Lopsided Foul Counts
 

After reading the post "Coach Lies to Evaluator" I think it might be helpful to mention some points for younger officials.

We have all had games where foul counts get lopsided and there are many reasons why:
Defense is more aggressive
Team in general is a step slower
Parity in ability, etc.

How do you deal with coaches and games like this in general.

I ignore coaches who whine about foul counts. They may as well be asking for three seconds during a throwin.

I continue to apply advantage/disadvantage.

It really depends on the coach. I might ignore them. I might be sarcastic ("I do not count them, I call them"). I might tell them to stop fouling. I might tell him the reason the foul count is different. I do all kinds of things based on the person and the situation and how well I know the coach.

Peace

Depending on the coach and my mood my response could be:

• "We'll look harder" or...
• silence or...
• "That's not our fault"

Act stunned and reply "there's such a thing as lopsided foul counts?!?" :p

No, seriously, it would depend on the situation and coach like others have said.

What if the score is lopsided? Do they want us to balance that out also?

Usually I respond with, "Get your players to stop fouling and that should help even things out."

Uhhh....coach, if you tell your players to play defense with the feet and not their hands, the foul count would probably be in your favor!!!!!!!

Typical response is, "Coach, we honestly do not look at the foul count. We call the game as we see it. If the foul count is not equal, it's probably because one team is being more aggressive on defense."

-Josh

"Coach, are you accusing me of cheating?" ;)

I tried this in a game the other day:

Coach: The foul count is 6 to 1. Can you watch the other team?

Ref: OK coach. Where do you think the are fouls happening?

Coach: (Slight Pause) Watch the hand checks on my guards.

Ref: OK coach, I will watch for hand checks.

The funny thing was, he had to stop and think about where
the fouls were. That let me know he was just whining about the count.

What do you do when you do not call a single hand check?

Peace

One team is playing zone, the other an aggressive man to man.
One tam is shooting jump shots, the other is driving to the basket and passing the ball to the low post.
One team is playing defense with their hands, the other is moving their feet.
One team is pressing in the BC, the other is running back to the other end.

For younger officials:

Don't try a snappy or smart response. Nothing good can come of it.
Don't try to explain the foul count, no matter how obvious.
Ask the coach if there's a question, or a specific play to discuss, or ignore if it's a statement.
"I am aware of the foul count" works well for me.

Calling the foul count to your attention seems to be part of the "working the officials 101" handbook when you don't have a specific play to question. Come to expect it.

I didn't call any (I didn't see any) and the question was an honest one. I really wanted to know if I was missing something. In any case, I don't think I will ask the question again. The posters here are correct- better to just listen.