how messy can a game get?

[zeedonk]

OK- frosh game last week. I am U1 and my partner is R. We are in a gym that's simply a jail- nowhere to go, no locker rooms, no officials quarters only hallways and the court. During warm ups, we notice 2-3 visitors with white T shirts on that don't match the primary color of the uniforms. We also see 2 on the home team. Partner informs visitor coach of our problem and he disagrees that the short sleeve T make the uniform illegal. Partner informs home coach, no problem. Visiting coach wants our names in the book so he can call our assignor to make sure we're wrong. I get the proverbial bad feeling 12 minutes prior to tip off...

Sure enough, the game is a mess. Double bonus FTs both halves (12-10 and 11-8, in that range). We used resumption of play at least 2 times when visitors ignored 2nd horn after time outs, despite our verbal attempts to get them out. Mommies and daddies not happy either. Kids complaining a bit, but they are under control for the most part.

Early 2nd quarter after our 2nd ROP, I'm reporting a foul in front of visitors bench-here it comes- "You have to give us a warning before you put the ball on the floor after a time out- I haven't seen that in 10 years of coaching" I reply that the teams have to be out and ready on the second horn. Home team was out and ready to go. I turn to head back and coach yells "I can't wait to make that phone call tonight" He didn't get to "tonight" before I whacked him.

Since we're in jail in this gym we have a dad (wearing visitor's team sweatshirt) telling us that "putting the ball down twice is grade school" and he's an official for 10 years blah blah blah.

2nd half was OK, considering. V coach sitting and not complaining any more, H coach wise enough to clam up after the T and he's winning. With so many fouls and violations, the game took forever and we aren't looking for more trouble, but the game begins to get out of hand, score-wise. Strangely, I call a kick on home player who turns around back to me and yells "Fing horrible call" Whack. Well, at least I have one on each team now.

I report the T and tell the coach "kid dropped an F bomb on me" he says, "I know I heard him" spins away, and before I can move, he's back around telling me we're losing control of the game. I gave him the stop sign and said "no we aren't" and walked away. I didn't want another T and he was deciding if he wanted one too.... he quieted down.

Sigh. What a mess.

Any thoughts? When you have games like that, is it a loss of control on our part? I don't generally mind a little noise from the sidelines, but it wasn't just the coaches. It seemed like every call was met with a whine by somebody. I'm open to what actions to take to avoid this type of situation, or how I might handle it better in the future.

Z

[Texas Aggie]

It seemed like every call was met with a whine by somebody.

My first thought is this means you were probably doing your job. I personally didn't see anything in your description that I thought was wrong on your part. I'm not sure if you described it this way, but I wouldn't comment to the coach on a player T unless he or she asks you. Chances are in that situation, they heard it.

[Chess Ref]

Someone else around gets credit for the following......

Get in, get it done, get out...

Around here we use the JH games for training. I have been assigned some of them as part of my new Varsity rating. Alot of the games are like yours,coaches getting ejected, courts are too small, parents are nuts- getting escorted from the gym, kids are in overdrive ,it's just insane.

That was opening day.

I hear its gotten no better.

I had to tell myself, get in,get it done, and get out. Had to tell partner it's gonna get easier. She was saying "Never again."

[TrojanHorse]

I can remember a game a few years back when i was an official, bjv first half goes pretty well but the home team as a good control of the game. Early in the third quarter the varsity refs walk by during a timeout and one winks at me as says, "looks like this one is going to go by quick". Well I guess thats when all heck breaks loose.

We have several intentional fouls for extreme stupidity. My partner and I are talking to the coaches and the players, telling the we dont need any kind of retaliation. Game continues to just go south. Both team are in the double bonus in the third. 4th quarter is no different. It seems like everytime up the court there is a foul, and non of these fouls are ticky tack. Bear in mind the home team is up 30-35pts.

If all that is not enough, we are under a minute in the 4th, the ball become loose in the paint, players go diving in. I come in hard blowing my whistle knowing I am calling a jump. Partner is on the other side of the scrum. Players kind of come up on thier own and a kid from the home team gets up and sucker punches a player on on the floor. Luckily for us, we are really the only ones that see it. We report what we have, inform the coach.

