AAU Disease

[Mark Padgett]

quote:

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Originally posted by t-bone:
I officiated a large tourney recently and it was an abortion. Coaches, one a former NBA player, screaming at their players from the tip off on

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Over the years, our local rec league has had a number of former NBA players coach their teams. Here in Portland, former players have a tendency to stay and live in the area.

For the most part, they are not bad. It seems they understand this is a completely different level. However, one jerk, er, I mean former player, was just intolerable. He coached his daughter for about 4 years and led the league in coach's technicals practically every year. Finally, when I was elected league president (this was about 6 years ago and I served for 2 years) I got him kicked out.

His daughter picked up some of his bad habits and had a rough time in high school with the refs, although she really was a great player.

One of my ref buddies has a daughter that plays AAU ball. I had her team last year and she complained about a call. She told me that she "should know" what the right call was because "her dad's a referee." I told her that I have worked with her dad and that's a matter of opinion.

[JC]

What an Idea!!!
Have a video camera pointed at the stands during the game, and have the kids review their parents after the game!!
Perhaps some parents would 'calm down' if they knew they were on tape, and not annonymous.

[t-bone]

I officiated a large tourney recently and it was an abortion. Coaches, one a former NBA player, screaming at their players from the tip off on, parents unruly and unsportsmanlike, yelling at their kids and moaning at every call. Are these kids having any fun at all? Where does this end? As an official I attempt to promote sportsmanship and will not allow certain behaivor but as a parent I'm shocked at what I see. Any thoughts?

[Brian Watson]

Nothing shocks me anymore. I do not remember parents acting like this when I was in sports as a kid. I had two games this year where the kids freaked at their parents. One started crying and the other let out a profane stream to let her dad know it was time to shut his yap (her situation was one of those funny, but not funny things. Her shoe came off and she got beat at the top of the key, and the girl drove in for a lay-up, and got hacked. While my partner was reporting the foul she walked over by me to pick up her shoe and put it back on. Her dad was in the front row, stands up, walks to the sideline and yells 'How could you let her beat you off the dribble like that? Get your head in the game'. I could not believe this putz was yelling about the play when she lost her shoe. If it was me, I would have set up a play with my teammate where I would "no-look" one at about 90 MPH missing said teammate into the front row.

But seriously, I said it on another thread, and still wish more places would have "silent saturday". Maybe if we left all the parents out, taped the games, and sold them back to the parents, they might realize what idiots some of them really they are. Some parents are well behaved and I hate to "punish" the innocent, but in some places the parents are just plain dangerous. I think we need this more at the summer aau and rec level where the crowd control is meager at best.

[This message has been edited by Brian Watson (edited May 05, 2000).]