tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154967182024-03-23T10:57:25.447-07:00Illegal ScreenBloggingRef's officiating blog. Contains a journal of his basketball season, as well as his views on general officiating topics as they arise.
Updated frequently during the HS basketball season, sporadically outside of it.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.comBlogger368125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-3654561149480339552010-08-14T11:24:00.000-07:002010-08-16T20:36:45.630-07:00We're moving.I've decided to forgo anonymity and head over to a new location. Anyone who has been reading here in the past is welcome over there. <br /><br />The most important part: I'm using my name over there, and will therefore not allow just anyone to read my gamelogs. Those posts will be password-protected. <br /><br />However, if you've been a regular reader here, I want you to continue to read over there. So please click on the "How to access password-protected posts" link in the banner and follow the directions (which means emailing me).<br /><br /><a href="http://illegalscreen.wordpress.com">Here's the link</a>. Head on over for Part Two of this blog's adventure.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-75218572580196017352010-03-09T20:41:00.001-08:002010-03-09T20:53:47.976-08:00CampI didn't attend a camp last year. The February birth of my son meant I didn't want to invest time or money in anything like that.<br /><br />Which means that this year, I want to go to a camp.<br /><br />We have a local camp I attended two years ago, back in the I-want-people-around-here-to-see-me phase. I learned a fair amount, and I suppose I could head back there. However, there's a perception issue. As I'm moving up in this association, I don't want to put myself in the position of guy-who-still-has-to-learn-from-the-top-dudes-in-the-association. It's not that I don't have any improvement to make--I do. But perception is reality, and as I'm becoming a local crew chief quite often, I'm not sure I want to put myself back in that position again.<br /><br />So I recalled a camp I went to ten years ago. It was tied to a girls' AAU tournament that drew great players from all around the country. I remember knowing I was reffing some damn fine talent when I walked into a gym and passed Tara VanDerVeer walking out.<br /><br />I received a LOT of good feedback that year, but in retrospect, I didn't know what the hell I was doing. So I'm curious as to what I'd get out of it if I returned.<br /><br />The problem? It's $450. That's about a third of what I make officiating every year.<br /><br />That's too much. I won't pay it. (Last time I went, I was on a scholarship.)<br /><br />So I'm sort of poking around, looking for a cheaper place to go that won't necessitate a hotel but won't cost more than $175...$200 at the absolute most.<br /><br />And I'm not optimistic. This may be a camp-free year.<br /><br />(It will not, however, be without honest-to-goodness workouts. It's not just the reffing. It's that being a dad makes me want to live longer. Oh, and as the kid gets bigger, I need to develop some strength to carry the dude.)TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-34337602220781327492010-03-09T20:28:00.000-08:002010-03-09T20:40:56.207-08:00Game Log 3/8/2010: AfterthoughtAfter my most <a href="http://illegalscreen.blogspot.com/2010/02/game-log-2112010-this-is-what-its-all.html">excellent final games</a>, there was a danger of overlooking the last couple of junior high boys ballgames I had yesterday. But I geared up for it, knowing that the top <a href="http://illegalscreen.blogspot.com/2010/01/game-log-1252010-junior-high-stuff.html">junior high boys games I had</a> about six weeks ago were pretty high-quality, and I had one of the same teams. <br /><br />Didn't need to gear up. With four officials there, we figured (and we later determined incorrectly, alas) that my partner and I were on the lesser court with JV junior high players. <br /><br />In retrospect, we should have stepped up and taken the better games. My partner was a fellow varsity official, and we were a better crew for the more challenging game. But it didn't seem worth a fight, and two of the other guys (including my partner) insisted that my partner and I were on the lesser court. It doesn't matter--pay is the same--except that there were some complaints from the upper gym...they weren't calling fouls, one of the guys wasn't crossing halfcourt, etc. But anyway, it's over.<br /><br />We sort of coasted through our games...seldom switched on fouls (running clock makes this not merely evidence of laziness). Both games were blowouts; neither had any issues from anyone. I remember nothing except trying to stay focused so that it didn't bungle the end of my year. We got through without any issues...and now the year is officially done. 40 games. Nice round number.<br /><br />GOOD: Call selection in low-quality game, attempted partner communication (although he seldom looked at me)<br />WORK ON: Stay in shape (groin was barking due to a 3-week exercise-free break), don't get lazy<br /><br />NEXT: I want to go to camp, but I don't want to spend more than $175. I therefore may not go to camp. More to follow...imminently.