Fun with Assistant Coaches

[Rich1]

Originally Posted by bainsey

I'd love to meet the rigid soul that could object to that.

That would be me. Unless the HC was going to just sit (pardon the obvious) and only the AC would be moving around the box then I would address it.

I have officiated several games with a team in our area from a totally deaf school. In the first game when I advised the bench that only the HC could stand they informed me they had 3 co-head coaches. I told them to choose 1 for today to serve as HC and the others would need to sit. In another game the chosen HC would walk 10 feet onto the court in front of the table during live action to communicate (sign language) with his team. My partners and I had already agreed to give him some leeway by extending his box but he took it too far and needed a stern warning before he got it. Last game, my partner informed the HC a player had fouled out by telling an intrpreter and by specifically flashing the players number to the HC's face from about five feet away. HC calls time out and when we come out of it to shoot free throws who lined up in the lane? That's right and it earned them a T. HC claims he misunderstood but I feel we were very clear with him.

In discussions with other refs who have worked their games a pattern has developed and there may be a purposeful effort to take advantage of our good intentions. Having taught special needs students for almost 20 years I have learned that for the most part they WANT to be treated just like every one else. And to me that means that rules are rules (except for reasonable or approved accomodations) and I enforce them that way. To do any thing else is unfair to other contestants and borders on offensive to he special needs community.