Summer Basketball, gotta love it!
 

So to give back to an organization that has helped me tremendously in the past, I volunteered my weekend to work the scoreboard and do scorekeeping at a tournament over the weekend. I'm working a game between 2 teams I have no affiliation with and this situation happens.

working the 3rd of 3 games that day, one of the officials (who also does local high school games) lets some contact go in the third quarter of a 20+ pt game with team A winning. A1, who was on the receiving end of a few of the no-calls, is subbed out after coach sees him starting to lose his cool over the no-calls. In a subsequent play, A5 is pushed from behind on a rebound and the official blows his whistle late, and calls a travel on B5 after he gets the rebound over A5 who is on the ground. A1 says something about "how is that not a foul, don't let them push us just cuz we're up by 20" and the official says to A1 "hey, you play the game, I'll ref the game!" A1 replies "ref the game then and call the foul!" The official responds "You want to switch?!? How about you ref the game and I play! How about that!" while holding out his whistle towards A1, to which the kid responds "okay, I'd do a better job than you" and starts to take his jersey off.

*tweet* - technical foul

It was weird to see this official get so riled up to the point he was baiting the kid, since he usually is a cool customer during the high school season... the solstice must be near... It would've been funny if they actually switched roles, not sure how the ref would've handled the full court press, and I definitely wouldve gave the kid crap for not using the proper mechanics when reporting fouls...

Summer Ball
 

I also see it all over my town. Good refs during season who are just clowns in summer ball.

I can't do summer ball. I'm no good at reffing summer ball. I want to do things the right way and around here there's so much ball guys work all the time. I'm not talking bout refs on here who work all the time, I talking bout the refs I see. No switching , no primarys, no nothing . Get the game done in an hour. Don't confuse the players with actual enforcement of the rules. Let them feel good and that 4 steps wasn't really travelling now was it Chess Ref ? I tried last weekend...It didn't go well.


Somebody wanna give some survival tips for summer ball.

One word - "meds". :cool:

It appears that the ref in the OP wasn't ready to have the kid call his bluff.
This is the exact reason that I never use the "you coach/play, and I'll ref" line. It is far too easy for the person to respond with "ok, I'll start when you do." :eek:

Whack early and often. ;)

If you have the same situation with a coach, here's the line you use. "Coach - let's trade places. You come out here and ref, and I'll sit on the bench and act like a jacka$$.":p

Percentage wise, I believe I have issued more T's during the short summer season than the long fall season...... :rolleyes:

I just tell coaches they are too cowardly and lazy to officiate.

I assign officials for a high school girls summer league that starts up next week. When I sent out the schedule I told the officials that I expected them to treat the league just like the regular season and if they could not handle that I just wouldn't assign them games next year and I would replace them on all the games they have been assigned for the league. The summer is a great place to work on your game and get better...too bad some officials use is as a time to slack off and ruin it for the reat of us. Summer ball is the way it is in part because some officials don't call what needs to be called and all they are worried about is who is paying them at the end of the night.

Oooh, you know how to win friends and influence people! :D

The good people who brought me onto this earth were educators (principal and school teacher) and often had to endure "friends" telling them how easy they had it -- how they'd love to have three months off a year, etc., etc.

One of the big mouths' wives actually put an end to that one night, I guess, when she told him if it was so easy, then he should become a teacher. For some reason, the sniping stopped.

When people say that kind of thing to me, I tell them I'd love to get paid 12 months every year. :rolleyes:

Then work 12 months a year :D

Hey...educators are not paid enough. However, like I tell my daughter-in-law when she mentions the lower pay; "You knew the pay situation in the career when you chose to become a teacher. Life is all about the choices we make."

Kinda missed the point, didn't ya.