How Far is Too Far?

[BillyMac]

Top Reasons To Give A Technical Foul
There are many different factors to consider when deciding to give a technical foul. Generally, there are three areas of coach's behavior that need attention: when a coach makes it personal, when a coach draws attention to himself or herself, and when a coach's complaints are persistent.

Some technical fouls are easy. They are black and white situations that leave little room for negotiation:
Using profanity or language that is abusive, vulgar, or obscene.
A coach questions your integrity.
Inciting an undesirable crowd reaction.
A coach is embarrassing an official.
A coach or player has been warned and has not heeded the warning.
Leaving the confines of the coaching box and complaining.
A coach demonstrates displeasure with your partner and their back is turned.

Other technical fouls are not as black and white. In some situations, a warning may be appropriate before the technical foul is given:
A coach or player continually demonstrates signals or asks for calls.
If they have interfered with the game or your concentration, then they have usually gone too far.
If giving a technical will help give structure back to the game and if it will have a calming effect on things.

Original Source: The Greater Philadelphia Basketball Official's Association

[btaylor64]

Originally Posted by Spence

Rookie official here preparing for my first season.

I'm looking for opinions on how far you let a coach go in his/her complaining?

Are any of the following "too far?"

You suck.
That call sucked.
That was a garbage call.
Are you blind?


Quietly within earshot of no one but me in a non-hostile tone: "Geez, Spence, that was a B.S. call."(without using the initials)

Cursing? Automatic T?

Thoughts?

You suck- Tech
That call sucked- NO Tech (its not personal, just didn't like the call, so what)
That was a garbage call (same as above)
Are you blind- Tech (Personally directed at you)

Also we need to define what level you are officiating. If a coach cusses in my leagues, AT me, more than likely i will have a T. If he cusses TO me, that is different. Cussing is never an automatic to me, unless its a youth game and even one person can hear it.

As far as talking to coaches during timeouts... I'm alright with it as long as you do it the right way:

Dont ever walk into the huddle or near the huddle to talk with a coach. Stand right around the elbow closest to the bench and let him say his bit while you stand there. Once he finishes and you start to respond, start walking him back to the huddle while explaining your play (he will follow, I swear. Its uncanny how this works). Now by the time you are done with your explanation you have placed him in his huddle and it allows you to leave and if he follows and is still on you, then it looks like he is coming after you and all the onus is now put on him...

Remember, some coaches take timeouts just to talk with the official. It's his timeout and if he wants to waste it on you fill flattered (haha) and let him say his peace. Whether he gets a T or not is on him.

[Back In The Saddle]

I think this may have originated over on the baseball side, but it works very nicely in basketball too...

Remember the 3 P's: if the comment is personal, profane, or prolonged, it's going to take a very good reason for me to NOT give the coach his T.

It's tough to know when to whack a coach when you're starting out. The pumpkin at the belt ones are easy but rare. It's the ones on the corners (to continue the metaphor) that will give you fits. So aside from the 3 P's, the other thing I would tell you is that if the next day you wish had whacked the coach, you should have.

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

Remember the 3 P's: if the comment is personal, profane, or prolonged, .

There are a few versions of that theme. I've heard it with prolonged replaced by public.

[JRutledge]

I have three basic triggers that need to be addressed.

1. They question your integrity.
2. They get personal.
3. They start using profanity.

If these things happen, then you can either give a T or you can address in another way. This really comes with experience to know when or how to deal with these situations.

Peace

[mick]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

There are a few versions of that theme. I've heard it with prolonged replaced by public.

If you call that 3 Ps, don't worry.
I've got your back.

[M&M Guy]

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

There are a few versions of that theme. I've heard it with prolonged replaced by public.

By public do you mean said loudly enough that it can be/was heard by others? That still leaves you with a decision to make about whether what was said was worth whacking the guy over.

[tomegun]

Originally Posted by btaylor64

Remember, some coaches take timeouts just to talk with the official. It's his timeout and if he wants to waste it on you fill flattered (haha) and let him say his peace. Whether he gets a T or not is on him.

If a coach takes a timeout to talk to me he will be disappointed. Yes, I will walk him back to the huddle, but the timeout will not be spent to argue a call. When a coach asks a question in a respectful manner it doesn't take long to give a respectful answer so the whole timeout will not be spent on it. More times than not, the question isn't asked in this manner and zero time will be spent answering it.

JMHO

[Bad Zebra]

Originally Posted by Spence

You suck.

"T" will be served

Originally Posted by Spence

That call sucked

Depends on his behavior and demeanor up to that point. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If he's been whining since the tip, this would be a good jump off point.

Originally Posted by Spence

That was a garbage calll.

Same as above.

Originally Posted by Spence

Are you blind?

"T" will be served

I agree with the philosophy of taking care of all of 'em early if coach knows you're a rookie. He's likely just testing your limits.

Good post. I like the variety of opinions here.

[Brad]

Everything Bad Zebra said was spot on.

[Brad]

You suck.
Are you blind?
WHACK!!!

That call sucked.
That was a garbage call.
Not automatic as above. When a coach says "you" it takes on a different tone. "That call sucked" is not the same as "You suck"

I'd judge the above based on what has gone on the rest of the game... If nothing so far then address verbally, if you have already addressed give the official warning -- past that maybe WHACK maybe ignore -- take the game situation into account.

Quietly within earshot of no one but me in a non-hostile tone: "Geez, Spence, that was a B.S. call."(without using the initials)

Probably not for me... Again, I would take the rest of the game into consideration. If that coach hadn't said much then this would probably just get a warning. If there had already been history this game then it might be a tech.

Without even having read the rest of the thread other than the OP, I'm sure that many will say WHACK everything, but I think that we need to always consider our full range of responses rather than be a one-trick pony.

[BBall_Junkie]

Originally Posted by Brad

You suck.
Are you blind?
WHACK!!!

That call sucked.
That was a garbage call.
Not automatic as above. When a coach says "you" it takes on a different tone. "That call sucked" is not the same as "You suck"

I'd judge the above based on what has gone on the rest of the game... If nothing so far then address verbally, if you have already addressed give the official warning -- past that maybe WHACK maybe ignore -- take the game situation into account.

Quietly within earshot of no one but me in a non-hostile tone: "Geez, Spence, that was a B.S. call."(without using the initials)

Brad is an expert on this subject because most of his calls DO suck, so he is very familiar with how to deal with this very subject!

Probably not for me... Again, I would take the rest of the game into consideration. If that coach hadn't said much then this would probably just get a warning. If there had already been history this game then it might be a tech.

Without even having read the rest of the thread other than the OP, I'm sure that many will say WHACK everything, but I think that we need to always consider our full range of responses rather than be a one-trick pony.

Brad is an expert on this subject because most of his calls DO suck! Since he is faced with these comments all the time he knows exactly how to handle them...

BWAHAHAHAHAHA

[Spence]

Good input.

Should I assume that if a coach is directing his/her comments towards my partner and my partner doesn't think its worthy of a T that I should not get involved even if I think its crossed the line?

[truerookie]

Originally Posted by Spence

Good input.

Should I assume that if a coach is directing his/her comments towards my partner and my partner doesn't think its worthy of a T that I should not get involved even if I think its crossed the line?

Yes, there come a time where you have to fight you own battles. If your partner IMO deem it is not worthy why bother.