So How Come You Are Letting That Coach Stand Up……?

Sometimes I just do not know if some coaches really do not know a rule or if they are just pretending not to know a rule to see how much they can get away with.

In High School Basketball, the Head Coach is allowed to stand and COACH – NOT yell at the referees – in a designated/ marked area in front of the Team's bench. Only the Head Coach can stand and coach in this "Coaches Box.”

But when a Head Coach receives a Technical Foul, or an Assistant Coach or other player/team assistant sitting on the bench gets a Technical Foul, the Head Coach loses the opportunity to stand and coach. He/she now abide by the "Seat Belt Rule" which essentially means the coach cannot stand up anymore to coach the team! The Coach is figuratively wearing a seat belt.

A few weeks ago I called a "T" on a Coach. Not long after that Coach was standing up in the Coaches Box coaching again, so I stepped over to remind the Coach he had to remain sitting. He sat down.

Again after a few moments, I see the same Coach standing up to holler instructions to his team.

I was well justified by this time to "Whack" the coach with another "T" and eject him. But then I have to fill out paperwork and send it in to the AIA to explain why I Ejected the Coach. I'd rather not do that if possible, so I tried the "nice guy” approach.

I again stepped over to the Coach. "Coach, I have now politely reminded you twice not to stand up while coaching because you have received a "T". The coach pointed to the other coach at the opposite end of the court and says to me, "so how come you're letting that Coach stand up then!? "

Image by Fort Meade via Flickr

It was all I could do not to start laughing……

I glanced at the other Coach, then back at the one with the "T" and said, "well, I suppose the reason I'm letting that coach stand up is because he does NOT have a Technical Foul. You do, so you get to sit. Stand up again and you will be ejected. Do you understand the rule now?”

Fortunately, one of his own team fans hollered out, "Come on coach! You have a Technical Foul and have to sit down!! We want to see the kids play."

The coach said he did now understand the role and remained sitting for the rest of the game.

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It's All a Matter of Perspective

There are SO many things I wish I could explain to the fans while Refereeing a Game. Explain why a certain Foul was called or contact was NOT called as a Foul. Clarify a Rule, etc. the help them better understand the game, what and why the Ref's did what they did, but there are so few opportunities to do that during a game. And unfortunately, on too many occasions when I have tried to do that, my attempt to be helpful is met with some caustic remark by a disgruntled and unknowledgeable fan so that I ask myself why did I even try?

Too often, when questioning a Basketball Referee Call I made a Coach will say, "I've never heard that Rule before!"

And so I wonder......how may fans or Coaches, for that matter, have actually read the Rule Book before they go watch or coach a game?

I recently worked a Youth Game- 7th & 8th Graders. Some of the them are hopeful of playing Varsity High School Basketball, and perhaps beyond. But first they have to play high school.

So it is understandable that Youth Leagues adopt National Federation of High School Rules, right?

It is my opinion that the sooner an aspiring hoopster learns the Rules the better it will be for the youth & future coaches. Better to be called for a Rule Violation that loses the game in a Saturday Youth league than find out about it the really hard way and cost the team a State Championship, right?

So when I work a Youth game I apply High School Rules.


Here is a VERY simple Rule when a ball is In-bounded......

The defender CANNOT reach across the Out of Bounds Line. PERIOD.

Reach across and touch nothing? 1st Time is a Delay of game Warning. 2nd Time & it's a technical Foul.

Reach across & slap the Ball the 1st Time & THAT is a Technical Foul. NO Warning required.

Reach across & slap the player and THAT is an Intentional Foul. NO Warning required.

BEFORE I hand the ball to the Throw-In Player I look at the Defender, point at the Out of Bounds Line and say, "Do NOT reach across the Out of Bounds Line, OK?" They always nod & say, "Ok."

So I had a kid reach across the line on an inbound play. I called a Delay of Game Warning and reported it to the Scorekeeper.

Not long afterward the same kid, again after I told him not to reach across the line, reached across the line and slapped the ball, so I called a technical Foul.

