Assistant Coach during V games
 

Can someone quote the NFHS Rule/regulation # that states:
"Assistant coaches do not have the same rights as Head coaches & MUST remain seated on the bench"?

I am wondering this as for the past couple of years, the assistant Girls' coach has been continually hovering over the scorebook at the scorers' table & I see, from viewing the WIAA Online Rules Clinic that this is a POE from NFHS this year.

Organ Grinder . . . Monkey
 

10-5-1: "The head coach shall remain seated on the team bench, except:
a. By state association adoption, the head coach may stand within the
designated coaching box".
Rule book does not use the term "assistant coach. By inference it is clear that the coaches box, along with the privilege to stand, is afforded only to the head coach.
Had this last week. Cf. "Jack-in-the-Box" Coaching thread previously posted.
If the phraseology you're looking for shows up elsewhere, it will no doubt be posted soon by a member who knows.

Rule 10-5 Head Coaches' Rule

Article 1...The head coach shall remain seated on the team bench except:

a. By state association adoption, the head coach may stand within the designated coaching box described in 1-13-2...

Seeing as how an assistant coach is not the head coach, he's not allowed to stand. Also, the only time the head coach can be at the table is to notify the table he's calling a timeout for a correctable error

c. The head coach may stand and/or leave the coaching box to confer with the personnel at the scorers table to request a time-out as in 5-8-4.

Since assistant coaches are not allowed to stand, they are also NOT allowed to stand to go to the table. This was a POE several years ago as well.

More specifically, look for the rule regarding bench decorum; and when members on the bench are allowed to stand.

More importantly, it's up to the officials to enforce this.

I wish I had the access to both the NFHS Rulebook & the WIAA Rulebook, unfortunately I do not :(

To give an idea, at least once during every Girls' Varsity Game, the assistant coach stands up, goes behind the scorers' table & looks at the scorebook.

Why I was asking is cause of the fact that I saw this as a POE this year on the WIAA Online Rules Clinic, however there was no rule/regulation # listed.

Who should I notify about this happening, especially with it being a POE? The Head Coach, The AD....

You should notify no one. If the officials are going to enforce it, they will. It's not your job.

I agree. On the other hand, if the coach's actions by word, action or attitude are in any way harassing or intimidating to the table crew, or interfere with their ability to do their job, then the officials do need to be notified.

In an ideal world, we would have circumferential vision and be aware of everything that goes on. The reality is that our primary focus needs to be on those ten players on the court - everything else is secondary.

I am glad that this queston got asked. I witnessed this last night (from the stands) in a BV game. The visiting assistant and the head coach were almost bumping into each other the whole first half. It appeared that someone may have said something to them @ half, because in the second half the assistant was visibly trying to stay seated. He did pretty good @ it, but I could tell that he was ready to jump up often. LOL

As I have just started to read the rule book, case book, and officials manual, I thought that only the HC had the right to use the coaching box. Thanks for answering my question as well.

Assistant coaches are like children. They should be seen and not heard.

I would add that, for me, it depends on what "continually" means. If the AC is periodically checking the official score book to verify fouls on players or how many timeouts they have left, I am inclined to ignore it (I know this is not IAW the actual rule). If it becomes a problem, or it is being done to influence the scorekeepers, then I will deal with it.

Most cases I see are an assistant going to verify that they are tracking on the fouls. Briefly yelling out a defense, or set play. These two instances seem more common in my experience. However if the guy or gal is standing to much a quick word with the HC generally clears it up. I use them at timeouts occasionally to address little things like someone getting stalled in the lane, or a sketchy screen. Something like that can help if use sparingly.

Was watching a BJV game the other night before our V game that was to follow.

The visiting team had the BJV Coach and the BV Coach on the bench at the same time. The BV Coach must have thought he was in charge...because he kept standing and giving "directions" to the players on the court.

Both Coaches would take turns standing up during the first half.

At half-time we told the BJV crew to not allow this. We advised them to tell the Coaches that only one of them is allowed head coach status for the game...and for the Coaches to choose whomever that would be.

Second half...BV Coach did not stand.

What I mean by "continually" is that the AC goes over to the table at a minimum once a quarter to look at the scorebook (either checking player performance or foul status).

The person handling the scorebook is great at letting the HC &/or AC know when someone is in foul trouble, or the timeouts left. During the Varsity games, the scoreboard/timer & scorebook are in constant communication with one another as to who shot the ball, who's got how many fouls, & AP.

Why I am asking for opinions &/or thoughts is that how I am reading/understanding the POE, the only time an AC is supposed to be standing up outside of the Coaches Box is when a timeout is called or coming on the floor for pregame or back from halftime.

J51969, I have a question: are you saying that you intrude in the team time out to comment to the coach, or give instruction to "address little things?" I hope not. That 30 or 60 seconds it too often too brief as it is, and that's my time for me and my team. I'm not sharing it with a referee unless I only called the time out because we need a rest. All due respect, but if it's game tactics, coaches don't have time durring a time out to discuss anything with a referee. That's not why we take a timeout, and it's not the intent or purpose of a time out. No more than you would call an officials time out to discuss the play my team just ran with me. I would find the intrusion into my time out unnecessary and exceptionally irritating. We are often not ready at first buzzer, I need those 10 more seconds. As far as I'm concerned just make the call. Make the 3 second call on my player, make the illegal screen call on my player. That's how they will learn. In practice when I do have time, I can bring up the calls and make sure the player understands.

When I was coaching at Jr High level, sometimes a referee would actually take a few seconds to explain to a kid what offensive 3 seconds in the lane is, or that a screen must be stationary, etc, etc. I realize it's my job to make sure my players understand how to play within the rules, but I appreciated when referee's took a moment to do that. I believe it's considerate to the bewildered kid who is clueless after the call, and that kind act aligns my own primary credo that it has to be about the kids first. But that's very different from intruding on a time out.

You did say, "used sparringly," so perhaps you use great discretion. I just though it important enough to say something. Because a new and impressionable referee could be reading this and think it's a good idea to just walk up and stick his nose into a team huddle and interrupt the coach. Bad idea.

If this is not what you were saying, or implying, I appologize. :)