By the way under NFHS rules this is NOT permissible. I understand that you are doing a rec league for little girls, and may have made an exception due to this, but don't ever do this in a HS game of any level. There are actually two rules you are setting aside here. You incorrectly let one team start with fewer than five and then you allowed the other team to illegally remove a player. Sorry to say Ace, but is seems like you could have saved yourself a whole lot of trouble, if you had correctly never even started the game. Here are the rule cites:

3-1-1 Note: A team must begin the game with five players, but if it has no substitutes to replace disqualified or injured players, it must continue with fewer than five.

Casebook 3.1.1 After six players have been disqualified, Team A has only four who are eligible to continue in the game as players. In a gesture of fair play, the coach of Team B indicates a desire to withdraw a player so that each team will have four players on the court. Ruling: This is not permissible. Team B must have five players participating as long as it has that number available. If no substitute is available, a team must continue with fewer than five players. When only one player remains to participate, that team shall forfeit the game unless the referee believes this team still has an opportunity to win the game.

[Edited by Nevadaref on Aug 6th, 2003 at 12:23 AM]

Technically I didn't warn him, I asked him to have a seat :D

However, you are right and in a "real" game he would have made an exit earlier. In this case I was simply trying to be "nice" and keep him in the rec game. I knew that was not my job, but for the sake of the kids I tried. They stayed close until the coach left but the "assistant" couldn't seem to figure out how to adjust. It was really a shame, the players listened to the coach when he wasn't yapping at the officials.

These were young kids and in rec ball I tend to put up with more from the coach than with the older kids.

You know, you just can't help some people. :)

My experience has been just the opposite, right or wrong. I know I can say a lot more to the officials in a varsity game than I ever could get away with in a JV game. I also know I feel like a schmuck saying anything to the officials during a summer league or youth league game, when there are so many things my players are doing wrong that need correction.

I'm with you, Coach. I'll listen to a HS Varsity coach talk a little longer (and a college coach even a little longer than that) than I will listen to a JV or especially a youth league coach. Many of the lower level coaches just have no idea that there is a limit, let alone where it is. So I tend to T a lot quicker in youth league games. Just my experience.

Excuse me for the confusion. My rec ball level of tolerance is typically a lot lower than varsity or JV. In rec ball, particularly when the kids are young, if the coach spends some time coaching and the kids seem to be listening (as opposed to clling him a jerk under their breath) I will put up with a little more. This day I was trying to be in a particularly forgiving mood.

I guess my tolerance level resembles an inverted bell curve (from high to low to high with Rec Varsity at the bottom)...HS Varsity, HS JV, HS Sub-JV, JH, Rec Varsity, Rec JV, Rec HS sub-JV, Rec JH, Rec younger than JH.