Mind change on ballhandling call?

[Scrapper1]

Today, I was R2 in a college match. We had a play in which a Team A player took a wild swing with a closed fist to send her 3rd contact over the net. R1 whistled and called a lift on the play. Coach A nearly has an aneurysm.

I got to him pretty quickly, as he was trying to protest across the court. I told him that he could send the captain, but we're not going to yell across the court. The captain goes to the stand and is told that the player had essentially carried the ball on her forearm while making her swing. (Prolonged contact.) Coach A is not satisfied.

R1 calls me over, asks what I have. As always, I ask: did she catch it? Did she throw it? He says no, but the ball stayed on her arm. Long story short, he decides to replay the point. (I think that was the right decision.)

But now Coach B is mad. He says to me, "He can't change his mind on a judgment call. It's his judgment! He can't change it because of YOUR judgment!".

There's actually a certain logic to that, I suppose. But I didn't have a good reply for him. So. . .

First, is he actually right? Can the R1 not get help on a judgment call and make a correction to his/her initial call?

Second, if the R1 can make that kind of mind change, what could I have said to Coach B to make that clearer for him?

[FMadera]

From what's described, I wouldn't support a mind change like this. Now, if he says he saw a double, and you can definitively say it was contacted with one hand, I could support that intervention.

Just my thoughts.

[Scrapper1]

Originally Posted by FMadera

From what's described, I wouldn't support a mind change like this. Now, if he says he saw a double, and you can definitively say it was contacted with one hand, I could support that intervention.

Just my thoughts.

I can totally get that point, Felix. So then my follow-up question would be, what do I say when he calls me to the stand? It was obviously an incorrect call. So do I just say, "I'm going to defend you to the coach"?

[FMadera]

Originally Posted by Scrapper1

I can totally get that point, Felix. So then my follow-up question would be, what do I say when he calls me to the stand? It was obviously an incorrect call. So do I just say, "I'm going to defend you to the coach"?

First point: Obviously here's another scenario where headsets would help.

Personally, my response to the question on what you saw on a judgement call would likely be something like, "Well, from my angle all the way over there (referring to my base position), I saw *this,* but if you saw something else, that's what matters.

Then tell the coach that you understand he disagrees, but we need to play now, and if the coach continues to go on and won't let you play, request a sanction.

Then talk about the play A LOT in your debrief.

I recently had a similar situation where my R1 called something I would NEVER call, coach vehemently disagreed, and we talked about on headsets during the match and then again in our debrief, and the R1 admitted that the call probably should not have been made.

[Scrapper1]

Thanks for the insights, Felix. Much appreciated.