Fun with Assistant Coaches
 

I'm C tableside during a fast break. On the drive to the basket the players react to a perceived double dribble. I'm straight lined and no call the play. Player scores, we go back the other way, and the head coach calls me out on the double dribble. I tell him I think he is probably right and we missed the play. Assistant coach tells me "no shit". Whack.

I've seen way too much of this behavior this season, by players and coaches. Anyone else notice an uptick in this kind of behavior?

I can say that at all levels it's been getting worse. The coach of the little ones (horrendous due to lack of knowledge and parent), the middle school coaches (parent ones especially bad, not so much teacher ones), Freshman (Pretty good), JV (Decent), Varsity (Some guys that watch too much college basketball and college coachig), and Assistants (only one bad one so far this year).

I'm sure a lot of these guys watch college ball and see coaches like the Iowa coach the other night. I went to a smaller D1 NCAAW game a few weeks ago and the coaches were on the officials with their volume and body language.

I have a very low tolerance of poor bench conduct. You should be respectful to officials, or sign up to appreciate how difficult it is. I saw this letter (attached) on a couple of sites the other day. We need more thoughtful things like this IMHO.

OK.....I can't attach it for some reason so here it is......this accompanies every game check from this school.......

As a former official, I would like to thank you for assisting the Montgomery County High School Athletics department for this 2013-14 school year.

Yours is a truly thankless job and I appreciate all of your efforts to honestly call the games with confidence. I applaud your integrity despite working in the toughest circumstances. It shows you represent the KHSAA well and demonstrate the sportsmanship that our youth and public see displayed at every event.

The countless hours that you have given to learning and preparing for officiating in these games have not gone unnoticed either. As you continue this season, you should know that you are making a difference in numerous lives of our players and parents, as you emulate what it means to be a professional.

Thank you for your time. We hope that your involvement at Montgomery County High School events remains to be a highlight of your experiences as an official. If we can offer anything in making that happen, please let me know.

Again, Thank You!

Best Regards,

Principal

The picture of the letter cut off some of the words, but I think I made the right translation.

Had a JV assistant stand up after a call and yell "that's terrible" at us once as I was reporting, and again as I was getting back into position. Told her head coach to get control of her bench, which I felt was sufficient to at least address the behavior. But afterword, my mentor and I talked about it and he made a good point, if you T that assistant up once, and seatbelt the head coach for the rest of that game, that assistant will not be behaving that way in the future.

Assistant coaches are there to assist the coach... not to provide input into the quality of the officiating.

I agree 100%!!

+1

It's not about being T happy, or not having thick skin. This has never been exceptable behavior and they know it. This isn't a democracy...Head Coaches and Assistants are not treated alike. However, I have used assistants sparingly in time-outs to address small issues.

A number of years ago I was working a girls' varsity contest. The head coach was someone I had known for years. His assistant yipped at me one time down the court and I told him on the way by to knock if off.

Next time down the court and more commentary. Two freethrows followed quickly and I think everyone in the gym heard the head coach telling his assistant "I told you he would T you up if you didn't shut up".

The first time the assistant says that The HC would know what will happen if I have to hear any more opinions for the AC. The second time, even if I didn't warn the HC, I'm Ting the AC. Guarantee he won't be surprised the next time it happens, if it happens at all.

Last night, BJV, about 2 minutes into the second quarter I had heard enough from the home coach. He had feedback on about 60% of the calls no-calls up to that point. I told him I've heard enough, I let my partner know he had been warned. The whole gym knew. The coach said what did I do? The varsity HC behind him said, that means you bug him again he's Ting you up. I was smiling internally.

Why would you not just stick the AC the first time he/she did this?

I would.

Just standing up in protest, one warning.

Or.

Just saying something in protest. One warning.

Standing up AND yelling in protest: no warning, just a T.

It's his opinion on the call, and depending on how loud or how big a scene I may. But I generally like to give the HC first crack to address his bench. He won't get to share his opinion a second time that's for sure.

Hmmmm...ok.

Like Adam said, if they make that comment to me as I run by, from their seat, I will make sure the HC deals with them. But if he is standing and yelling it at me as I am reporting (like ballgame99 posted) then we are going straight to the other end to shoot two. No warnings needed for that, imo.

Standing, sittiing. I care more about how loud, and tone and other body language cues (like arms out wide or jumping around like a fool). A coach can be sitting and get a T from me, and he can be jumping like an idiot and not saying anything and get a T. But we each have different levels of tolerance.

I'm just saying there's no way an AC gets to stand and yell at me and only get a warning.

100% agree on this!!!

I rang up a VB coach during the JV game last night. He was assisting the JV coach. I told him he'd get his chance next game but not now. He gave me the "go to hell" wave and thats all I needed.

He wouldnt look at me the rest of the game. He caught a loose ball and when I headed to him to retrieve ball he just rolled it the other way.

He just about got tossed

Confucius Says ...
 

Like little children, assistant coaches should be seen, and not heard.

I get the feeling from some varsity coaches feel they are above jv officials, and can therefore do or say whatever they like. That makes me give them a shorter leash than I normally would.

