Got That Phone Call

[Chess Ref]

So Its 8 am in the morning yesterday. The phone rings and its my assignor. One of his frosh refs can't make it to the 9 am game. He tells me it's all mine. A early morning frosh tournament DH. It's the 7/8 th place games followed by the 5th/6th place games. Its gonna be fun.

Well after starting the an hour late-they changed tip off time and didn't tell the refs, my partner is horrible , one coach is gone by 2 minutes into the 3rd quarter, and one minor timing issue I get through it.

So beginning of the 2nd QTR, I'm lead and partner is administering the throw in. I look up and clock hits 7:59 and shot clock hits the 34 mark. So clock is all good. Kids passing ball around up top for a few seconds and everybody is yelling about the clock. I look up and clock has stopped at 7.47 but shot clock is now down to 33 mark.

So I tweet and go and talk with the table. Shot clock took on a mind of its own. Its all good. The scoreboard ran correctly. So I took the shot clock down to 22 seconds. This seemed to me to be a no brainer. One clock worked the other didn't ,match the 2 clocks up to the one that worked. Jeez the one coach,who ended up leaving the game right after halftime is going on and on about how his team lost 13 seconds of offense. . His highly efficent offensive machine had scored 4 points in the first quarter.

So those were my first lower level games of the year and I have landed firmly in the camp of its easier to call Varsity games then it is Frsoh/Jv games.

[BillyMac]

A few years ago I got a call my assigner at 9:45 a.m. on a Saturday morning. He had made a mistake and failed to schedule officials for a 10:00 a.m. freshman/junior varsity doubleheader at a high school ten minutes away from my house. My partner was already on the way. I got dressed at home and made it to the game late in the first quarter.

During the freshman game one free throw shooter caught about a half-inch of free throw line on the first shot, which she missed, and I passed on it, of two shots. I whispered to her to watch the line, after which she preceded to go even further over the line on her second shot, that went in. I called the violation, and took away the point. This happened in the second half, so the "violated" coach got a good look at the violation. "How can you call that in a freshman game?" was what started the tirade that eventually led to a technical foul.

Next game was the junior varsity game. I called a backcourt violation when an offensive player, with team and player control, stepped on the division line, on the opposite side of the court from the table, and, of course, from the benches, and the coaches. I got the best look of everybody in the gym. Easy call. "She didn't step on the line.", was what started the tirade that eventually led to this technical foul.

I have pretty thick skin. I've only called one unsporting technical foul against a varsity head coach in the past five, or six years, and yet, here were two technicals in one day. Subvarsity coaches have a lot to learn, in terms of rules, and in terms of how to deal with officials, which I guess, is why they're not varsity coaches yet.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Subvarsity coaches have a lot to learn, in terms of rules, and in terms of how to deal with officials, which I guess, is why they're not varsity coaches yet.

Originally Posted by Chess Ref

So those were my first lower level games of the year and I have landed firmly in the camp of its easier to call Varsity games then it is Frsoh/Jv games.

Amen! I do mostly sub-V and concur.

My assignor called me up one weekend afternoon and said, "Bob, I need you to do a few games for me." I said, "When?" He said, "Fifteen minutes!" "What?" "Other ref was in a wreck en route and can't make it. Can you help?"

I had purposely not worked that day as I had five games in the last two days and was a bit tired. "Where?" He told me it was about 25 miles away!

I dressed and hurried to the gym as fast as I could. Thankfully, it was the weekend and I made good time.

I hustle into the gym and jump into the game at the first break. My partner (who I've worked with many times) updates me, on where we are. Worst part (IMO) is that everyone in the gym probably thought I was just another goober, irresponsible ref who can't make it to the game on time......if they only knew how I busted my a$$ to get there as quickly as possible.....on my "day off."

[Mark Padgett]

Five years ago, I had an incident in a game in our local kids rec league. One of the two refs working the game was a HS freshman working her first game ever. Her partner was in his 3rd year with us. I was in sitting next to the table to eval them. It was a 3rd grade boys game and was the first game of the season.

The teams come into the gym and one of the coaches has a "Pat Riley" haircut and is wearing a 3 piece designer suit and carrying a clipboard with the gym floor graphic and magnets on it. Remember - this is 3rd grade. I knew this was going to be fun.

Right from the opening tip, he was on the refs really bad. I wanted to see how they would handle it. About halfway through the first quarter, he was up (we have no coaching box in this league) and yelling at her. She had already given him a warning (and did so properly). She looked at me and I nodded. She whacked him. As she was going to the table to report it, he yelled "You can't give me a technical, you little punk." This time, she didn't even look at me before she whacked him again and told him he was gone. He yelled that he wasn't going anywhere which was when I got up and approached him. I said, "Do you know who I am?" He nodded his head yes. I then told him that if he didn't leave immediately without saying another word, he would be banished from the league for life. He stared for a moment, gathered up his clipboard and walked out. His assistant, who was the mom of one of the other kids, took over. He was suspended for the rest of the season and had to appeal to the Board to be reinstated the following year. We let him back in conditionally and didn't have any more problems with him.

I told the HS girl that she did an excellent job. She asked me if all the games were going to be like that. I told her probably not. She stayed with us all through HS and became an excellent official. She's now going to a local university and still officiating with us.

[LeeBallanfant]

The other side of the coin for me:

Two games back to back scheduled at same gym, but separate officials for each. I am scheduled for 2nd game, and get a call to rush down there as there is only one official for the first game. I get there for the 2nd half and complete the game. My regularly scheduled game turns out to be a forfeit when one team does not show.

