Late technical foul

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

I was working a second round boys game last night. We're in overtime with 1:15 left and the visiting team just scored to cut the home team's lead to two. We go to the other end of the floor, and one of the visiting team's guards tries to steal the ball and fouls the ball handler. I called the foul, we're in the bonus (1-1).

After I call the foul and am heading to the table, the player who committed the foul double backed, walked past me, shouted something out, made a gesture and continued with another gesture after I passed him. Without even giving it much thought, I called a technical foul. It was only after I called the technical and we were heading to the free throw line that I realized that he's the one who came to me from across the court late in regulation after a foul and asked me if that wasn't really my partner's call, to which I told him, "Get out of here."

The player who was fouled sank all 4 free throws and they then hit a layup on the ensuing possession. Just like that, it went from 2 to 8 and it was over. The final was an 11 point margin.

Naturally, I did a bit of second guessing of myself in the bar and then I said something to my partner that kinda cleared it up for me: First, I simply reacted to what happened -- I would've just as easily called this a technical foul in the second quarter as I did in overtime. I have to say, the visiting coach took the call about as well as can be expected -- my partner talked to him and told him that knowing me as well as he does, there's no way I'd call a technical foul unless it was warranted, in any situation.

Still, up until the technical foul, I think both teams (sincerely) thought, as did we, that we had called a great game. I don't think that changed with the technical, either, well for the most part, anyway. Even in the article in the paper today the visiting coach references two possessions in the fourth quarter and not the technical as the point where the game swung.

Why is it that I feel a bit sad, then, about how it ended?

Because you're human. Would you have felt better if you passed and his team won? As JR says "you took care of bidness" Sounds like a well deserved T as you describe it.If anyone should fell bad it's the player who lost his cool.

What did your partners think?

[Rich]

Originally Posted by fullor30

Because you're human. Would you have felt better if you passed and his team won? As JR says "you took care of bidness" Sounds like a well deserved T as you describe it.If anyone should fell bad it's the player who lost his cool.

What did your partners think?

Exactly what he told the coach. If I called the technical, then it was there. I wouldn't make one up. And BTW, we work 2-person until the third round (regional final) here. To me, it's the #1 reason 3-person hasn't taken off -- if 2-person is good enough for the first two rounds, it certainly is good enough for the regular season.

Like I told my partner over a cold one, I'm not sure if I should be bothered with the thought process on calling it -- like I said to him, I didn't even think about it. He simply tripped my technical trigger and I called it. It was only afterwards I realized that we had a minute or so left in OT and it was the same player from earlier. Even then I simply got the shooter (who shot the 1-1 and the technicals) and got right back to work. I never actually talked to the coach -- my partner did -- and we put it right back into play after the FTs.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

If I called the technical, then it was there.

Disagree.

That technical called itself. You just went along for the ride.

[doubleringer]

I had a similar situation at the end of the regular season. Had a great game going, competitive and everything, a kid from a team with only 1 loss called a timeout at the end of the game to prevent from going oob, unfortunately they were out of time outs. I had no choice on the play but to grant the request. I felt terrible about it, but in the end, we just have to call the game in front of us. The players' actions decide the outcome.

I can't tell you how much I respect officials that have the stones to call the T in your situation. It was the right call. I'd work with you anytime if you take care of business like that.

[SCalScoreKeeper]

Don't feel bad about the way it ended-based on your post you called what needed to be called! I'd love to have you work my games

[bbcoach7]

Because just as fans and coaches hate to see late calls that can decide games, referees hate to make late calls that may appear to have an effect on deciding a game. But sounds like you did what you had to do. A kid has to control his emotions in that situation.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by bbcoach7

Because just as fans and coaches hate to see late calls that can decide games, referees hate to make late calls that may appear to have an effect on deciding a game.

Disagree completely. I've never met a referee yet that hated to make a late call for that reason.

Referees just call the game. It's the fans' and coachs' job to second-guess them. And it's a fans' and coachs' fantasy also that we don't want to have an effect on the game at the end. The player that committed that late violation or foul is the one that is having the effect on the game, not us. All we're doing is reporting it.

Any referee that hates to make a late call because that call might have an effect on deciding a game should consider taking up a different avocation. Officiating isn't meant for them. And we really don't need 'em either.