Can we keep a game from becoming a total train wreck?

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by ballgame99

You've got two conference rivals that play what I will call 'smashmouth' (aka ugly)basketball playing each other. Lots of pressing, tight on ball defense, lots of hands, out of control drives, physical rebounding, etc. Mix in a couple coaches that complain about every call/non-call and you have the makings of a total trainwreck. I lived this nightmare last night. 3 man crew called 50+ fouls, fouled 4 players out, both coaches were told to control their benches and themselves (no Ts were given). After a very easy foul call one HC is giving me a hard time, I tell him "I'm just calling what I see coach, and mostly what I'm seeing is a total trainwreck"

Question: is there ANYTHING that we can do to reign in a wreck like this from the jump?

Call it even tighter....including a few Ts if needed.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

Call it even tighter....including a few Ts if needed.

If I got this report as an assigner, I'd highlight this:

both coaches were told to control their benches and themselves (no Ts were given)

I used to have an assigner for baseball and when anyone complained about a coach, he'd say, "I never got the ejection report." His point -- if you didn't eject the coach, you didn't really have a problem.

Likewise, in hoops, if you didn't whack anyone, I'd wonder how bad the benches were.

"If he warns us and we act up, he'll just warn us again."

[junruh07]

In a game like this, all you can do is make sure you are mentally focused and have the intensity to match the game. It sounds like you knew what this game would be like, so that is helpful. After that, you blow the whistle, blow the whistle, blow the whistle. If a coach doesn't like it, you could ask him if he really wants fewer fouls in a game like this. If coaches don't behave, you penalize and move on. It is not our job to fix ugly basketball. We can't make chicken soup out of chicken. . . well you know. All we can do is be prepared in the pre-game, and then enforce the rules.