teams) had numbers only on the backs of their jerseys. I called a foul on one player and, since she was facing me, I had to ask her what her number was. The conversation went like this:

Me: What's your number?
Her: What did I do?
Me: What's your number?
Her: What did I do?
Me: What's your number?
Her: What did I do?
Me: In another two seconds, you won't have a number.
Her: Ten.

Chuck,

Looks like we are.

Having only been at this a short time, As a player I always wanted to know what I did wrong. It only helped my game. I noticed every ref had his own distinct style and pet peas. Now, as a ref, I try and allow the players to do the same. I understand now why the ref would usually start explaining his call (during the dead ball) but would abruptly end the conversation when the ball was back in play.
I can only speak for me here, ask you question, but do it respectively, accept the answer and play on. I hold no grudges. I make the call, pay the piper, and move onto the next portion of the game.

echo,

I like your approach. That is a good one to have.

I usually keep my pet peas in a cage. Sometimes, I take them for walks, but I have to use very small leashes. I have found the frozen peas to be more friendly, but the canned peas are better at learning tricks.

I never have had fresh peas as pets, because I cannot find a breeder that will separate them from their mommy pods.

In any case, I don't recommend officials taking their pet peas with them to games. They get cranky and usually are not gymbag-broken, so you have to stop the game to take them outside to relieve themselves.

Sorry - couldn't resist. ;)