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-88973563518142718862010-02-20T20:26:00.000-08:002010-02-20T20:59:36.340-08:0009/10 Season In ReviewI'll ignore the junior high games I have in three weeks' time, and say that my season officially ended with the marvelous games I had 9 days ago. And I will now continue the rich tradition of giving myself honest feedback at the end of the season (a tradition that went into hiatus last year due to the birth of my son).<br /><br />First, the numbers:<br /><br />I officiated 38 games this season:<br /><br />14 girls' varsity<br />11 girls' JV<br />5 boys' varsity<br />2 boys' JV<br />1 boys' freshman<br />4 boys' junior high<br />1 girls' junior high<br /><br />This compares favorably to the last two seasons, when I had a lot more freshman games. I was used almost exclusively on JV/Varsity doubleheaders this year. Additionally, I was the crew chief for about 75% of my games this year. I take both of these to be a sign of trust from my assignor, which I take seriously.<br /><br />Those of you who read this regularly know that I can be pretty hard on myself. In fact, just <a href="http://illegalscreen.blogspot.com/2008/02/0708-season-in-review.html">a couple of years ago in this space</a>, I quite honestly said that I had not had a very good year. <br /><br />But this was probably my best year I've ever had.<br /><br />First of all, empirically, the games went well. I've just read all 38 game logs, and there was only <a href="http://illegalscreen.blogspot.com/2010/01/game-log-1122010-one-stupid-stupid.html">one night</a> that I wasn't happy at the end of it--and that was just because of one call. Other than that, I handled every game that came my way smoothly. When I was <a href="http://illegalscreen.blogspot.com/2010/01/game-log-1122010-one-stupid-stupid.html">being sent to tiny schools as crew chief</a>, I got us through the games smoothly. When I was <a href="http://illegalscreen.blogspot.com/2010/01/game-log-11410-surprise-boys-varsity.html">surprised with a tough boys' game</a>, I certainly felt the challenge (and the coaches weren't necessarily fans), but the game went as well as I can imagine it could. <a href="http://illegalscreen.blogspot.com/2010/02/game-log-2410-i-do-not-complain-about.html">Can I handle [REDACTED]</a>? Yep. I can get the crew back together to have a decent second half. And finally, when I had a <a href="http://illegalscreen.blogspot.com/2010/02/game-log-2112010-this-is-what-its-all.html">close, important girls' game</a> late in the year, it was honestly the best night of my reffing life. <br /><br />I look back over the year and I feel nothing but competent. I kept writing "coach management" down as a thing I did well, and I think it's because I'm only now figuring out what to listen to, what to ignore, and what to shut down. My partners give me pretty good evaluations, and my assignments, as I said above, get a little better every year (this was the first year I was assigned any boys' Varsity games that were not attached to girls' games). <br /><br />So I will give myself a pat on the back. Yay me.<br /><br />I do think I managed to improve quite a bit this year in slowing down at the spot. I'm not saying so many stupid things as the whistle falls out of my mouth anymore. And when I watched myself on the videotape, I still cringe a little at my physical appearance, but I do think I've improved at least a little bit. I do plan on spending a little money this summer to get a personal trainer, and will fire off an email to a triathlete fellow ref as soon as the playoffs wind down.<br /><br />As far as stuff I keep seeing in the "things to work on" area, there are two.<br /><br />1. MENTAL FATIGUE. As it happens, the basketball season coincides with the busiest part of the year in my day job. Add a baby to the mix, and I sort of didn't get enough sleep. I noticed, especially in December, that I was mentally less than with it on the floor sometimes. I stopped commenting about that in January and February. I don't think it's that I was less tired...somehow I adjusted. But, nonetheless, I need to be careful to take care of me a bit more next year--be sure I sleep enough and don't arrive at the gym tired. It isn't a good thing.<br /><br />2. CALLING TOO MUCH AS LEAD. This continues to be an issue. I can't seem to lay off the call across the paint when I'm lead. I've put this down for the past couple of years, and I still need to hold off on those whistles just a bit. This is true on drives and on some rebounds as well...I need to trust my partners on the former and be sure I have a good angle on the latter. I don't trust the blanket statement I hear that "almost all calls should come from the C and T." If it happens in my area, and I'm L, and I have a good angle, isn't that what I have a whistle for? But I do get this feedback often enough that I need to re-commit to this next year.<br /><br />It's going to be a busy summer...minor surgery will take away a couple of weeks, and a buddy's wedding another week, and a possible business-related trip one more...but I still feel like it's time for camp. Not the local association's camp, either...I feel like putting myself in the "learner" position there over and over actually hampers people's perceptions of me. Instead, I think I'd like to head to a bigger camp across town--the same one I went to 10 years ago. Back then, I was in over my head. This time, I think it will really help more...going at a time when I'm better able to handle the suggestions.