The Coach asked for an explanation. As I trotted over to offer the simple explanation I could hear fans from the team holler about a "Bad Call", "Lousy Ref" and other typical claptrap. Yes, the Refs hear what is said, We just chose to ignore such comments unless they are excessive. Then we eject the person.

I explained the call and the Coach says, "Are you sure about that? I've been coaching 20 years and I never heard that Rule!"

I was not surprised......

"Yes, Coach, It's in the Rule Book."

"Are you SURE about that, Ref?"

"Yes."

"Is that some NEW Rule?"

"No. Been in the book for a long time."

So...... I do not mind if a Coach or Fan disagrees with me on a Foul Call. After all, it is a subjective call by the Ref. I expect the person / team & Coach that the Foul call was made against to object. Your perspective and mine is quite different. I might not have made the best call, but I made what I thought was the proper call from my vantage point and what I saw. You see what you want to see from a biased perspective. Them's the breaks!

"Perspective" by Brett Jordan via Flickr

But IF you want to holler that the Ref does not know the Rules......please make sure YOU really know the Rule! There might just be a lot of them pesky Rules you never heard about before if you never studied the Rule Book or had to pass a Test to Referee......

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If You Had Kept Your Mouth Shut......

I was Refereeing an 8th Grade Girl's Basketball Tournament.

At Game Time the other Referee had not shown up, but the Game, like the "The Show," must go on, right?

Coaches, Fans, ect, think TWO Refs miss a lot of calls, so what is the chance ONE Ref can see everything?

We were barley 3 minutes into the FIRST Quarter and the Visiting Coach had been hollering at me for every little thing he thought I was not calling. Naturally ONLY things that would have benefited HIS team......

One of his girls stole the ball and off they raced to the opposite end of the floor. I was well behind the play trying to catch up when his player, who could barley dribble the ball while running and NOT being defended, lost control of the ball and stumbled into 2 defensive players. While stumbling, she tried to push up a feeble shot and the ball went out of bounds.

I blew my whistle and awarded the ball to the other team for having gone out of bounds.

At that moment, the Coach comes stomping onto the court, nearly to the Half Court Line, hollering about how I should have called a Foul. It was quite and most definitely unsportsmanship behavior, so I "whacked" him with a "T".

Not satisfied, and apparently accustomed to Referees cowering to his bellows, he took another step towards me and yelled even louder, "That was a HORRIBLE Call. You are an awful Ref!!"

I replied, "You might be right on both accounts, but you are now a coach that has been ejected from the game!" And pointed to the Exit.

Evidently the Home Team had been witness to this Coach's intimidating antics in a previous game - which the other Referees had allowed to go on without any "T's" on the Coach -  and cheered loudly when they knew he had been ejected.

A few minutes later the other Referee showed up - there had been a traffic accident along the way that had delayed his arrival.

He asked if he had missed anything interesting.

Photo by Paul and Cathy (Becker1999) via Flickr

When I responded, "Only my ejecting the Visiting Head Coach 3 1/2 minutes into the game." He commented, "That explains the fellow who confronted me on the way in."

As I looked quizzically at him he continued, "As I walked up to the door to the gym some guy came up and complained he had been ejected from the game. He was rather agitated and seemed like a real jerk, so I said, 'Well, if you had just kept your mouth shut you would still be inside, wouldn't you?' and walked thru the door."

Coaches & fans rarely get ejected for something they do NOT say.

(If you want to find out if this Coach was better behaved then NEXT time I officiated a game for his school you can read about that here. You Decide the Call, Coach!!! )

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School Motivational Mottos VS Coach Antics

In nearly every school I referee at I see large posters proclaiming a variety of virtues the schools wish imbued into their student's consciousness- Honesty, Integrity, Fairness, Courtesy, RESPECT for others, ect.

via

And so I wonder what the School Administrators are thinking when they hire Coaches that often make a mockery of those sort of ideals.

