Thoughts on Technical Foul

[Big2Cat]

I am an official, but I also coach a junior high team. Tonight, we were up 7 with about 30 seconds left. We got the rebound, and a girl from the other team went down hard. She's under the basket and not moving as we dribble up court--the officials have no clue.

I quickly yell timeout and point at the girl. The ref blows his whistle and calls the other coach out. After a few minutes, she is helped off and of course the crowd claps for her. The opposing coach then asks (and I am stunned by this) if I am going to be charged for a timeout. The official decides to charge me.

Now, had this been my assignment, I would have taken an official's timeout all the way to help the injured player. As the official comes to report it, I express my displeasure since I was helping them with an injured girl. Getting charged a timeout really doesn't matter--I would still have 1 or 2 left and the game is all but over. However, I just couldn't get by the principle of it all and tell the gentleman that I think him charging me a timeout is "really bad officiating", then walked away. He then apparently gives me a T. Never told me...just charged it, waited for the timeout to end and lined up to shoot it. I figured it out from my girls who told me. I didn't say one word about it.

Anyhow, two thoughts. Would you charge a team a timeout in that situation, or make it an official timeout. I know I said I would make that an official timeout.

Do you agree with the T? Saying it's bad officiating and walking away? No name calling, nothing personal. Just disagreement with how it was handled.

[JugglingReferee]

If a coach, while on offense, alerts me to an injured opponent (whether known or unknown by the officials), my interpretation immediately becomes that they are giving up their offensive drive and I can't see not killing the play immediately.

No, I would not call a team timeout in the situation as you described. I would go with an official's timeout.

Note that an official doesn't have to "tell the perpetrator" about a foul call. Any voicing of a foul is done in a general sense to anyone that is interested. The only official direct conversation is directed to the scorekeeper. However, any dead ball T I call will likely have a whistle from me with a clear voice reporting the foul. IOW, the coach will surely know that he was T'd up.

I would not T a coach up for saying that something is "really bad officiating". Now, if he was a case of ABS, I most definitely would consider it.

[APG]

Would I charge a timeout in this situation? Nope...I would retroactively make it an official's timeout.

I probably wouldn't assess a technical foul either for your comment unless it was an ABS T like Juggling said. If I were to give a T, I'm blowing the whistle and giving the signal and using my voice to alert of a technical foul. I have a hard time thinking of a situation where a coach would not know that I've assessed him with a T.

[Nevadaref]

I would go with an injury time-out and not one to either team.

Your comment was out of line and I would have issued you a technical foul for it.

Next time that an inexperienced official does something which you don't like remain calm, keep your composure, and don't say anything. Most of the officials for younger kids games are learning. You can give your thoughts after the game in a cordial manner, if you wish.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

I would go with an injury time-out and not one to either team.

Your comment was out of line and I would have issued you a technical foul for it.

And another "T" if the girl's mother came out of the stands to check out why her daughter that wasn't moving....

Right?

[APG]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

And another "T" if the girl's mother came out of the stands to check out why her daughter that wasn't moving....

Right?

Hahahaha!

Do we get two T's there if the mother and father come out?

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

Your comment was out of line and I would have issued you a technical foul for it.

If the comment was "charging a time out there is really bad officiating" I do not regard that as personal (and indeed might be true), so it would not warrant a T.

If the official heard you say something along the lines of "you guys are really bad officials," that IS personal, and would warrant a T. You might have made the call more difficult by turning your back and mumbling your comment, which is usually evidence that it's T-worthy.

JMO, but that's how I would draw the line.

[dsqrddgd909]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

If a coach, while on offense, alerts me to an injured opponent (whether known or unknown by the officials), my interpretation immediately becomes that they are giving up their offensive drive and I can't see not killing the play immediately.

No, I would not call a team timeout in the situation as you described. I would go with an official's timeout.

Note that an official doesn't have to "tell the perpetrator" about a foul call. Any voicing of a foul is done in a general sense to anyone that is interested. The only official direct conversation is directed to the scorekeeper. However, any dead ball T I call will likely have a whistle from me with a clear voice reporting the foul. IOW, the coach will surely know that he was T'd up.

I would not T a coach up for saying that something is "really bad officiating". Now, if he was a case of ABS, I most definitely would consider it.

ABS? What is that?

[APG]

Originally Posted by dsqrddgd909

ABS? What is that?

Accumulation of B***S***.

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by dsqrddgd909

ABS? What is that?

Accumulation of Bull $%^*

A comment that by itself you would probably ignore but when they start accumulating and multiplying like rabbits it is enough to peg your T-meter.

[dsqrddgd909]

Thanks Welpe and APG. Adding that to my officiation lexicon.

[Adam]

1. Does this official know you ref? If so, I would be a little more quick with the T. Your comment was out of line, regardless, however, and you should have known you were risking a T when you said it. Whether he "told" you isn't really relevant. He's not required to. He told the table. Would you prefer he made a show out of it, like you're accusing tref of wanting to do?

2. Was the girl in danger? Did you bring an EMT onto the court? If not, a few extra seconds isn't going to make things worse. Get his attention, point to the player. Unless she's unconscious or bleeding profusely, I don't get the "urgency" here.

I'll reanswer. No, I wouldn't have charged the TO. Frankly, I would have come up to you and quietly asked, while the injured player was being attended to, if you really wanted the TO.

Yes, I would have given you a T. The only thing I would have done differently is blown my whistle when giving it.

[tref]

I respect that, coach! My apologies!

Just curious, with the game situation (time & score) being what it was, why say anything at all?

Also, if you dont think it looks bad for a coach (while he's upset) to have a quick face to face with an official, then walk away, thats on you.

And, "bad officiating" is a commentators term. Nobody "in the game" talks like that.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Big2Cat

1) Would you charge a team a timeout in that situation, or make it an official timeout.

2)Do you agree with the T?

1) Injury TO not charged to either team

2) No

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Big2Cat

I am an official, ...

As the official comes to report it, I express my displeasure since I was helping them with an injured girl.

However, I just couldn't get by the principle of it all and tell the gentleman that I think him charging me a timeout is "really bad officiating",...

Do you agree with the T? Saying it's bad officiating and walking away?

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

2) No

Wow! JR, you are okay with an official treating a fellow official in this manner!?!? Have you gotten soft in your old age?