What would you do?
 

I'm working a Girls Varsity game at a small High School. I arrive with my partner and we are informed by both coaches that a player on the visiting team forgot her uniform. The home coach offers a JV uniform to the visiting team(Why they didn't pack a spare I don't know).

We inform the visiting coach that the game will start with a technical foul, he loses his coaches box, and if he gets another technical foul he is gone. He says he completely understands.

Game is going smoothly up until the last 3 minutes of the 4th quarter...Visiting coach calls a timeout, I ask if he wants a Full or 30. From the lipping reading I see 30. I report to the table and take my position and notice the visiting team is seated on the bench for the timeout.

I walk over and say Coach it's a 30, off the bench please. He becomes irate and screams I called a Full Timeout. I calmly say ok and tell him that this is his warning, anything else will be a technical. I then return to the table and report the Full time out. The 1st horn sounds and I go to the bench to inform them. I ask the coach to give a physical signal in the future for timeouts to avoid confusion.

He stands up and yells are you going to keep interupting my timeout, I only have one minute. He proceeds to tell me that I'm an awful official and I don't know what I'm doing. I took a step back ready to whack him and my partner stepped in between us.

Do you whack him or do you let him go?

Adios, sayonara, be seein' ya!

Pregame meeting with each coach: "Coach please let us know what you want on your time-outs 60 or 30" (with signals so coach knows what you are looking for).

Why did you go into his huddle a second time? Why couldn't you have waited until the time out was over? That time is precious in a close game and I can understand why the coach was upset but still needed to stay under control. What did your partner have to say during your post-game?

Why did you assess a T?

Why?

Why wouldn't you wait until after the timeout to address this, especially since he's obviously already agitated?

I only mention to a coach the consequence of future infractions if I believe that he has no clue whatsoever. Why mention this?

Warning for what? I believe the procedure is to rule a full timeout if the HC is not clear what type s/he wants. So, did you warn him that unless he makes it clear, future TOs are automatically a full timeout? Or did you warn him that if he tries to pull a fast one again, you're going to charge him with a T? What if next time he says he wants a 45-second timeout? By your definition, this is "something else". Are you really going to T him here, and then have to eject him?

When did you request that he give a visual signal? Was it before the 60 seconds was up? Personally, I think that talking to him other than telling him that the warning horn has sounded is infringing on his right to do whatever he wants with those seconds. If he non-complies, there is a penalty that he must deal with: the RPP is used.

If you didn't wait until his team broke the huddle, then I think that you did interrupt his timeout.

[/COLOR]Why did you assess a T?

Wrong uniform, was wearing JV uni of the home team.

I walk over and say Coach it's a 30, off the bench please.

Must remain on the floor.

The 1st horn sounds and I go to the bench to inform them. I ask the coach to give a physical signal in the future for timeouts to avoid confusion.

To clarify he broke his huddle, both teams were making their way into the floor. We also covered with both coaches to please give a physical signal in the pre-game.

When you say:

it doesn't sound like the team has broken from their timeout.

Was the color of the borrowed jersey different from their normal jersey? or was it similar?

Uniform was very different, their colors were black and red. Uniform that was borrowed was Red with white trim.

Team had broke huddle, and he was giving instructions to the girls on the floor. I viewed this the best time to talk to him.

A. If the girl who is wearing the borrowed uniform doesn't start, then you should have waited until she entered the game to assess the technical foul for the illegal uniform. There's nothing wrong until she participates.

B. You learned why it is important to have clear communication about 30s and Fulls. You were correct to ask the team to stand since your understanding was that it was a 30. You even gave the coach somewhat of a break by changing the type of time-out for them.

C. As others have written, you probably should have waited until the time-out was completely over, and the players were back on the floor to ask the coach to be as clear as possible in the future about what type of time-out that he wanted.

Overall, a good learning situation. I'm sure that you will handle something like this even better in the future. :)

good point for coaches to keep an extra/blood jersey for that exact reason...

And not sure why he didn't just have A12 give up their jersey for the starter assuming she was a starter. Wouldn't have to take a T unless that player was needed to play.

And not sure why he didn't just have A12 give up their jersey for the starter assuming she was a starter. Wouldn't have to take a T unless that player was needed to play.


That was my first thought but it would be very difficult with only 7 girls on the team. The size of both schools was around 175 each.

I was a starter years ago in high school, and due to a flood that hit our small valley, I had to flee and left my uniform home (we cleaned them ourselves back in the day.) The coach felt badly for me, but I didn't start, nor did I play....some coaches today may still feel the same way....my goof, I pay the penalty....

I Couldn't Resist ...
 

A flood should be listed as an exception to the NFHS rule. Maybe the committee will consider this in the spring.

I think they already cover it. I would use the case where there's blood on a jersey and no spare jersey and the player is allowed to change to a different jersey without penalty.

IOW, I wouldn't have a T at the beginning of the game or when the player entered.

I have to disagree with you, JR. New rule change this year--per 10-5-4 the technical foul for a player participating with an illegal uniform is charged directly to the head coach. The only possible misapplication by the OP was the timing of the T.