A case in point-

Refereeing a Summer League game this week I called a Player Control Foul. The Player, rather displeased with the Call (when are they NOT?), turned his back on me and rather than bounce the ball to me, flipped it behind and towards the End Line, away from me & any other players. The action cause the game to be unnecessarily delayed while the ball was retrieved.

I called a "Delay of Game WARNING" on the Player. Because it was disrespectful, I could have "T'd Up" the Player but did not want to go that far. I figured a warning would be enough to teach the lesson of courtesy towards a Referee. I also figured a Coach might appreciate a Warning instead of a "T"......

Then I heard the Coach say something to the player on the bench that asked what the call was that sounded something like, "The Ref was to lazy to get the ball himself." Because I did not clearly hear the comment I ignored it.

A Ref may ignore something, but that does not mean the Ref will forget it......

Not long after that incident I called a Foul on the Opposing Team. THAT player, without exhibiting an attitude of disgust with the Call, lobbed the ball toward the spot I pointed to as the Inbounds Spot where my Referee Partner could collect it for the Inbound. It did not delay the game.

The initial Coach sarcastically hollered at me, "Is THAT gonna be a Delay of Game Call, too?"

(Now folks, it is never a good idea to try and upstage the Referee or act in an outwardly disrespectful manner. The Ref might be the Worst Ref Ever, but it is pretty much a guarantee that the Ref will still be there at the end of the game whereas anyone that overly irritates said "Worst Ever Ref" might not still be in the gym at the end of the game!)

"No, Coach," I replied. "It will not. But your disrespectful comment WILL be a Technical Foul!" And I "whacked" him with a "T"!

via

I think the school ought to review their motivational mottos with that Coach before the Season begins this coming year!

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I Like This Ref!

We had an unusual Violation Rule Call the other nite. Unusual for the fans and some coaches, but not to Referees......

During an Inbound Play (also called a Throw-In), the Defender reached across the "Vertical Plane of the Throw-In Line" and slapped the ball while it was in the Throw-In Player's hands.

A Technical Foul was called.

As my partner was administering the 2 Free Throws, I was standing along the sideline by the Mid Court Line, where the ball would be put back into play, and could hear some chatter from the fans asking each other, "What was the 'T' for?"

They had been well behaved, so I turned & explained that it was an Automatic Technical Foul for a Defender to slap the ball while it was being held by the Thrown-In Player.

A fan queried, "Aren't you suppose to warn the player first?"

It was "asked" in a tone that was more of an effort to try and tell me I had made a mistake, rather then a true question...... Some fans think they know the rules better than the Refs, you see......

So I replied, hoping my explanation would help those fans (and now my Online Friends, too) be more knowledgeable and not need to holler at future of my fellow Refs in similar situations,

Here's the explanation. I hope it helps!

"No sir. On the FIRST time a Defender reaches across the line but does NOT either hit the Thrown-In Player or slap the ball, THAT is a warning and a "T" the 2nd time it happens.

In this situation, the Defender slapped the ball and THAT is an Automatic Technical Foul. 2 Shots for the Offense and the ball placed at the Mid Court Line, which is why I am standing here now.

But if the Defender had slapped the Throw-In Player, THAT would have been an Automatic Intentional Foul. Still 2 shots, but the ball would have been put back in-play at the same spot where the foul occurred.

3 similar play situations but 3 entirely different Rules and Consequences."

A lady commented, "I did not know you Refs had to know so many Rules!" Then commented, "I like this Ref. At least he is willing to talk to us & let us know what happened!"

Photo by Chip Griffin via Flick

Knowledgeable fans are happier fans and holler less at the Refs.

I like it when the fans are happy......

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The Students Win!! The Students Win!! The Students Win!!

This should be shouted with the same enthusiasm as when the great Chicago Cubs Radio Announcer, Harry Carey, used to shout, "Cubs Win".....

I refereed the Staff VS Students Game at Benjamin Franklin High School (BFHS) This afternoon. The Staff likely will not be asking to be back again next year......