<br /><br />HOWEVER, I think I know what I'll get...a lot of people saying "You don't run well." Why pay $250 for that? Maybe I just focus on the personal trainer this summer instead. I must decide...<br /><br />Again, thanks to anyone who reads this. You keep me honest and accountable. And that helps, even in as good a year as this one.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-89907994496472220492010-02-20T19:30:00.000-08:002010-02-20T19:36:40.559-08:00Massive ovation for meHad a freshman girls' game slated for Thursday. <br /><br />My brother was in from out of town with his family, and I invited him out to watch me work. The game was a ways out in the boonies--far, far from their hotel--so I was flattered they came out. I met them for a pre-game meal. My brother asked if he could passionately, loudly cheer for us when we came out. I said "please, please don't."<br /><br />On top of the fact I was being watched, I was eager to end the season on a good note. We were on are way there--we got there early, had a good pre-game, and headed to gym #2.<br /><br />When I got there, there were no teams, no coaches, and no nothing...just my brother and his family.<br /><br />Clearly, there was a scheduling snafu.<br /><br />So I figured--what the hell. As I walked onto the empty floor, I put my hands above my head and started running around the court, getting all the applause I possibly could from the only four people in the gym. They did not disappoint. It was loud.<br /><br />Two minutes later, a freshman coach came in and said "didn't they tell you the visiting team doesn't have a freshman squad?"<br /><br />Nope, they didn't. So, while I'm happy to get paid for not working, and I'm pleased to have a mistake-free night where I didn't even break a sweat, I'd have rather had the game, especially since I inconvenienced my brother. But the big ovation was nice.<br /><br />Net result: my season is over. And I'll blog a season-in-review within a couple days.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-28291061736106420502010-02-12T14:14:00.000-08:002010-02-12T14:40:31.967-08:00Game Log 2/11/2010: This is what it's all about.Loads of games last night, which means that everyone is in use, which means that I got bumped up to R in a pretty high-profile game: the best girls' team in our area, which has shown signs of vulnerability lately, seeing if it could continue an ungodly winning streak. I was excited to get switched to this game from being U on a less-high-profile game.<br /><br />(Side bar: I never complain about my assignments, natch, since pretty much any game is a good game, an important game--note I said high-profile above rather than "big" or "important"--and all that. I like every game. But in the Sally Field "they like me, they really like me" sense, being R on this game means that I continue to make progress on big games.)<br /><br />It turned out to be a tremendous night. It started with a very sedate blowout JV game. All I will remember from this one is that we set the coaches box a bit too high for the coach to coach effectively. I twice had to move an annoyed coach back into the box...but the box meant she was constantly having to look around the C official. Tough to coach. Partner suggested we expand the box at halftime, and we did.<br /><br />Then came the varsity game--one which, due to the impressive nature of the favored team, had local TV and lots of fans present. Favorite did not come out and blow the game away early. It was tied after one. Favorite led by two at the half. There was almost nothing from either coach. Favorite picked up the first four fouls of the game, which led me to worry we'd have that coach on our backs for the game. But not so much--after foul #4, he barked at his kids: "Four fouls in three minutes. Use your feet!" Thank you, coach. I'd have said that myself if I could have. <br /><br />Then, a big foul on favorite. Underdog sets a screen that favorite pushes through, knocking her over. She may have even lost teeth, at least according to underdog coach (fortunately, no blood). I reported the foul and beckoned coach. Favorite coach actually said to me "She was moving!" I hope my smirk wasn't too bad when I gave the only response I could: shaking my head and saying "no."<br /><br />Halftime, partner said I was going too far downcourt as C on press. I probably was...I was trying to stay ahead of the pass by a step or two, but upon reflection, that's 2-person thinking. There's absolutely no issue in being beaten downcourt on the press. I'd rather be a step behind that play than a step in front of it.<br /><br />Underdog has a great third quarter. Favorite can't put it together. Underdog is up by four after three quarters, and I'll be damned, I'm presiding over an upset that would rattle the entire area, one that would make the newspapers all over the area--maybe even the state. And we're doing an awesome job. It doesn't really feel like I'm the R--we're a 100% team out there. Not much to say after three except "we're doing great, guys, keep calling what we're calling." I can only recall one or two coach complaints all night, and only the one at me. As I wait for the fourth quarter to begin, I remind myself...stay in my area and do a good job.