Time for weirdness

[Mark Padgett]

I was talking to a fellow official and he asked me what was the weirdest thing that ever happened in one of my games. Believe me, I had to think really hard to decide which of the millions of events would be considered by me to be the actual weirdest. I finally decided on this. In a mens wreck game about seven years ago, during a free throw sequence, one player came up behind another outside the three point line and pulled the guy's shorts down! Fortunately, the guy was wearing compression shorts underneath. To this day, I still don't know why he did it. I assumed it was just a joke between friends because that was kind of how everyone reacted.

BTW - my fellow official said the weirdest thing from his experience was when a dog ran out on the court during play (I've also had this happen).

OK - time for you guys to contribute.

[JRutledge]

I cannot make this up. It was not my game, but in a X-Mas Tournament that I was working had different genders involved in the tournament. I had already worked a 3rd place game and there was a girl's game that followed. Well in that game there was something in the corner that was on the floor. It was red and it was cloth in nature. To make a long story short, someone had dropped a tampon on the floor during the game. They cleaned it up, but it was the talk of the rest of the day. I have never seen or heard of such a thing before.

Peace

[Juulie Downs]

JH game. The ball somehow picked up a piece of broken glass (during the game, no less!) and gradually deflated as a kid was dribbling down the court. The bounces got deader and deader until finally the ball didn't even bounce back up at all. Poor kid couldn't figure out what was wrong or what to do!! We blew it dead, got a new ball and had the floor swept!

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

I was talking to a fellow official and he asked me what was the weirdest thing that ever happened in one of my games.

Next question: How much water is in the ocean?

[Nevadaref]

The ball come to rest on the TOP of the backboard WITHOUT going OOB.

[26 Year Gap]

Probably the guy had just seen a Globetrotters game. I would have thought that some kid would have missed the FTs on a Tech call on purpose to send the game into OT would have been the weirdest, but maybe that hasn't happened to Mark. Yet.

[reffish]

Reffing MS girls, fast break and then turnover, I am new trail and then become lead, as I turn, a toddler comes on court t about three point line. I grab the kid a la SF Giant playoff game a couple of years ago. Hold the kid, fast break scores and then I look toward fans. No one has yet claimed kid. Finally, a parent realizes their kid is being held by ref.

[CoachP]

Originally Posted by reffish

Reffing MS girls, fast break and then turnover, I am new trail and then become lead, as I turn, a toddler comes on court t about three point line. I grab the kid a la SF Giant playoff game a couple of years ago. Hold the kid, fast break scores and then I look toward fans. No one has yet claimed kid. Finally, a parent realizes their kid is being held by ref.

Similar.... Boys Varsity - 3 year old jumps out of stands and heads across the gym. As he is about halfway across, the teams start to go fast breaking the other way not knowing he was there. He makes it across without an incident.

But.

When he was at the halfway point, mom started to give chase. She made it STRAIGHT thru UNTOUCHED thru a boys varsity fast break. Funniest thing I ever saw as mom AND fast break were not affected.....

[jeffpea]

Ever seen a team purposely try to lose a game by only by a specific number of points or less?????

Several years ago, the top two HS teams in a conference were playing each other in a game to determine the champion. If green (visitior) wins, they would tie white (home). The tie-breaker was point differential: if white loses by 6pts or less they are champs; if white loses by 7pts or more, they finish second.

Sure enough, w/ 1:30 left in game white is losing by 5 and HOLDING the ball (think stalling, "four corners", "keep away", etc). Green, the team that is winning, is trapping and trying to steal the ball. No matter how open the losing team was, they didn't want to shoot the ball. Ultimately, Green gets a steal and misses a wide-open break-a-way dunk (that would have put them up by 7) and the kid on white who grabbed the rebound races down the floor and jacks up a 3 (while his teammates and coaches are yelling for him to "pull it out!"). The 3 misses and another player in white - in an effort to get the long rebound - fouls green (which then made both free throws).

Since white is down 7pts, they have to "change gears" and go from "stalling" while down 5, to jacking 3's and fouling to try and lose by less.

Eventually, White lost by 8 (which means Green won the conference championship). They were so deflated after that loss that they promptly went out and got blown out in the first round of the state playoffs.....

Never seen anything like it before or since!

[GoodwillRef]

I was working a tournament down at Disney and I was watching the game before mine and a dog, the dog belong to one of the workers who was in a wheelchair, walks on the court and takes a dump at the free throw line in the backcourt...way too funny!!!

[bbcof83]

Doing a elementary traveling boys game a few years back. One of my first tournaments ever. Two terrible teams playing in the "friendship game." Team A, a rag tag bunch not affiliated with an actual school like all the other teams, was being blown out with about 30 seconds left, running clock. A's coach is telling kids not to foul but of course A1 fouls. A2, the biggest kid on the team (read as "future offensive lineman and basketball FAN"), kind of pushes A1 and says "come on man, no fouls, can't you hear?" A1, the littlest kid on the team, takes exception and pushes A2 back and soon enough we have the two of them rolling around on top of each other at the top of the key. It's a ridiculous sight, like a couple of puppies rolling in the dirt. I look over at the coach hoping he will come out to break it up but he is doubled over laughing and most of the rest of the gym is too. I step toward the two little wrestlers and am about to say something when the buzzer sounds. Game over, let's all go home and forget this ever happened.

[Mark Padgett]

Another one for the list: had an 8th grade boys coach in our local kids rec league slap a player across the face during a game! He had been yelling at the kid but, apparently, the kid wasn't reacting properly out on the court. When he subs out, the coach approaches him yelling, then slaps him. I was in the stands observing as a Board member and I had been prepared to tell the officials to get him to stop yelling when all this happened. It seems he thought it would be OK since it was his kid. I told him that it didn't matter that it was his son, but during the game, the kid was one of "our" players and the league would not allow that kind of behavior regardless of whose kid it was.

I had the officials eject him from the gym (the kid stayed because his uncle was the AC and could watch him) and the coach was banned for life from coaching by our Board. He has two other young kids he wanted to coach. Too bad.

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Another one for the list: had an 8th grade boys coach in our local kids rec league slap a player across the face during a game! He had been yelling at the kid but, apparently, the kid wasn't reacting properly out on the court. When he subs out, the coach approaches him yelling, then slaps him. I was in the stands observing as a Board member and I had been prepared to tell the officials to get him to stop yelling when all this happened. It seems he thought it would be OK since it was his kid. I told him that it didn't matter that it was his son, but during the game, the kid was one of "our" players and the league would not allow that kind of behavior regardless of whose kid it was.

I had the officials eject him from the gym (the kid stayed because his uncle was the AC and could watch him) and the coach was banned for life from coaching by our Board. He has two other young kids he wanted to coach. Too bad.

That kind of s**t goes under just downright shocking and outrageous. I'm glad your board gave him the boot.

[grunewar]

Arrived at MS tonight for my son's game (I keep the clock) and just had to chuckle.....anyone on the east coast know it's been raining non-stop for the last week.

Well, I walk into the gym my son's not playing in and there, right in front of one of the benches ON the court, is the big Rubbermaid trashcan, with liner, catching the water as it leaks down from the ceiling. Coach asks me what ya gonna do ref? I said, hey, I'm off duty tonight......ask the refs when they arrive for the game.

I have no idea how they handled it. I just know others have discussed it here before and it was a first for me!

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by grunewar

Well, I walk into the gym my son's not playing in and there, right in front of one of the benches ON the court, is the big Rubbermaid trashcan, with liner, catching the water as it leaks down from the ceiling.

I wonder if either of the coaches was smart enough to design a play using the can to set a pick.