One teacher had 2 Fouls called on him in the 1st Quarter. He was a rather burly fellow & long past his prime playing days. About 6'1'' tall and 250 lbs or so. (I'm being kind here, folks!) He objected loudly to the 2nd Foul and asked a fellow Staffer to take his place because he couldn't take such lousy calls. (He calmed down after a fellow Staffer / Player told him to calm down because BOTH the Foul calls were legitimate!)

I had fun! I think the Students that played AND the Students that watched had fun, too

I called several Technical Fouls during the game. Only 1 was legitimate......

1. The Staff had 10 men & 2 ladies. The Students had 4 girls. 2 minutes into the game I called my 1st "T" on the Staff for "Violation of the Title IX Gender Equality for not playing a female within the first 2 minutes of the game.

2.  A "T" on a Teacher / Staff Player for "Assigning excessive Home Work."

3. A "T" on a Teacher / Staff Player for "Requiring Student to take too many notes in class."

4. A teacher decided to play in the 2nd Half after being a Spectator the 1st Half. When he entered the game a Staff Member dimmed the lights, then flashed them with a big build up about a "Special Player" entering the game. I "T'd Up" that teacher for "Illegal Participation" since his name was not in the Score Book before the game. (THAT was my only legitimate "T".....)

5. The MOST Satisfying "T" was on the Boy's team Head Coach, Jon Mott, for "A Coach Impersonating a Player."

Coach Mott had earlier come up to me saying he "wanted to have some fun of his own for the kids entertainment" and asked me to call a "T" on him and then Toss him out of the game.

After a Foul call I made, he rushed over & gave me a "Chest Bump" & started waving his arms around like he was all mad, hollering, "Toss me out! I want to get tossed out!" So I acquiesced and gave him the well known, "You're Outta Here" gesture and off the court he went to thunderous cheers from the students.

Photo by thelowrybrand via Flickr, acquired and modified under 

CC BY-SA 2.0 license 

The result would be FOUR technical Foul Shots for the Students with about 4 minutes left in the game.

The Students were down 17 points at the time. (I think some of the Staffers really wanted to win!!)

As the 1st student went to shoot 2 Free Throws for the 1st "T", I strolled over to the kids keeping score and running the Score Board and told them to score 5 points if the shot was made. It was a Boy, so I also told him to score 2 points if he just hit the rim but missed the the shot. He made 1 & missed 1. Then a Girl attempted the 2 Free Throws for the Ejection of Coach Mott. I told the Scorekeeper to score 5 points if she made a shot and 3 for a miss. She made 1 & missed 1. The score was tied!!! 17 points off 2 Technical Fouls. Imagine that!

6. My final "T" was with 2 minutes left and an all Men Staff team on the floor. I called a "T" for another "Title IX Gender Equality Violation for failing to have a Female Player on the Floor in the Final 2 minutes." (See, I told you the Male Staffers wanted to win and grab the "Bragging Rights" over the Students!!)

The Student Shooter made BOTH Free Throws to take a 2 point lead that they did not relinquish!!

The last 2 minutes were regular Basketball Referee calls. No more shenanigans!

By some miracle the Student Team held on for the win to the GREAT delight of the Student Section and Student Players!!

So, this might be the only time I get asked to work the Staff VS Students Game at BFHS, but I had plenty of fun, even if it is the only one!!

After the game a Student told me the "T" and Ejecting Coach Mott was his favorite part of the game.

Mine, too......

5/21/2014

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If Your Gonna Yell at the Ref

I was working a terrific game Saturday. The teams were both ranked in the Top 5 of their division. 500+ frenetic fans in the stands.

With less than 2 minutes left in Regulation, the Teams were lined up at the Free Throw Lane for the Visiting Team, which was clinging to a precarious 2 point lead, to shoot 2 Free Throws.

Just after my Ref Partner bounced the ball to the shooter a player from the Home Team stepped away from the Free Throw Lane spot he had been standing in.

Photo by Grace Adell via Flickr

Immediately a Visiting Team fan starts shouting, "That's a Technical Foul, Ref! Call the 'T'."