<br /><br />But the thing is, in this, one of the more high-profile moments I had experienced in 11 years of doing this, I felt 100% calm and with it. I would NOT have felt this was as recently as 3 years ago. In fact, comparing my mental state at the only really <a href="http://illegalscreen.blogspot.com/2007/01/game-log-1222007-big-one-finally.html">high-profile game I had</a> in my former big-city home, it's not even close. I owned this one tonight.<br /><br />Favorite came out and hit some threes, underdog turned the ball over, and favorite managed to win by 6. One perhaps-controversial call I had with a few minutes left--a travel on favorite after she caught the ball on a fast break but before she took it in for a layup. Several short toots of the whistle and stated "Up here, she traveled." (Why did I say "up here"?) I stand by the call, but I wouldn't turn down another look at it.<br /><br />In the final few minutes, as underdog fouled in a futile attempt to get back for the upset, I found myself grinning. Part of it was a cat-ate-the-canary grin...we got out of this without a single big issue. Part of it was just complete satisfaction. I was trusted with this game, and I showed I was worthy of the trust.<br /><br />And part of it was my knowledge that this was my last varsity game of the season, and that I'd get to ride this high all summer long. It just felt awesome. Didn't really have a game all year that I felt bad at the end of. I'll talk about this more in my year-in-review post later on, but I'm really happy with how everything went this year.<br /><br />If ever I become disillusioned and pissed off and want to quit officiating (and it will inevitably happen, as I'm sure it does to all of us), please remind me of how I felt after this game. There's really no feeling like it.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Called the right fouls, great partner communication<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: Less verbiage at spot, stay home on press as C<br />NEXT UP: I officially finish the HS year with a girls' freshman game on Thursday.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-68792911959758553002010-02-04T22:39:00.000-08:002010-02-04T22:59:33.094-08:00Game Log 2/4/10: I do not complain about partners on my blog.Girls' JV/Varsity doubleheader. JV was a dream to ref in the first half...minimal contact. Second half, we managed to get a few frustration fouls on Green as they endured a blowout loss. We didn't back down.<br /><br />The varsity game was a challenge in all sorts of ways.<br /><br />For starters, as I was about to inbound the ball to start the second quarter of the Varsity game, one of my partners [REDACTED]. Then, two seconds after the quarter started, he [REDACTED]. <br /><br />Not long thereafter, I had a first: I had to muzzle the road team's bookkeeper, who was barking at me repeatedly. He said he'd shut up, and he did.<br /><br />Then, with about thirty seconds left in the third quarter, [REDACTED] The bench [REDACTED] I was confident that [REDACTED], so I walked up to her and asked her if [REDACTED]. But when I worked with partner on this, there was a communication issue that I didn't find out about until later. Anyway, we did the free throws and got to the end of the half.<br /><br />When we approached the table at half, the road book--the guy I'd warned, was over by the home book comparing notes. [REDACTED.] That's when I decided we needed to get away from the table and into the locker room.<br /><br />Once we got there, partner [REDACTED.] He said he was used to partners who would [REDACTED] in that situation, and that he was mad that I didn't. I don't remember everything he said, but [REDACTED.] I pointed out [REDACTED], but he really insisted that [REDACTED.] <br /><br />My #1 goal, of course, was to calm all of this down so we could focus on the second half. I said so, saying "What we need is to get all of this behind us--end it all--so we can have a good second half." I brought the other partner in on the conversation (he had been silent), and he gave me some constructive criticism on my calls (I was reaching across the key as lead. Guilty as charged...I've been good about not doing that this year, but had an off night). <br /><br />We then managed to go out and have a decent second half. My partner even [REDACTED] at the first time out (I'll look up if this was legal). We shook hands after the game and my partner said he was glad [REDACTED].<br /><br />After the game was also a concern. As we headed to the parking lot together, the quieter partner mentioned a complaint that the losing coach had that we all agreed was groundless. But the angrier partner [REDACTED], which really made me uncomfortable. <br /><br />All in all, I'm glad a wise man once gave me <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=15496718&postID=4293214402431337033&isPopup=true.">this advice</a>, nearly exactly a year ago. It came in handy tonight. I tried to focus on my area and make the calls I needed to make and let [REDACTED] fade into the background. The second half wasn't too bad, actually...only two reaches across the key. Too many, but tonight I think I earned a mulligan. And I'll be better next time. <br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Coach discussions went well, may have prevented [REDACTED]<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: Partner communication, reaching across key as lead<br /><br />NEXT UP: Last JV/Varsity game of the year on Thursday. It's actually a biggish one. Not an even matchup, but first place against third (first is very far ahead of the field, though, like a horse race with Secretariat). I'll still look forward to being in that first-place gym, though.