Game Log 12/22/2006: Back at it

Had my first game in 9 days today. I've been scheduled to do two games in the interim, but weather cancelled them both. So I felt a little bit of rust today. So it's fortunate that it was a smooth, calm game.

As much rust as I felt, one of my partners was doing her first game of the year...she had been out rehabbing a knee injury. In the first half, she really was slow to get in position...enough that I approached her at a time out and asked if she was all right. She said she was, but that she just needed time to warm up. She was a trooper...I think she was in more pain than she was letting on. So there were a few times when she was the new lead when I felt like I had to keep a close eye (as C, beating her down the floor) on things that might have been in her area, just in case she didn't have an angle.

The game itself was highly uneventful. Blue zipped out to a 12 point lead early, then kept it between 10 and 20 for the rest of the night. It wasn't a very high-scoring game--lots of full-court pressing, lots of milking the shot clock, not a lot of fouls. In fact, I didn't have a foul call until there was about a minute and a half left in the first quarter...but it was only the fourth foul of the whole game, so no big whoop.

The only complaint I heard all night was from the losing coach with 3:14 to go in the game. "They're slapping her! Slap, slappy, slap." I let it go. No need to go down that road that late. It worked...I didn't hear anything else.

I had last shot of the third quarter when the ball went out of bounds with a second on the clock (the scoreboard didn't show tenths). I chopped in the clock, and found that the player didn't release the ball on time. I waved it off (she missed anyway). As the players went to their benches, my partners came up and said "Did that buzzer go before she touched the ball?" Damn. It may well have, but I didn't notice. Next time I'll try to watch the clock, or assign a partner to be sure it starts right.

One other unusual thing tonight. Blue was driving when she took a weird dribble...she whiffed as the ball was coming up. She must have hit it hard, because it bounded past her, over the defender, and landed out of bounds. I was C--had a solid look at it. My partner as L signaled Blue ball. She was wrong. There wasn't a huge uproar, so I just stepped down towards the baseline to make eye contact. She called me over. All I said was "It's white ball." She overturned it based on that. I think I handled it right. If there'd been more yelling, I'd have gone sooner, but as it was, I just stepped down, made eye contact, and let her come to me if she wanted to.

A quiet night. I felt in control.

THINGS I DID WELL: Call selection, handled overrule well, rotations went well, I think
THINGS TO WORK ON: I still think my posture isn't good enough. Clock management on last shot.
NEXT UP: Three little-kid or junior high games on Wednesday, unless something pops up on Tuesday.