The joys of my evening
 

I mentioned here my matchup last night where the home team was 1-18 and had scored 7 and 6 points in recent losses.

First things first. It was 62-40. The home team is 1-19 and the visiting team is now 2-7 in conference (its only 2 wins against this team). It was, unfortunately, the worst varsity basketball game I've ever worked, too. The players tried their best, certainly, but their best was probably at a 6th to 7th grade level in some areas and possibly lower.

But it had its share of oddities. We called at least 6 double dribbles, 15 travels, and 2 backcourt violations. We had 2 backcourt endline throw-ins go out of bounds untouched. I had a 4-point play (the JV official came into the locker room at halftime and said that for a play that rarely happens I looked like I sure had the signaling down for that).

I also had a technical foul. A player knocked another player off balanced and I whistled a foul. After the whistle, the same player gave her opponent a 2-handed shove to the back. Ended up being a 6-point play and the player's fourth and fifth fouls.

Then there's the old man fan in the crowd of 100 or so that started screaming on every call that went against the home team. The one time the guy did it, he was so unintentionally funny that my partner and I looked at each other and cracked up before the first free throw. I thought I had gotten over the giggles when we made eye contact before the second free throw and we cracked up again. It got to the point, though, where both my partner and I finally looked at the AD in the corner and said, "you going to take care of that?" The AD sighed and asked me, "Quiet him down or get him out of here?" in a way that tells me this wasn't a first time occurrence. I said, "Just quiet him down" while thinking that if I had to be there for it so did he.

My final regular season game on Tuesday was similar to this. Two not-very-good Class 1 (Smallest class) girls teams. Home team is a very small private school in the middle of town. Visitor is a rural school outside of our association's coverage, so I had never had them before.

V's coach would visibly react to every foul call that went against them, usually putting her hands up in the air. We're talking about routine fouls for a push or hand check in the middle of the second quarter that were only their 4th or 5th team fouls of the half. I didn't get a chance to talk to her before halftime, so the first time she did it in the second half, I was T so I walked back to her and told her that while she may not agree with every call, she needs to stop gesturing after a foul is called on her team. Thankfully that put an end to it.

The real funny was in the second half when the lead was exchanged several times. The Home team was in the BC and I was T. The H player with the ball picks up her dribble and throws a pass toward the FC, where one of her teammates jumps from the FC, catches the ball in the air, and lands in the BC. Of course I call the violation. The H fans went absolutely nuts. Coming out of their seats, screaming, gesturing, the whole nine yards. For a minute I thought I had blown it, thinking that the teammate had maybe had her foot on the division line when she jumped and I missed it, but later on my partner said that he saw her jump from the FC, as did one of the guys working the table. A few minutes later, a V player jumps to catch a pass but it deflects off of her hand and hits the floor, where she recovers it and then starts a dribble. Of course the braniacs from the H side were screaming for a double-dribble. I heard all the best lines for the rest of the game: "Take a certification test", "Get a rule book", "You need glasses".

The funny thing is that this was easily one of my two worst games of the year, and it also featured the worst fans of the season.

I hope this isn't your last game of the year or you will be hanging it up! I love the part where you got the giggles, I'm sure we've all almost broke our teeth biting the whistle to keep from laughing at some goofy move. Last week, BJV, a player dribbled the ball really high a couple of times and a fan yells out, "ear dribbler!" Struck me as very funny and I grinned but didn't laugh and of course later that night a friend of mine asked me what I was grinning at.

Worst as in the way you performed on the game or as in worst assignment?

Ironic sometimes, isn't it?

One of the worst games as in the level of play and teams. Considering the type of game it was, I thought we did fine. I told my partner that the game was harder to officiate than any Class 4 or 5 boys game I had done this year. No flow, lots of fouls, traveling violations, etc.

Very. I had to giggle a little bit.

Oh yeah, when I had the no-call on the illegal dribble, some guy yells "This isn't the YMCA!!". I wanted to reply "No, it's worse!".

I've seen that show quite a few times! More decisions to make for sure.

"Was it... wasnt it... she played through it... oh no hes going down... forget about it"

Rich,

You get all the "big" games...LOL!

Someone's gotta work them, I guess. :D

Back to the boys side tonight. Although I have a girls game next Thursday with two teams with 1 conference loss between them. The home team needs to win to split the conference title.

As one of the JV officials said to us at halftime, "Having you two here for this game is like killing an ant with a sledgehammer."

The JV game was 90-8.

Same JV guy you referenced in the OP?

{And the fan was trying to kill the ant with a magnifying glass. Which is a lot more fun btw.}

Did we work together last night? I had a similar game.... http://forum.officiating.com/basketb...3-hours-2.html

Did he yell something specific this time that was funny or was he just nutsoid in general? If it was something specific, can you share?

Kid goes up with about a four foot jump shot. Defender takes a big swing and knocks the shooter to the floor on the shooter's way down. Easy, easy foul.

Guy starts screaming "that's not a foul, the shot was gone, how can you call that" and went on and on. It was just absurd.

My game tonight was no better. Visiting coach has gotten whacked by both of us in the past. As usual, he was a condescending a$$ at the tip and got worse as the game progressed. We ignored most of the nonsense coming from the bench, although I had to shut the assistant down.

A rare Saturday off. I'm thrilled.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy ???
 

Not to at least one esteemed Forum member.