Why we avoid conflicts of interest
 

Tonight I had the championship of a holiday tournament, 3-person girls.

The dates on this tourney changed and instead of having a first round game (4 teams, 2 nights) we ended up with the championship.

My regular 3-person crew has a guy who teaches at one of the high schools. After the games were played last night, he noticed that he would end up working the school where he teaches, so he arranged a switch into the consolation game and I get one of those officials.

Fast forward to the second half. That school is getting waxed. I call a shooting foul on one of their players at the other end of the floor from their bench. I report and I hear the coach going on and on about this one call in a 20-point game.

I decide I need to deal with this, so I step into the backcourt where I'm greeted with, "that's a terrible call - I need your address so I can send you a tape so you'll see how horrible that was."

I'm kinder and gentler, so I walked away from him. He kept going, using words like terrible and brutal. I'm not a fan of the stop sign, but I used one here, figuring maybe he'll see that on film. He continued, I whacked.

I should've whacked him after the address remark. I'm getting soft.

Glad the school's teacher wasn't on the game, although I missed working with him.

3 years ago, I called 20 "T's"

I got talked to about it.

Last year 7 "T's"

This year Zero so far...maybe I am getting kinder too....not a chance....just a matter of time.

It's part of the job. They know it.

How does this show "why we avoid conflicts of interest?"

Perhaps if the official who teaches at the school was in the game, the coach would have been less inclined to take his frustration out on the officials. And I'm not saying the guy should have worked the game. I think he did the right thing.

But just don't see how this really speaks to avoiding conflicts of interest.

I came very close to ejecting him a few minutes later.

His player had the ball and started a drive. Defender stuck a knee out and the dribbler went right over it, slowing her almost to a stop. I call the block.

He started in with me, arguing the foul on the other team. Said I took away the drive. Trust me, I didn't. She didn't have the talent to drive, plus she was displaced pretty severely. This was personal. If either of the other two had whistled it, he wouldn't have said a word. I told him he really didn't want to pick up another technical.

On a dead ball he made it a point to tell a partner it was only his third T in 14 years. Good for him. I'm guessing he's deserved more.

I just don't think it would be good for my partner or the coach if he was on the game. What if my partner would had to assess the second T at some point? It's just a situation officials shouldn't be in.

I had my first "I'll send you the tape" comment a couple weeks ago in a girls tournament game. I was L on a fast break and the girl traveled after a jump stop. After I blow the whistle and give the signal, he starts in, so I briefly explain to him why I called the violation. He says "I'll send you the tape". He didn't say anything else, so I ignored him. I wanted to reply with "No, I don't want to re-live this garbage...one time is enough" or "Save your postage".

This was the same team whose AC later in the game started saying "Wow!....wow!" after I called a hand check on one of their players. I turned around and addressed it, which shut him up (Even though he said he "Wasn't talking to me"). There was a timeout shortly after this. The AC walks out of the huddle and starts to come toward my partner and I and said he wanted to apologize, but we sent him back promptly. I turned to my partner and asked him what the AC was wanting to apologize for if he wasn't talking to me in the first place...

I have worked some lower level games at the school where I teach. This usually has happened as a last second or emergent situation. AD will come into classroom and see if I was open that night. However - I would NEVER consider a varsity contest with the school I work at. Nothing good could come of it.

I was once assigned a tournament game with my school even after I had listed that school as one I should not work with the state. I called them and thanked them for the assignment but told them I would not work the game and the reason why. After they yelled at me for "not putting that on my form" they told me I would have to just decline the game. I did. 20 minutes later they called back, admitted their error, not mine, and reassigned me to a different site. They thanked me for my "professional integrity".

Good job to you and your partners for making this switch!!

Why are you not a fan of the "STOP SIGN"? Just wondering.

By the way, has anyone ever got a tape from a catch after he/she says they are going to send you one?

Because unless it's a recognized sign in your particular area, it doesn't work.

I you give a coach a stop sign and say "this is you warning!" How is that not universal?

I've found that it has more potential to inflame than actually stop the behavior I want stopped. Last night I knew that it was either going to stop the behavior or lead to a T. The coach chose door number 2.

Truth is, I should've whacked him earlier. My 2 regular partners (one on the game, one not because of the conflict) both said I gave him more rope than they would've. Kinder and gentler isn't always the right response, I guess.

The one thing I'm always reminded of is that the people side of this bidness is the hardest thing we deal with.

I don't think I had 2 coach technicals all last season and I've had 2 now before January 1. C'est la vie.

It's not a universal practice all over the country. I think the meaning of it is crystal clear, but it takes quite a bit for me to get to the point where I draw a visible line on the court and essentially (in some coaches' minds) dare them to step over it.

And that's probably why I don't like it. I don't like when coaches show me up and there's a part of me that thinks that me putting my hand up for the coach (and everyone else) to see puts a coach into a corner, and there's nothing more dangerous than a cornered rat. :D

Disagree completely. It serves it's function if it's used properly. It's a non-verbal warning, and just like a verbal warning you have to follow up if you want it to be effective.

I view it as a tool to let the coach know we have had enough and they will choose to go down one of two roads. Road one: try to correct their behavior and move on. Road two: leads straight to Whackland! It is their choice.