HC location at Start of game.

[Smitty]

Oh and I would likely never get to go back to the school where I enforced the "sitting in the right spot" rule as the coach would surely scratch me from their games. The coaches can do that. They also can scratch you from a district game if they have never seen you before. Last year I was scratched for a Friday night game on a Friday morning because the coaches didn't know who I was. (I had only joined the association the year before). It would have been my biggest game of the season. I was not happy that night.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Smitty

Oh and I would likely never get to go back to the school where I enforced the "sitting in the right spot" rule as the coach would surely scratch me from their games. The coaches can do that. They also can scratch you from a district game if they have never seen you before. Last year I was scratched for a Friday night game on a Friday morning because the coaches didn't know who I was. (I had only joined the association the year before). It would have been my biggest game of the season. I was not happy that night.

Did you get paid for that game?

What a ridiculous system. God forbid you should ever call a technical foul on one of them.

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by Rich

Did you get paid for that game?

What a ridiculous system. God forbid you should ever call a technical foul on one of them.

I did not - I ended up assigned to a JV game somewhere as I recall. It was a bitter pill to swallow. Here in TX the coaches have so much power. It does make you feel like you need to coddle them a bit for just that reason. I have to admit, I have not called a single T on a varsity coach this season and I have at least 2 that I should have (a partner came in and got them). I am getting much better games this season and I would be lying if I didn't say it's in the back of my mind as I like these better games. This is an area I'm working on - I clearly haven't found my comfort zone yet.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Smitty

I did not - I ended up assigned to a JV game somewhere as I recall. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

Unless you're on the coach's chosen list, then I guess it's a great system. Probably one reason why the system stays the way it is.

I'll never understand why coaches are given such power -- it's not like they can go down to the grocery store and pull competent officials off a shelf.

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by Rich

Unless you're on the coach's chosen list, then I guess it's a great system. Probably one reason why the system stays the way it is.

I'll never understand why coaches are given such power -- it's not like they can go down to the grocery store and pull competent officials off a shelf.

I think one of the reasons they have the power is because they also have the power to determine which association gets to ref their district. The main reason I moved to this association is because it was able to convince 3 of the bigger districts near me to use it instead of the Dallas association. The coaches were the ones they had to convince.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Smitty

I think one of the reasons they have the power is because they also have the power to determine which association gets to ref their district. The main reason I moved to this association is because it was able to convince 3 of the bigger districts near me to use it instead of the Dallas association. The coaches were the ones they had to convince.

Just proves the dysfunction of the state organization. When I lived in Tennessee, high schools could change groups, but once they did they had to stay with the new group for a non-trivial number of years -- no exceptions.

It made schools and leagues think long and hard about making such a move.

[#olderthanilook]

Originally Posted by Rich

Unless you're on the coach's chosen list, then I guess it's a great system. Probably one reason why the system stays the way it is.

I'll never understand why coaches are given such power -- it's not like they can go down to the grocery store and pull competent officials off a shelf.

Well, coaches do seem to have much more to lose (financially and perhaps career wise) than we h.s. officials.

Most h.s. officials I know are not full time referees. They hold down full time jobs away from the court.

These coaches jobs are usually on the line year to year, contract to contract based on wins and losses. No, it's not the NBA where a firing happens at the whim of the owner (AD), but, it's similar in that regard.

Coaches are out there representing their school, drawing a salary and trying to win. We are out there having fun and picking up a $70 check for our ubiased efforts.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by #olderthanilook

Well, coaches do seem to have much more to lose (financially and perhaps career wise) than we h.s. officials.

Most h.s. officials I know are not full time referees. They hold down full time jobs away from the court.

These coaches jobs are usually on the line year to year, contract to contract based on wins and losses. No, it's not the NBA where a firing happens at the whim of the owner (AD), but, it's similar in that regard.

Coaches are out there representing their school, drawing a salary and trying to win. We are out there having fun and picking up a $70 check for our ubiased efforts.