Lucky for us that the last 20 seconds went off with out a hitch. We found out later we shot over 50 free throws in the second half. The varsity was set to tip at 700. We got into the officials room 15 till 8. The joys of sub varsity basketball.

[JugglingReferee]

Everything handled well, imho. The V coach sounds like a howler monkey. Next time ask him if he wants to purchase wrong insurance. Padgett sets the rates.

[bigdogrunnin]

Originally Posted by zeedonk

OK- frosh game last week. I am U1 and my partner is R. We are in a gym that's simply a jail- nowhere to go, no locker rooms, no officials quarters only hallways and the court. During warm ups, we notice 2-3 visitors with white T shirts on that don't match the primary color of the uniforms. We also see 2 on the home team. Partner informs visitor coach of our problem and he disagrees that the short sleeve T make the uniform illegal. Partner informs home coach, no problem. Visiting coach wants our names in the book so he can call our assignor to make sure we're wrong. I haven't recorded my name in a scorebook in several years . . . I get the proverbial bad feeling 12 minutes prior to tip off...

Sure enough, the game is a mess. Double bonus FTs both halves (12-10 and 11-8, in that range). We used resumption of play at least 2 times when visitors ignored 2nd horn after time outs, despite our verbal attempts to get them out. Mommies and daddies not happy either. Kids complaining a bit, but they are under control for the most part.

Early 2nd quarter after our 2nd ROP, I'm reporting a foul in front of visitors bench-here it comes- "You have to give us a warning before you put the ball on the floor after a time out- I haven't seen that in 10 years of coaching" I reply that the teams have to be out and ready on the second horn. Home team was out and ready to go. I turn to head back and coach yells "I can't wait to make that phone call tonight" He didn't get to "tonight" before I whacked him. Very Nice!!

Since we're in jail in this gym we have a dad (wearing visitor's team sweatshirt) telling us that "putting the ball down twice is grade school" and he's an official for 10 years blah blah blah. Good . . . Ignore . . . you can't cure stupid.

2nd half was OK, considering. V coach sitting and not complaining any more, H coach wise enough to clam up after the T and he's winning. With so many fouls and violations, the game took forever and we aren't looking for more trouble, but the game begins to get out of hand, score-wise. Strangely, I call a kick on home player who turns around back to me and yells "Fing horrible call" Whack. I hope a flagrant T. This kid is sitting for the rest of the game if I'm on the floor. JMOWell, at least I have one on each team now.

I report the T and tell the coach "kid dropped an F bomb on me" he says, "I know I heard him" spins away, and before I can move, he's back around telling me we're losing control of the game. I gave him the stop sign and said "no we aren't" and walked away. I didn't want another T and he was deciding if he wanted one too.... he quieted down.

Sigh. What a mess.

Any thoughts? When you have games like that, is it a loss of control on our part? Sometimes you just have crappy games. As a wise old clinician said to me at camp several years ago, "you can't make chicken salad out of chicken $hit." Sounds like you and your partner did a good job holding it together.I don't generally mind a little noise from the sidelines, but it wasn't just the coaches. It seemed like every call was met with a whine by somebody. I'm open to what actions to take to avoid this type of situation, or how I might handle it better in the future.

Z

Responses in Red.

[buckrog64]

I feel your pain. Let me tell you. The players are out of control, you appeal to the coaches to help you handle the situation and the coaches turn on you. After that, it probably won't take much to set me off. If I can't count on the coaches to step in and try and control the kids, I'm left with no choice but to call almost every touch foul I can until they figure it out. I heard the voice from the crowd about the need for calling the game tighter in the early part, but they ignored or had forgotten the ten fouls called in the first eight minutes.

Some nights are like that. They're indicative of poorly disciplined teams. How can one game go smoothly with few problems, and a second game have similar results, but have the whole experience be like scrapping teeth at the dentist because the kids aren't under control?

Do the best you can to set it aside, learn what you can from it and trust yourself that you handled 95% of it or more, the best you could. Oh, maybe a push got missed here and there, a screen wasn't legal, etc. If one call made a difference in the game, it would probably be a first despite what people would have us think.