Toss him.

This same situation happened to me two weeks ago. Head coach just got a T. Kid shooting 2 for the T, bricks the first FT hard. Ball bounces straight to this coach. As I'm headed toward him to collect the ball he tosses it across the court to my partner. Shoulda ran him but didn't. I will next time, and I hope you do as well.

I did something similiar when I first started officiating back in '03...my first year I stuck the varsity boys coach who was the assistant jv coach and guess what-over the past 9 years as a varsity referee I have not had one single issue out of him! Sure, he has asked for an explanation on a few calls over the years, but it has always been done in the proper and respectful way.

Maybe that T will earn you some respect in the future!!!

If this happened in a varsity game, would you have responded differently?

I try to be patient and I understand the competitive nature of the game for both coaches and players, but anytime I am in that situation which you described and a coach reacts the way he did-it is time to go ahead toss him from the gym. There is no place for that on the high school level, or any other level for that matter!

Bottom line-blatant disrespect or an attempt to show up either of my partners or myself will result in immediate penalty! PERIOD!!

Head Varsity coach not on bench
 

Ok, so what do you do when the head varsity coach is sitting across the floor from the JV team. Varsity coach blurts out "That's terrible! You cannot make that call" to one of my partners. Is he just a fan at that time? I looked at him an shook my head and he didnt say anything else, but what can we really do?

I would have tossed him without a second thought.
I hope you didn't chase the ball.

I had an AC yesterday that couldn't have been more than 20. I didn't hear anything from him, but my partner did, and let him and me know he wasn't going to hear any more. I kept it in the back of my mind.

Cut to the second half, this team has a frontcourt endline throw-in. I'm the T, near his bench. Says the AC to his big forward, who was waiting for the TI in the lane, "watch the three seconds!" I cringed, waited for the next dead ball, and leaned into to him.

"Sir, there's no three-second violation on a throw-in."

Normally, I don't talk to ACs, but who else is going to tell him?

That's an easy toss. Shocked you didn't.

On the bench and/or huddling with the team, he's a coach. Away from them, or across like you said, he's just another fan.

A few years ago, in a JV Mens game, a gentleman joined the bench during the 2nd quarter, sitting at the other end from the HC. He immediately started in with the verbal critiques of our work. I told the HC that " You need to tell the gentleman on the other end that I won't hear from him again!" HC responds, "But, he's the Varsity HC!"
I told him, "You're the HC for this game! Don't let him run over you like that!" And he went to the the Varsity HC and talked to him. Shortly thereafter, the VHC left the bench, to sit across the gym.
When we met with the captains and HC's for the Varsity game, he was cordial, and we had no problems with him during his game.

I remember years ago I was working a game in a "Private-Christian" conference. They gym was not very filled and the visiting team had a call go against them on the other end in the first half. Well I was the Trail, near the bench and 5 coaches started yelling at me (I did not make the call).

I simply said, "Coach, I will answer any question you have, but I am not listening to 5 people yell at me when you are not saying anything. The HC turned around and said, "Will you guys shut the **** up!" I did not hear a peep out of the entire bench the rest of the night. ;)

Peace

I have zero tolerance for bench personnel. If an asst. coach pipes off or the players object to calls loudly or demonstratively its a T from me everytime. Head coaches get a little more lee way but only so far. Then its a warning (if their lucky) and a tech follows the next time the line is crossed.

I found an exception to the rule today.

Small Christian school pairing, middle school boys. Head coach was wheelchair bound; assistant was his father. The AC used the box frequently, even guiding kids to the table.

I spoke with my young partner at halftime about it, and decided it was best not to touch that. We still kept all communication with the head coach (disqualified players, delay of game warnings, etc.), but left all the legwork to the AC. I'd love to meet the rigid soul that could object to that.

Four On The Floor ...
 

Pleased to meet you. I actually don't object to what you did, but may I ask why the head coach couldn't be the head coach from his wheelchair in the coaching box? Here, in my little corner of Connecticut, we have a high school varsity head coach in a wheelchair and he does everything a head coach does, legally, in his wheelchair, in his coaching box. You haven't lived until you "serve tea" to a head coach in a wheelchair. Man, does that crowd boo, with the booing coming from fans of both teams. Makes you want to run and hide behind the police officer in the corner of the gymnasium, but he's booing too.

Here he would have gotten to go get his V team ready early. Buh-bye.

I'd toss a coach too. Does he want us to mop the gym after the game too?

That would be me.
 

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.

First, very tight quarters. The coaching box was less than a foot deep. Second, this was not a fit coach who used his arms freely to move the chair. This was a joystick-operated (for the lack of a better term) chair with little moving space around him. The HC was pretty much stuck in his spot for the entire game.

Coaching box in a middle-school game?

Most states use the box at all levels. We're the "strange one" in that regard.

Such as they are, often times. Sideline space is very cramped at some places.

In a middle school game, I have no problem with making some allowances; until such time as the AC decides to officiate while standing.

In a high school game, however, I'd be inclined to let them know that only the HC gets to call TOs and stand in the box to coach. So, if the AC decides to play HC, he will be the one requesting TOs.