I get two full fees for working a 1/2 of one game, while the other official in the first game gets only one fee. He had stuck around for the 2nd game and I thought he was going to cry when he realized the situation.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

I told the HS girl that she did an excellent job. She asked me if all the games were going to be like that. I told her probably not. She stayed with us all through HS and became an excellent official.

When my daughter was playing high school basketball, she was asked, as a varsity player, to officiate low level girls recreation games, on the weekends, to make a few bucks. No training. The league figured that if you knew how to play the game, then you could officiate the game also. She came home from her first game in tears. She couldn't believe how rude the coaches were to the officials, who were just a bunch of untrained teenage girls trying to earn a few extra bucks. I sat her down and explained to her all the rules regarding unsporting conduct by the head coach, as well as the penalties. I told her to warn first, use the phrases, "by rule ten", and "that's enough", in requesting better bench conduct, and to "whack em" if needed. Problem solved.

[wizard]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

He yelled that he wasn't going anywhere which was when I got up and approached him. I said, "Do you know who I am?" He nodded his head yes.

Nuff said.

(No disrespect, I just can't believe no one else on here razzed you about this..)

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by Chess Ref

So Its 8 am in the morning yesterday. The phone rings and its my assignor. One of his frosh refs can't make it to the 9 am game. He tells me it's all mine. A early morning frosh tournament DH. It's the 7/8 th place games followed by the 5th/6th place games. Its gonna be fun.

Well after starting the an hour late-they changed tip off time and didn't tell the refs, my partner is horrible , one coach is gone by 2 minutes into the 3rd quarter, and one minor timing issue I get through it.

So beginning of the 2nd QTR, I'm lead and partner is administering the throw in. I look up and clock hits 7:59 and shot clock hits the 34 mark. So clock is all good. Kids passing ball around up top for a few seconds and everybody is yelling about the clock. I look up and clock has stopped at 7.47 but shot clock is now down to 33 mark.

So I tweet and go and talk with the table. Shot clock took on a mind of its own. Its all good. The scoreboard ran correctly. So I took the shot clock down to 22 seconds. This seemed to me to be a no brainer. One clock worked the other didn't ,match the 2 clocks up to the one that worked. Jeez the one coach,who ended up leaving the game right after halftime is going on and on about how his team lost 13 seconds of offense. . His highly efficent offensive machine had scored 4 points in the first quarter.

So those were my first lower level games of the year and I have landed firmly in the camp of its easier to call Varsity games then it is Frsoh/Jv games.

Shot clock? Freshmen games? What state are you in?

[Chess Ref]

Originally Posted by fullor30

Shot clock? Freshmen games? What state are you in?

California.

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by Chess Ref

California.

.

Figures.

Love those subvarsity and kids' games, don't we??? Two classics for you folks.

First-YMCA youth league, Kindergarten-aged kids. They were all the same height except for this one boy, who was about 3-4 inches taller than the rest. He was grabbing all kinds of rebounds and basically having his way with the ball. Something tells me he was older too, but not my problem. Anyhow, I have this dad (not the coach) chirping about how his kid is getting killed out there (keep in mind I was working this alone). I had to remind him, with the coach's help, about the Y's rules about respect and all that. Out of the blue, I asked him which kid was his. He said the big one. I was dumbfounded. Wasn't even a minute back on the floor, dad starts chirping again. I stopped the game and told dad to take a hike. If you're wondering about game management, poor gal had three games going in the gym, as well as a couple in another gym so she was running around like a chicken with her head cut off, but she supported my actions fully.

Second-Boys HS reserve (sophomore) game just last week. Partner threw out a player and an assistant coach from the same team, both before halftime. Player ejected for an F-bomb loud enough for the whole gym to hear. Assistant coach tossed for questioning my partner's decision to eject the player by asking the fans if anyone heard the F-bomb, and not staying the out of the discussion my partner was having with the head coach about what was happening. Odd how the team played better in the 2nd half, and the head coach did a better coaching job in the 2nd half.

[SeanFitzRef]

First HS game of this season, I typically work Varsity, but assignor asked for help and I complied.

Girls JV game, kinda sloppy but no troubles. 2.9 seconds left, team B inbounding under the basket, trying to go full length of the court. B4 throws the inbound pass directly out of bounds in front of her coach. I blow my whistle, indicate the violation, and point to the spot of the ensuing inbound attempt by team A. Team b coach jumps up, with ball in hand, and yells "Why didn't the clock start? Why do they get the ball on the baseline?"

I relay all of the necessary information to her, retrieve the ball, administer the inbound, half ends. Team B coach is still hollering about the clock, "You're wrong! You're wrong!" I warn, she leaves the court, end of story.

Coming back after halftime, the Varsity coach - who was sitting on the bench during the exchange - Walks over to me and apologizes to me for JV coach's antics. He says he explained the situation to her, and she understood.

Midway thru the 3rd, team B is one foul away from shooting the bonus, and we have only called 1 foul on team B. After that foul call, she jumps up and says "You guys have to call it both ways!!!"

[Chess Ref]

Originally Posted by fullor30

.

Figures.

What figures is somebody would take the usual, boring ,non thinking cheap shot at California. But we're use to it and just go about our business.

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by Chess Ref

What figures is somebody would take the usual, boring ,non thinking cheap shot at California. But we're use to it and just go about our business.

Oh, I thought about it.