Ejection ...

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I have a very long fuse when it comes to coaches. Maybe a couple of technical fouls each season, only one ejection that I can recall in twenty-nine years. I've been to the rodeo a few times, the coaches know me, and seem to respect me. Maybe my gray hair makes me seem wiser than my years.

Last night. Nutmeg Games. Our Connecticut "Olympic-style" summer sports festival. High school age game. First game was in the secondary gym, ended on time. Walked up to the primary gym for our second game to see that they were fifteen minutes behind schedule. My partner and I watched in horror as the game before ours went into two overtimes.

Finally start our 8:00 p.m. game at around 9:00 p.m. Nice game. The Red Team is a step faster, and an inch taller, than the White Team. The Red Team moves out to a comfortable lead early in the game. Neither coach is complaining about calls. The Red coach is standing and coaching in his coaching box the entire game. The White coach is just sitting on his bench sending subs in and out of the game. Kids are reacting well to our calls and noncalls. No problems with game management until there's only forty-five seconds left in the game.

Foul on White 11. I report it to the table. Table informs me that it is 11's fifth foul. I inform White coach that 11 has five fouls. White Coach informs me that he already knows and has a sub available at the table and adds that we should have called a foul on Red previous to 11's foul. I simply state "That's enough coach", while giving a non-threatening "stop sign". In twenty-nine years this technique has worked for me 99.5% of the time.

Not this time. He continues that my partner and I have been doing a lousy job all night. Keep in mind that up until this point he hasn't said a single word to me or my partner. He's down 30 points with 45 seconds to go in the game. I guess he didn't understand what "enough" meant, so I charge him with a technical foul, figuring that it will shut him up.

I figured wrong. He continues to complain about the officiating in general, and the technical foul specifically. Will not shut up. So I charge him with his second technical foul, at which point he sits down, unaware that the second technical is an automatic ejection. I ask him to leave the gym, which he does so begrudgingly. Now he can't coach his kids in the next game.

45 seconds left. 30 point game. 100% easy game up until that point. What got into this guy's head? On the way home, at 10:30 p.m., I'm thinking about my ejection report that I have to phone into my assistant assigner. At that point I realize that this coach never swore, at me, or my partner, and, in fact, never even called either of us a name.

Has anyone ever had a game get so bad, so quick? As anybody ever ejected a coach who simply kept complaining after being asked to stop.

Now I have to figure out how I'm going to spend the $24.00 that I took home from this game. I better not spend it all in one place. I've got three more games on Thursday night, and two games on Saturday night. Then, maybe, I'll have enough money to buy that Corvette?

With only 0:45 left, I wouldn't have said anything to the coach. If he continued on, then yes. But if he really thought you and your P sucked, he should have said something earlier. He's just upset that he team was stapled.

[GoodwillRef]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

With only 0:45 left, I wouldn't have said anything to the coach. If he continued on, then yes. But if he really thought you and your P sucked, he should have said something earlier. He's just upset that he team was stapled.

I totally disagree with your "with only :45 left" philosophy. If a coach wants a technical foul give him one, and it seems by all accounts he wanted one. You told him enough and gave him the stop sign and he ran right through it. Then he didn't stop after the first technical foul so the second one was warranted. I am not going to let a coach "own" the last minute of a game just because I don't want to do some paperwork or make the game last an extra 5 minutes. You launch him, he sits next game and hopefully this knucklehead gets a clue.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by GoodwillRef

I totally disagree with your "with only :45 left" philosophy. If a coach wants a technical foul give him one, and it seems by all accounts he wanted one. You told him enough and gave him the stop sign and he ran right through it. Then he didn't stop after the first technical foul so the second one was warranted. I am not going to let a coach "own" the last minute of a game just because I don't want to do some paperwork or make the game last an extra 5 minutes. You launch him, he sits next game and hopefully this knucklehead gets a clue.

Nowhere in the OP was it mentioned that the HC was belligerent, yelling, screaming, persistent, personal, profane, etc.

A coach who wants a T would not wait until 0:45 left in a 30-point blowout.

I don't see at how this HC wanted a T. He wanted a foul on Red. That's it. If I said anything, I would have said "Understood coach." Trust me, that would have satisfied him. Then nothing more comes of the situation.

I think that using the stop sign, you created more paperwork for yourself. If you think that a coach "owned" the last minute of a 30-point blowout because he finally spoke up and said that Red committed a foul first, then you need thicker skin.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Nowhere in the OP was it mentioned that the HC was belligerent, yelling, screaming, persistent, personal, profane, etc.

A coach who wants a T would not wait until 0:45 left in a 30-point blowout.

I don't see at how this HC wanted a T. He wanted a foul on Red. That's it. If I said anything, I would have said "Understood coach." Trust me, that would have satisfied him. Then nothing more comes of the situation.

I think that using the stop sign, you created more paperwork for yourself. If you think that a coach "owned" the last minute of a 30-point blowout because he finally spoke up and said that Red committed a foul first, then you need thicker skin.

+1

IMO, the only way the stop sign works is if the coaches are well versed in its use. What you did was use it on a Dad who's probably seen his son use it a few times; how well do you think he took it?

It's not a universal stop sign, it's a universal "whatever" sign that happens to be used in some areas as a warning in a basketball game. Guess which one Dad sees when you use it?

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Nowhere in the OP was it mentioned that the HC was belligerent, yelling, screaming, persistent, personal, profane, etc.

Telling an official that he and his partner had done a lousy job all night ISN'T personal?

That startement is derogatory and demeaning. Every official sets their own limits, but I personally will never let a coach get away with a comment like that.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Telling an official that he and his partner had done a lousy job all night ISN'T personal?

That startement is derogatory and demeaning. Every official sets their own limits, but I personally will never let a coach get away with a comment like that.

Neither would I.

But you've taken what I said out of context. To make myself clear: there was nothing in the initial coach's comment that required an aggressive handling technique by the official.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

To make myself clear: there was nothing in the initial coach's comment that required an aggressive handling technique by the official.

And to make myself clear, that is up to the calling official. The calling official decides what is the best thing to do at that point of time in a game. Billy, the calling official, decided that a warning was his best option. I refuse to second-guess Billy for choosing to do so, as I also wouldn't second-guess you for choosing to ignore the comment under the same circumstances. The course of action depends on each individual official's level of tolerance.

What bothers me though is the people that think a coach should get be able to get away with a personal, derogatory remark at an official AFTER they have been warned. If they're not going to follow up on a warning, whatinthehell is the use of giving out that warning in the first place?

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

And to make myself clear, that is up to the calling official. The calling official decides what is the best thing to do at that point of time in a game. Billy, the calling official, decided that a warning was his best option. I refuse to second-guess Billy for choosing to do so, as I also wouldn't second-guess you for choosing to ignore the comment under the same circumstances. The course of action depends on each individual official's level of tolerance.

What bothers me though is the people that think a coach should get be able to get away with a personal, derogatory remark at an official AFTER they have been warned. If they're not going to follow up on a warning, whatinthehell is the use of giving out that warning in the first place?

In the moment, of course it's up to the calling official. But Billy chose to bring it here, presumably to get our thoughts on it. Which we've done. Refusing to second-guess an official is a great quality in an assigner. However, it's a useless quality on a forum like this.

Perhaps I need to re-read this thread, but I don't recall anyone suggesting that the coach should be able to get away with anything, or that we shouldn't take care of business. Several of us suggested alternative responses we felt were less confrontational and that might have avoided an objectionable response from the coach. Might have. Perhaps. Maybe. But I don't recall any of us suggesting that we ignore the coach's insulting remarks.