More like Mark P...

[RookieDude]

Forgive me for assuming some things here but...

Mark Padgett seems to be a fun loving, quick witted, smart a$$ official.

Nevadaref seems to be a "by the book", dry official, with no room for deviation.

Philosophically...somewhere between these two guys is where one might want to be as an official.

Now I realize that knowing the rule book does not make a good official,
but one cannot be a good official without knowing the rule book.

Having said that...as I get older and more experienced, I seem to want to be more of a smart a$$ to the coaches.

Just last night, I had a Coach complain about a "over and back" call that I made.

A1 had the ball in his frontcourt...A1 passed the ball to A2. B1 tipped the ball before it got to A2 and the ball bounced off of A2's knee and into the backcourt. A2 went to recover the ball. Tweet! Backcourt Violation!

Coach yelled, "How can that be...the defender deflected the ball!"
Partner explained the rule to him as we inbounded the ball.

Next time down the court, I get a foul on Coach A's big man. Coach A says... "How can that be a foul? You don't know what a foul is if that is one!"

Instead of whacking him, I simply go over and say, "Why should I listen to you? You didn't even know the backcourt rule."

His eyes bug out and he can't believe he has been talked to like that. He mentions something about being professional and goes on to say, "We are going to have a PROBLEM!"

I look at him, as the ball is being inbounded, and say, "How do you think that is going to work out for you?"

Two more times down the court and he quietly says to me, with a smile..."Hey, we need to get on the same page...we've been doing this a long time."

I said, "Coach, I forgot about it already."

Yeah, I shouldn't probably be saying these smart a$$ remarks...but, darn it...Padgett keeps giving me material here.