The fan's insistence prompted at least 2 other Visiting Team fans to assume that fan knew the rule and they also started hollering for me to call a "T."

They could not have been more wrong in their chorus of demands.....Clearly they did NOT know the correct rule to apply!

Not noticed by the would be "referees" in the stands was, as soon as the Home Team Player stepped out of the Free Throw Lane Spot, I had extended my arm out at shoulder height and balled my hand into a fist. That is the proper Referee "Mechanic" or signal that alerts the other Referee, coaches, players and knowledgeable fans that the Referee has spotted a POTENTIAL Free Throw VIOLATION.

If the Shooter makes the Free Throw the Referee will drop his / her arm and NO Violation has occurred (Since the Free Throw was made.)

Now, what if the Free Throw Attempt is missed, you ask? The Referee will blow his / her whistle, step towards the Free Throw Lane and indicate to the other Referee that a Free Throw Violation has occurred and the Free Throw Shooter will be given another Free Throw attempt.

Is the penalty a Technical Foul, as the fan wanted? NO!!

The only penalty is the Free Throw Shooter is given the ball for a repeat attempt.

That's it!! Just a simple violation, like traveling. NOT a "T."

In this instance, the Visiting Team Player made both Free Throws so obviously no "T" was called. Even so, the fan in the stands kept hollering for a "T" as the ball was in bounded and we headed to the other end of the court. Have you ever heard Bill Engvall's "Here's Your Sign" comedy routine? Hilarious stuff!!

Sometimes, after hearing some of the crazy things I hear fans holler from the stands, I'd like to be able to reach into my back pocket and pull out a "sign" and hand it to whatever fan is inciting his fellow fans to believe he knows the rules better than the Ref's do and say, "Here's your sign".....But that us not a current Referee Mechanic!

If Your Gonna Yell at the Ref, Please Know The RIGHT Rule.

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Mad Dog Saloon VS Space Money Mafia - A Basketball Game

I see some interesting Team Names while refereeing Men's Rec Leagues.

"Rec" is the abbreviation of "Recreational" but sometimes it would be more appropriate to call them "Wreck" Leagues.

A match up between 2 teams named Mad Dog Saloon Vs Space Money Mafia is a train wreck in waiting......

Team Names often reflect team attitudes......

An intensely waged game was on pause with in a 1 point margin when a Time Out was called with 10 seconds left in the game.

A fan motioned to me to come over and politely informed (No, really, she WAS really polite) that the Scorekeeper had failed to award 1 point to her husband's team on the last Foul I had called. She smiles sweetly, noting her husband's team was winning by 1 point but that if they lost by 1 point it would be because that point was not awarded.

"PSUK Basketball - Bristol 2013-145" by Andrew Spillane via Flickr

Could it be the point was not recorded? Possibly, but there was a Scorekeeper AND a Clock Operator handling the Scorekeeping and the last Foul I had called was not on a Shooter nor a "One and One Situation." AND, it is customary for Referees to look at the Scoreboard to verify the awarding of points during the course of the game, just in case the Score keeper does make a mistake....

I pointed that out to her in my reply and added as clarification, "If your husbands' team loses by 1 point, it will not be because the scorekeeper missed adding a point, but because one of your players just threw the ball at an opponent and the other Ref called him for a Technical Foul which is an Automatic TWO Points Awarded to the other team."

"Oh, I guess that does make a difference," she replied.

2 Players Fouled Out, 1 Technical Foul and a final 1 point victory margin when a player for the team behind by 1 spent the entire remaining 10 seconds dribbling around looking for a game winning shot to take himself instead of passing off to another teammate.

I would not have expected less from the Mad Dog Saloon & Space Money Mafia game......

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The Coach Just Had to Ask

I recently worked a Pre-Season Scrimmage where the Home Team Coach questioned the very first call we made...and nearly every other call after that.

This Coach has a reputation for doing that and really annoying Referees.

When I called Traveling after his player fell down while holding the ball after getting a rebound (an automatic Traveling call!) the Coach hollered, "She tried to dribble on her way down! That's not Traveling!"

