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

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.

True or False: To an extent, you and your partners are in the behavior modification business. And you've been given the tools to provide that service. Did you enter the game ready and willing to use those tools?

It sounds like you regret calling that many fouls. Really? That perspective, I suggest, might be a contributing cause to frustration over a game many of us would love to be assigned to.

You used one of the tools available to you and they didn't get the message. So what? No skin off your nose.

I'll let others respond beyond those two preliminary thoughts.

Absolutely not! If anything I would have liked to come out even stronger. We knew it was going to be ugly and were prepared to do our best to not let it. Sometimes you just can't stop the train though.
I was just trying to point out that we called a ton of fouls and they just kept coming. So the "they will adjust" philosophy doesn't always work.

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

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."

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.

In my old line of work we would conduct operations based on "zero tolerance". This would happen when we recognized a particular problem in an area and the only strategy is to tighten down on enforcement to get the point across as best we could to deal with the immediate issue. This would be a good pre-game for a game like this I think, especially since it sounds like the crew was aware of what you were possibly getting into.

I'm new, but I've had at least 2 pre-games this season where this was exactly what was said by our crew chief when games like yours cropped up: Zero tolerance for bullsh#t. Set the tone early, be firm but fair, call the gators but make sure you watch watch for lizards after the whistle. Flagrant fouls, intentional fouls and a (warranted) technical or two may send a message to keep chaos at bay.

But then again maybe not. Maybe the cats can't be herded that day. But at least it won't be because of a lack of trying.

Sometimes you "just gotta dance with the one who brung ya."
They do what they want to do and you do what you need to do. No muss. No fuss. No problem. Next game, please!

Teams can decide how they would like to play the game….they don't get to decide how the game will be officiated. If they continue to foul, simply continue to blow the whistle.

Why is it a train wreck if you called 50+ fouls? You ALWAYS have to "manage the game"…whether it's the players, the coaches, the benches, or the score table.

A "wise" official once told me: "Some nights the game is easy and they should arrest you for stealing money when they pay you….other nights - they don't pay you nearly enough to work as hard as you need to. By the end of the season, it all evens out!"

We have an older gentlemen that is still affiliated with our high school association, but no longer calling games... He comes in the locker room sometimes at half time and is usually very positive; but his favorite seven words are: "keep smiling and blowing that____ whistle!"
I use to laugh at him - now I do as I'm told!!!

The kids will follow the example of their coach in regard to behavior. You need to start by controlling the behavior of the coaches in games like this.
Sounds as if you permitted too much grief from the coaches.

This, 100 times this.

These games can be really tough to call and manage. I'd say keep it simple: call what you see and take care of outbursts/bad sportsmanship as needed.