Jrut's ok, he's just bored. I'm considering lobbying to get him an offer to ref some of these games so I can chew his ear a little and then he won't be so bored after giving me a T :D

That's depends on the context of your actions and words. :)

Lobby all you want to, I do not work those games. I am much happier to not deal with coaches that whine about calls instead of helping kids have a good time playing a fun game.

Peace

So are saying it is a running clock or not?

Again, what does certified have to do with anything? Unless the administrator promotes the league as using certified officials only, it should not matter. Being "certified" really only means that one has passed a written test, PERIOD!

- I know a guy that couldn't pass the HS test, but can work his tail off & has since moved up to the DI level.
- I know a guy that scored 100% on the test, but cant call Lassie.
- I know guys that buy shirts with the certified patch already on it & have never taken the test. :eek:

At the end of the day, you aren't a certified coach & your players have got to put the ball in the basket!
Even US cheating refs cant stop made baskets, or can we?? :rolleyes:

I think it takes a close 2nd.
"Can't Call Lassie" is third
BUT
"Asking a nun about sex" is my winner!!!

It is a running clock until 2 minutes so I see your point on the not switching however they still switch at halftime so that the same ref is on our baseline when we're in the offensive zone so that's still confusing.

I've purposefully stayed away from my players in the discussion as I'm focused on the refs in this discussion. Since it keeps coming up though this is my advice to the players.

- You focus on the the little things, things you control like your turnovers, not letting a mistake affect the next play etc... and I'll worry about the big things (the refs, other players actions, etc....)
- I'm a firm believer that a good team that executes will nullify any ref or other team situation.
- Our team has their issues with unforced turnovers, missed layups and such. I take responsibility for it and ensure the players do as well. They have and continue to improve on it. That puts me into a spot to have to begin to deal with the big things I mentioned above, thus my questions.

It does seem odd, although I can see the logic of keeping it consistent the entire game. If they aren't going to switch during the half, anyway. It's flawed logic, but it's flawed.

Oh, my advice from your previous post: next time you get a T, shut up. Especially if you don't have an ACs.

Coach-rec,

I coach football, and ref basketball. As a coach I have learned that quite often what I "think" I see going on out on the field is not necessarily what is really happening. So I have made a "rule" for myself, my staff, my players, and my parents - we don't complain about the officiating at the game. If they want to gripe in their car, that's up to them...but not on the field, not as we are leaving the field, not in the locker room, etc., etc...I sit down on Saturday mornings and watch the game film. If there was something I was upset about Friday night, I look for it on the film. If it's there, I will shoot an e-mail (attaching the play clip helps) to the assignor and let him know about it. If it wasn't there - I am sure to let my staff and players know that it wasn't when we watch tape.

Now I know this is "only rec-league", but there's no reason why you can't do something similar. Have a parent film the games, and then watch the tape. If there's something there then you can go to the assignor. More often than not (as I have learned) you will see that you were wrong.

I appreciate that feedback. It's a plan that I will consider putting into practice.

Late to the discussion, but I like Rocky's point. Forget about understanding officiating mechanics/rules if you're just trying to prove somebody wrong (what will you say? "I know what I'm talking about b/c I read it on an internet board!")

Since you are coaching 'young men', one of the more important skills you can teach your players is how to deal with adversity (even incompetence). By remaining calm and focusing on coaching, you are setting a great example of leadership, composure and focus that they may hopefully carry into their everyday lives.

+1

Teaching life lessons through youth sports got lost along the way :(

Just FYI - our local kids rec league pays $30 for HS level games (boys and girls) to experienced officials. We work two or three games in a shift, all with a two person crew. Games are 7 minute stop time quarters with a 3 minute halftime and teams get four 30-second timeouts for the game, so the games go pretty quickly (also 15 point "mercy" rule - no back court guarding). We don't switch on every foul, but we do switch on virtually every shooting foul. On non-shooting fouls, we switch if it "makes sense" - meaning if the positioning of the refs when the foul was called makes it more logical to switch (I think you guys know what I mean). We call this "convenience mechanics". :)

Sure - we get complaints that the refs are favoring one team over the other. However, those complaints usually come from both teams. :D

Oh yeah - since we don't really designate a referee and an umpire, I always ask my partner just before tip off if he wants to throw up or have the runs. :p

So how long is overtime :D

When I have one of the coaches tell me, "Man, you sure did right by us tonight" I'll get worried

I'm sorry. I am not familiar with that term. ;)

Seriously, we don't have them at 3rd and 4th grade (games end in a tie, so be it) and we use two minutes for all other grades, if memory serves me. After two minutes, if it's still tied, the game is declared a tie. We can't "stack up" games since we are restricted as to how much gym time we have.