"Coach," I replied. "I did not see any attempt to dribble. Even if she tried, she fell to the ground while holding the ball, so it's still Traveling."

"No, no, she was dribbling while on the ground! Didn't you see that?"

"No, Coach, I did NOT see that and now your version is changing...Please just let the Refs referee and you can focus on coaching. OK?"

He replied, "Hey, I'm just asking. I can ask, can't I?"

"Coach, you were NOT asking. You were attempting to influence me to change my call, which strictly speaking is a Unsportsmanlike Technical Foul."

"I'm just asking!"

"Coach, you 'ask' about almost every call that goes against your team. Quite frankly, us Referees get tired of all your asking and after a while just quit paying attention to you. THAT can be quite a problem if you want to call a Time Out and we figure you were just 'asking' about something else again and ignore your request."

After that he did not "ask" about any more calls the rest of the game......

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Is it ONE "Tweet" OR Two "Tweets?"

In basketball, when a Referee sees a Foul, a Violation or someone requests a Time Out the Ref gives a powerful single BLAST on the whistle while raising the hand straight up, high above the shoulder with the palm open in the standard "Stop the Clock" mechanic.

New Basketball Referees are frequently encouraged to "put some air in that whistle!"

Not so, I'm finding out in Volleyball......

Volleyball is a much more genteel and polite sport.

"John at Work" by David Fulmer via Flickr

Volleyball Refs do not blast their whistles. We "Tweet" them. Politely.

And sometimes I need to remember is it ONE Tweet or 2?

If I am the "R2" (the Ref on the floor in front of the Scorer's Table) and I see a Net/ Foot Fault or a ball out of bounds, I give ONE Tweet.

BUT, if a Coach asked for a Time Out , and I am the R2, I need to give 2 Tweets and then signal the Time Out making a signal similar to a Technical Foul in basketball and make the signal on the same side as the Coach that called the Time Out.

A Basketball Time Out is recognized by the Referee giving a SINGLE blast on the Whistle and raising the hand straight up, high above the shoulder with the palm open in the standard "Stop The Clock" mechanic. It is an automatic reflexive response for me after 20+ years Refereeing Basketball......

But it is not so automatic for me in Volleyball!

I spent most of last season calling Time Outs in Volleyball Matches like I do in Basketball.

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"We're Practicing Drawing Charging Fouls."

Several years ago I was working a Summer Basketball Camp and sitting on the sidelines prior to my next assigned game, just watching the teams warm up.

An out of state team started a drill where the Dribbler would come up close to the Defender and the Defender would flail his arms and plop onto his backside. "GREAT JOB! THAT'S GOOD!" The coach was hollering as he encouraged his players.

Eventually he walked down by where I was sitting and nodded a hello. "Ready for a good game?" He asked me.

"Every game is a good game for me to work!" I enthusiastically replied and then asked, "What is the purpose of this drill?"

"We're practicing drawing charging fouls," was the reply.

"PSUK Basketball - Bristol 2013-21" by Andrew Spillane via Flickr

"Looks the guys are practicing Flopping to me," was my comment to which he said, "Yes, you could say it looks like that."

I pointed out Flopping was an intentional act to fake being fouled and classified as a Technical Foul and having just seen and hear him say that was what they were practicing, I said, "So anytime I see one of your players hit the floor I gonna ignore it at first, start calling Blocking Fouls on them the next time and then just 'T' up anyone who keeps flopping."

Did not have a single one of those players even come close to a Flop the whole game.....Imagine that!!

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You know the Rules have changed since 1958, don't you, Ref?

Players, Coaches & fans know ABOUT some of the Rules in basketball, but often do not really know the correct Rules......and THAT can cause problems when you're trying to referee a game.

Every year the Rules get tinkered around with. Some are minor procedural changes that the fans never hear about. Some are major Rule changes, like Hand Checking in High School Basketball recently. And all too often folks not intimately involved with the Rules, like Referees are, do not know about these Rule changes......until they see the Ref make a call they do not like or understand.

