Thoughts from a coach

[bainsey]

The following was posted on our state basketball's message board, thread entitled "Stop Officiating the Scoreboard!" I'll just post the OP (there are some interesting replies) for now...
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Why do some official [sic] believe that they have a right to try and even the playing surface by adjusting the play calling for the inferior opponent?

In four different games this season I was informed by 4 different officials that they were not going to make on obvious foul or travel call because, “Look at the score board!”

Do the rules of the game change just because of the number of points up on the score board?

Is this reason to allow for excessive contact by an inferior defender?

At what point does an official decide they have the right to change the rules of a game?

What this really comes down to is, why do some officials believe that they are bigger than the game?

[MelbRef]

IMO, a legitimate concern if that what he is being told.

[JRutledge]

Anytime we do not do what they want us to do on the court, we think we are bigger than the game. This is just one more reason I couldn't care less what fans or coaches think of officiating.

Peace

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by MelbRef

IMO, a legitimate concern if that what he is being told.

The supposed responses may have been made because he was complaining about judgement calls when he was up by 30 points. How do we know the fouls/violations were "obvious"?

"Look at the scoreboard" to me = "is this a battle you really want to fight right now?"

[rockchalk jhawk]

If coaches are going to complain about us as officials "officiating the scoreboard" (a term that I've never heard before but makes a lot of sense), then we have just as much right to complain about coaches who complain about a lop sided foul count.

I think we should come up with a term for this as well, but "B****ing about the scoreboard" just doesn't have the same ring. Suggestions?

Anyways, the point is that this is a two way street. I'm willing to call a game by the book in a blowout the day that coaches promise to never complain about the foul counts getting out of whack. I don't see that happening any time soon.

[tref]

Thats why we shouldnt discuss things of that nature with them!

Tossing the slaughtered team a bone by giving them 50/50 calls is far from ignoring obvious fouls/violations

Hell, they think every travel is obvious... even when the player doesnt have possession of the ball

They think their player has been fouled in the act of shooting... even when the defender is straight up & the contact (caused by the offense) was very loud


Will you post some of the good replies, bainsey??

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Anytime we do not do what they want us to do on the court, we think we are bigger than the game. This is just one more reason I couldn't care less what fans or coaches think of officiating.

Peace

+1

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by rockchalk jhawk

II think we should come up with a term for this as well, but "B****ing about the scoreboard" just doesn't have the same ring. Suggestions?

I had a partner say to a coach the other day, "You get paid a lot of money to count those" while he walked away from him.

There is nothing special to say, I just tell them that this is not a road they want to go down or that you couldn't care less about that. I have over the years tried to find a special phrase and usually what I get back to is the truth. They get paid money to count those, I call them. Not my concern what the count is and I have told them that. It is up to them to deal with it. You will never satisfy these fools anyway.

Peace

[tref]

Depending on who I'm dealing with night to night, I'll go with:

I dont count em, I just call em! OR
Stop fouling!

[bainsey]

Originally Posted by tref

Will you post some of the good replies, bainsey??

Here's the entire thread. That way, you can see other posts as they're added, and you can decide for yourself what's good.

[APG]

"Coach, my job isn't to even the count." Either that, or I'll simply shrug my shoulders and agree with the coach that the foul count is so and so.

[rockchalk jhawk]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I had a partner say to a coach the other day, "You get paid a lot of money to count those" while he walked away from him.

There is nothing special to say, I just tell them that this is not a road they want to go down or that you couldn't care less about that. I have over the years tried to find a special phrase and usually what I get back to is the truth. They get paid money to count those, I call them. Not my concern what the count is and I have told them that. It is up to them to deal with it. You will never satisfy these fools anyway.

Peace

Umm... sarcasm? Attempt at humor? I don't care what the foul count is either because 99% of the time it is legit. I just hate when it becomes a point of contention, much the same as the frustration related by the coach in the OP.

[tref]

Originally Posted by bainsey

Here's the entire thread. That way, you can see other posts as they're added, and you can decide for yourself what's good.

Thanks, good thing he didnt post that over here!

[Adam]

Originally Posted by jrutledge

anytime we do not do what they want us to do on the court, we think we are bigger than the game. This is just one more reason i couldn't care less what fans or coaches think of officiating.

Peace

+1

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Anytime we do not do what they want us to do on the court, we think we are bigger than the game. This is just one more reason I couldn't care less what fans or coaches think of officiating.

+1

Same sh!t, different day. Nothing ever changes.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

+1

Same sh!t, different day. Nothing ever changes.

One day a coach is going to say, "It's not about you," and I'm going to wave him bye-bye and say "it's certainly not about you, either."