All of this is precisely why coaches shouldn't have that much control over the officials.

[#olderthanilook]

Originally Posted by Adam

All of this is precisely why coaches shouldn't have that much control over the officials.

Agreed.

We should be able to do our unbiased, equitable thing w/o worrying about possible negative future reprocussions from a disgruntled coach.

[APG]

Originally Posted by #olderthanilook

Well, coaches do seem to have much more to lose (financially and perhaps career wise) than we h.s. officials.

Most h.s. officials I know are not full time referees. They hold down full time jobs away from the court.

These coaches jobs are usually on the line year to year, contract to contract based on wins and losses. No, it's not the NBA where a firing happens at the whim of the owner (AD), but, it's similar in that regard.

Coaches are out there representing their school, drawing a salary and trying to win. We are out there having fun and picking up a $70 check for our ubiased efforts.

Sounds like a whole lot of excuses as to why some states allow the inmates to run the asylum...

[Rich]

Originally Posted by #olderthanilook

Well, coaches do seem to have much more to lose (financially and perhaps career wise) than we h.s. officials.

Most h.s. officials I know are not full time referees. They hold down full time jobs away from the court.

These coaches jobs are usually on the line year to year, contract to contract based on wins and losses. No, it's not the NBA where a firing happens at the whim of the owner (AD), but, it's similar in that regard.

Coaches are out there representing their school, drawing a salary and trying to win. We are out there having fun and picking up a $70 check for our ubiased efforts.

Oh, nonsense. Most of the coaches in my area are teachers. The two most successful coaches in the area are high school math teachers. This is HS basketball, and the games are supposed to be part of the educational process. And I know how much HS coaches make in my neck of the woods -- they make less money coaching than I do officiating.

I get that it's different elsewhere, but I'm not in Texas and we're not talking about six figure football coaches.

I have no delusion that my role is something special, but at the same time part of officials being unbiased arbiters is that the coaches shouldn't be able to curry favor by being able to wield a threat of scratching the officials. Or be able to avoid technical fouls by putting such things in the officials' minds.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by #olderthanilook

Well, coaches do seem to have much more to lose (financially and perhaps career wise) than we h.s. officials.

Most h.s. officials I know are not full time referees. They hold down full time jobs away from the court.

These coaches jobs are usually on the line year to year, contract to contract based on wins and losses. No, it's not the NBA where a firing happens at the whim of the owner (AD), but, it's similar in that regard.

Coaches are out there representing their school, drawing a salary and trying to win. We are out there having fun and picking up a $70 check for our ubiased efforts.

Coaches around here get a nominal stipend. It is not their full-time job either.

Still, what do their coaching careers have to do with who officiates their games? Picking officials who will give them "homer" calls is their ticket to greatness?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

Coaches around here get a nominal stipend. It is not their full-time job either.

Still, what do their coaching careers have to do with who officiates their games? Picking officials who will give them "homer" calls is their ticket to greatness?

Coaches around here are usually hired as a condition of their overall contact as a teacher. Usually schools do not have a non-teacher coaching any sport. So those coaches are accountable to the school district in many ways. Not that it always works, but if a coach does something that embarrasses the school it can and has affected their real job.

Peace

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Smitty

I did not - I ended up assigned to a JV game somewhere as I recall. It was a bitter pill to swallow. Here in TX the coaches have so much power. ....

Do the AAU coaches act in the same manner. The most arrogant coach I've ever dealt with is the HC of a Texas AAU powerhouse.

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

Do the AAU coaches act in the same manner. The most arrogant coach I've ever dealt with is the HC of a Texas AAU powerhouse.

Not really. The AAU tourney officials are assigned by a for profit organization. While coaches have little power, there is a low tolerance for treating coaches, players, and especially the paying fans with disrespect. But we are also getting paid significantly less for those games as well. Apples and oranges really.