The other nite I was refereeing a Men's Rec League.

"PSUK Basketball - Bristol 2013-111" by Andrew Spillane via Flickr

A player, not liking that I had called a Violation he did not know was a new Rule Change, hollered at me, "You know the Rules have changed since 1958, don't you, Ref?

I thought that was a rather clever retort. After all, I am 63 years old. I know that, but I still move up and down the court pretty well and neither Alzheimer's Disease or Old Timer's Disease (I can never remember which one it is that I need to be worried about) has stricken me down, sidelined me or caused me to forget the Rules.

Amused tho I was with the comment, I "T'd" him up anyway for being disrespectful!

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Student Scorekeepers: Disaster awaits!

The Home Team is responsible for providing the Official Scorekeeper. A Scoreboard is an optional item but almost every High School has one and so a Scoreboard Operator is always on hand for games.

Recently, working a Varsity Basketball Game at a smaller school, our Official Scorekeeper was 16 years old & the Scoreboard Operator was 17.

"Fair-play Controller product" photo by David Fulmer via Flickr

When I learned that while checking the Score book Pre-Game I asked the school AD (Athletic Director) if they had any adults available to handle the scorekeeper, etc. The answer was NO, but that the students were "experienced."

I commented to my Referee Partner, "Disaster awaits us!"

Sure enough-

A wrong score was posted on the scoreboard in the 1st Quarter. Referees do not just look for Fouls & Violation in a game. We also keep an eye on the Scoreboard to be sure the correcte score & number of Team Fouls is posted. So when I saw 9 points for the Home Team stay at 9 points after a made basket I had to correct the score.

Then, after a Technical Foul was called, which counts toward the Team Fouls for One & One/Double Bonus Free Throws, the Scoreboard Operator did not change the Team Fouls. We corrected that. This was in the 2nd Quarter.

In the 4th Quarter the clock did not start after a ball was in-bounded, so I had to correct that, too.

By this time the 2 students were feeling quite chagrined.

I smiled to them, and said, "Don't worry about the mistakes. The fans will blame the Refs! You're OK."

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How to get Ejected from a High School Basketball Game

If, after spending the better part of the game yelling at, protesting, criticizing the Referee calls and generally being an abusive nuisance, it might not be a surprise to find out that the Referee's tolerance level for such behavior may be rapidly declining...... In fact, the "tolerance level" may not make it to Half Time......

And if you are sitting right on the sidelines and object to the Referee calling a "T" on a player from your team who throws up his/her arms & does some sort of hopping up & down with his arms flapping up & down in some sort of pirouette/ dance to protest for being called for an obvious Foul and holler VERY LOUDLY at the Ref, who is about 15' away from you, "Ref, YOU SUCK"......You can expect to be ejected.

If you are sitting among the same group of fans that had the first fellow ejected for hollering, "Ref, YOU SUCK," and you object to a player from the same team being called for a Technical Foul for "Taunting" by clapping his hands in the face of an opponent he had just stolen the ball from and scored a basket against saying, "Bring it on, dude!" And you look directly at the Ref who is 5' away from you and yell loudly, "YOU ARE THE WORST REF'S EVER!"......You can plan on being ejected.

And when after the ejection, the husband/boyfriend immediately stands up and sticks a Cell Phone Camera in the same Ref's face and says, "I'm videoing you!"......You can plan on being ejected, too. Politely, but quite firmly and immediately so.

And when the ejected fan "Flips a Bird" at the other Ref while walking out of the gym and the husband/boyfriend yells, "F___ YOU!" (TWICE) at the Ref as he exits, the Ref's pretty much understand why they had to call 3 Un-Sportsmanship Conduct "T'S" on players from the same team in the game (and NONE on the opponent). The kids do reflect their parents......

Oh, and the fan that "Flipped off" my partner said she was going to write a letter to the AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association) about the "out of control" Referees as she walked out of the gym. I'm sure the AIA will have great sympathy for her grievance......

You can meet such interesting people when Refereeing......

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