Game Log 12/16/2005: The 0:01 Bummer

Two games tonight...JV and Varsity. My partner for the JV game was a first-year man in our association, but he's done years of rec ball and CYO ball, so he was really quite solid. I'd work with him anytime. We were joined by a third more-experienced-than-me partner who was the R for the varsity game.

The JV game was quite uneventful. The only real issue was that the shot clock was not working (for both games), so I had to count a 10-second backcourt count. Since I don't do boys' ball, this is a little tougher for me than one might think...after the game, the experienced varsity partner had to tell me some things about the rule. Other than that...solid.

The varsity game was a blowout...White beat Blue by about 35. (Incidentally, I was calling them "Blue" and my partners were calling them "Black" for the first three quarters. Dammit...I really think they were wearing a very dark navy blue, but I was the one looking like a dork for being different. Just because neither of my partners can see...) We called a very good game, I think, keeping it under control without calling a million fouls (I don't think we made the one-and-one in either half, but things were clean.) If the game were 31:59 long, I'd be blogging about what a stud I was tonight, but something happened with a second left that has me questioning myself.

I was Center. There was a jump ball...two players on the floor. It was just outside the key on my side of the floor, down by the baseline. On a rebound, this is pretty well either official's call, but in my primary. Both my partner and I came in with the jump signal, closed on the players, and I gave my customary "easy...easy..." The Blue player, who was frustrated at the score, was trying to disengage, perhaps a little wildly. The White player gave her a weakish but discernible one-handed push as Blue leaned away to get up. I felt like I could have called a T, but with my partner right there, I deferred. We just let the Blue player, very upset, walk away, inbounded the ball, ran the last second off the clock, and got the hell out of there.

The Blue assistant coach was upset. He said to me "You've got to stop that!" My reply was, I think, reasonable: "We did, coach." (Of course, I had no business talking to the assistant. Perhaps my decision to talk to him betrays my uncertainty?) After all, it was over, and we were headed to the locker room. The assistant followed us there. My partner explained what he had. I didn't...I don't ever want to reward a coach--particularly an assistant--who follows us to the locker room.

After the game, my partner said a no-call was best. Blue had rolled over onto White, which frustrated white. Blue was already bummed about the scoreboard. There was one second left on the clock. We were evaluated. Our evaluator also said a no-call was best. Everyone thinks we got it right.

So why am I wishing I'd called either a technical or a double technical?

It's not the assistant coach's words...I can (and do) ignore that. It's that, as I was closing in, I thought "that's a T." But I let it go to my more experienced partner. I walked the walk...explained it to the coach right, and to the evaluator. But I can't help but think it would have sent a good sign to T either White or both. Sent a message of "Hey, I know it's late in a blowout, but pushes...even weak one-handed ones...and flopping over on a player are NEVER okay."

I think I just need to come in stronger in a situation like that and trust my instincts a little more. I'll blog about that soon.

THINGS I DID WELL: Blowout management, three-man rotations (yay me! this was my best 3-man game yet!), focus.

THINGS TO WORK ON: Don't call across the key as lead, confidence/decisiveness in weird and intense situations.

NEXT: Tuesday afternoon, I have JV and Varsity games at a tiny religious school.