No T, no credibility?

[lmeadski]

I feel I can defuse quite well and that's why I have given one whole technical in my entire reffing career. However, I feel a well respected ref (notice I did not say liked) will get less flack from coaches during the course of a game and the season. In turn, this makes game management easier. So, I guess I am asking if T-ing up coaches helps solidify us as refs or if patience is the better path? My 5 years of reffing have not provided me ample wisdom in this area yet.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by lmeadski

I feel I can defuse quite well and that's why I have given one whole technical in my entire reffing career. However, I feel a well respected ref (notice I did not say liked) will get less flack from coaches during the course of a game and the season. In turn, this makes game management easier. So, I guess I am asking if T-ing up coaches helps solidify us as refs or if patience is the better path? My 5 years of reffing have not provided me ample wisdom in this area yet.

It seems to me you've answered your own question here.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by lmeadski

I feel I can defuse quite well and that's why I have given one whole technical in my entire reffing career. However, I feel a well respected ref (notice I did not say liked) will get less flack from coaches during the course of a game and the season. In turn, this makes game management easier. So, I guess I am asking if T-ing up coaches helps solidify us as refs or if patience is the better path? My 5 years of reffing have not provided me ample wisdom in this area yet.

It's not the technicals -- it's how you handle conflict before you get to the point where you have to issue a technical.

If a coach is willing to talk, to listen, and to let you walk him back to where he needs to be (if he's wandered outside the box), then you can have an adult dialogue with him or just be someone who shows he's willing to listen.

If a coach screams and hollers and jumps up and down over something inconsequential and won't respond to your attempts to work with him, it's best to get away and simply whack the next occasion he crosses the line.

Some coaches respond to officials that will actively listen and communicate and some won't.

My attempt this season at improving is to simply not respond, ever, to comments. I'm not even looking in the direction of the benches unless there's an actual question. Sometimes, though, repeated comments approach ABS land and you have to TCB, but little "that's a travel" or "3 seconds" deserve none of your time of effort.

I've had one coach technical in 2 seasons. A guy who refused to give me a sub after I whacked one of his players for mouthing off after I called a foul on her (her 4th, the T was her 5th). He wanted a time out, I wanted a sub, we had horns, we had free throws. We almost had an ejection, but my partners stepped in at the right time and got him back to the bench.

I refuse to appear to bend over backwards to appear like I'm avoiding a technical foul. Eventually, it lets everyone know that you'll never call one and that it's a free-for-all, and I'm not going to have that.