just a little note- travel and coaches

[BigT]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

Yes, I'm guilty of it. I call a travel on the coach's team

This is what I do. Then the coach looks at me like WTF. I say "I didnt know you meant to call it on the other team...*sheepish look*"

For some reason he doesnt yell Travel any more that night...

[Adam]

Originally Posted by BigT

This is what I do. Then the coach looks at me like WTF. I say "I didnt know you meant to call it on the other team...*sheepish look*"

For some reason he doesnt yell Travel any more that night...

I get that a lot of officials do this, and that includes a lot of guys I respect a lot.

I personally don't like it, no matter how much I understand it.

[BryanV21]

Building a good rapport with coaches is an important aspect of officiating. Even if you don't like a particular coach, being sarcastic like that is counter-productive. If a coach is just too much for you, then don't take another game with him.

Why not just say "coach, I'm sorry, but I'm not seeing what you're seeing. However, I promise you that I'm looking out for it"?

If you already have a good rapport with a coach, then by all means make a joke. It could very well lighten things up and make the rest of the game easier on you both. But be careful about doing that, as it can come off as you being an a-hole, which can only make things worse.

[JRutledge]

I think people have to officiate within their personality. Some can use humor and others cannot. Some can be a hardass, others cannot be that way. Some can say things calmly and everything is alright, others cannot express themselves that way. It really is based on your personality and your delivery and sarcasm does work for many officials. And sometimes that delivery is based on the coach you are dealing with and your experience with that coach. And I also disagree that we have to build rapport with coaches. My job is to officiate the game, not be chummy with the coach or get them to like me. They are going to respect me and I will respect them until they prove otherwise, but I will not try to get them to like everything being said. And if I can say something that gets them back to coaching, that is a win for me however that is accomplished. I do not want to deal with a coach all game long debating minor violations and fouls. That does not help them and it certainly is not helping me. And I do not care if a coach gets upset for that reason. That is their problem. Good coaches in my experience worry about their teams, not me or my partners.

Peace

[Adam]

Originally Posted by BryanV21

Building a good rapport with coaches is an important aspect of officiating. Even if you don't like a particular coach, being sarcastic like that is counter-productive. If a coach is just too much for you, then don't take another game with him.

Why not just say "coach, I'm sorry, but I'm not seeing what you're seeing. However, I promise you that I'm looking out for it"?

If you already have a good rapport with a coach, then by all means make a joke. It could very well lighten things up and make the rest of the game easier on you both. But be careful about doing that, as it can come off as you being an a-hole, which can only make things worse.

If he's trying to get a call every trip down the court, he's not getting my most accomodating response. He's getting, "Coach, if you have a question, I'll be happy to answer, but I can't have the running commentary."

If he's been relatively well behaved and asks for a call, I may engage the conversation if I have time.

Me: "Coach, what did you see?"
Coach: "coach speak"
Me: either 1) "I saw it differently", 2) "he wasn't holding the ball" (or something like that), 3) "I must have missed it." (always possible)

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by mutantducky

reminder... because it happens darn power of suggestion

So you hear coaches sometimes yelling travel, watch the travel (etc etc)....

Me: "that means I'll be looking at your team just as hard"

[jTheUmp]

Back in the days when I did little kids rec ball, I once worked a 10u girls game with one of those coaches. Every time the opponents had the ball, he's start yelling "that's a travel! You gotta call the travel!".

Keep in mind that this was a league that was 98% made up of players who had probably never played basketball previously... and the traveling and double-dribble rules were enforced in a fairly relaxed manner.

Told the coach to knock it off a couple of times... which worked, for about 2 trips up and down the court, before he'd start in again. Finally I turned to him and said "You want me to call every single travel, coach?" "Yes." "Ok then".

His team's next 6 possessions ended via traveling violations.

"Did I make my point, coach?" "Yes" "Ok then"

Didn't say a word to me the rest of the game.

[Moosie74]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

Me: "that means I'll be looking at your team just as hard"

Call it both ways, Ref! As a coach be *very* careful what you ask for!

JV boys coach last year asks me to watch the pushing down low. What's the next thing I see? His player giving a nice two-hander to a player about to catch the ball. Next thing I hear from the bench "not on us, ref!!"