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-33443470196242458152010-02-02T22:51:00.000-08:002010-02-02T23:06:21.702-08:00Game log 2/2/2010: Hard foul=good for the game?Girls and boys' small-school varsity tonight. Two very strong partners--and I got to be the R. <br /><br />Neither game was good. The girls' game was never close and wound up being a 10-point spread. The boys' game was pretty miserable--White won by 60.<br /><br />The first game was pretty calm...not a lot of fouls to call. I don't remember reaching the bonus for either team in either half. What I remember is a minor struggle with the last shot mechanic. We'd somehow left it out of the pregame, so when the clock ran down, we had to communciate pretty demonstratively about who had the clock. (It was whoever was facing that direction.) Also a pretty weird coach complaint late. He said he heard a slap and how could I miss it. I honestly didn't know what he was talking about, but I was lead and away from the shot. I wish I'd said that, but instead I just said I didn't know what he was referring to, but if I'd seen what he was describing, I'd have called it. After the game, my partners said they both had it...the slap was hand-on-ball. I was able to say that to the coach before the boys' game. I'm glad I got a second chance at that conference.<br /><br />The boys' game was a complete mismatch. I got the sense the losing team might get frustrated, and said as much at haltime. In fact, I said I was worried we were already passing on some stuff against the losing team that we probably shouldn't. We were able to go out and get a few early, but a very hard foul actually turned the tide in this game's manageability. The winning team was on yet another fast break, and I was lead. Loser came and chased down winner as winner shot his layup, and gave him a pretty hard body-to-body contact--and arm-to-arm too. Now, this particular gym has very little room behind the hoop, so the fouled player (who made the hoop) wound up banging into the base of the wall. I immediately came up with an intentional foul (my first this season). <br /><br />Partner was the star of this show, though. The foul-er was high-fiving his teammates for what he thought was his strong physical play. Partner simply approached him and pointed at the hurt player under the basket. The fouler didn't know the kid was hurt, and he immediately felt really bad.<br /><br />Physical play cleaned up a lot after that. In a crazy way, the hard foul and the hurt kid (who I suspect will be okay) was very good for the game. It calmed everybody down, and we were able to cruse through the final quarter with almost no foul calls at all.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Positioning, partner communication<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: Coach communication, got too close to a play or two<br />NEXT UP: Evenly matched middle-of-the-pack girls JV/Varsity on Thursday. My season is actually coming to an end in a hurry--work commitments limit me to Thursdays hereafter, so I've got games on the next three Thursdays...and then I'm through.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-33551648817629608872010-01-31T15:42:00.000-08:002010-01-31T15:44:03.363-08:00Rules GuyThis also happened: I was visiting a varsity game where there was an unusual call in the first half. I headed into the locker room, where there was a disagreement on the call, and one of the officials looked at me and said "So, Rules Guy, who's right?"<br /><br />I gave my take on it (which was right, by the way). <br /><br />I'm feeling pretty good, since I have my wife give me those <span style="font-style:italic;">Referee</span> magazine quizzes every single month, and I know that I'm pretty good about assessing the appropriate penalty. All that hard work is paying off! A veteran official trusts me with the rules! It's an honorable moniker...I'm Rules Guy!<br /><br />(By the way, as an aside, wife and I have fun with the rules quizzes. As soon as wife says "A1 has the ball..." I tend to respond with "Oh, A1! Whatever will you do today?" It's a laugh a minute. Maybe we need to get a babysitter and get out for a change...)<br /><br />I then asked the veteran official: "So, how did I get to be Rules Guy?" <br /><br />"Oh...you just look like a Rules Guy."<br /><br />OK. So it's not my dogged determination to be right or my ability to get it right under pressure that he noticed by calling me Rules Guy. It was simply the fact that I'm kinda dorky-looking.<br /><br />Well...I'll still choose to take it as a compliment. I'm Rules Guy.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-38755688002719175052010-01-31T15:31:00.000-08:002010-01-31T15:42:44.713-08:00I'll admit it...I can't be the only person this has happened to. It's towards the end of a tough doubleheader, and I'm standing for a free throw, arms extended sideways to signal a one-and-one. And suddenly, it occurs to me...<br /><br />"Man, do I ever smell bad right now."TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-40885300286266081622010-01-31T15:19:00.000-08:002010-01-31T15:31:45.938-08:00Game Log 1/29/2010: When the junior high JV coach complains...Challenging games on Friday. We had unskilled junior high boys who aren't quite good enough to be on the top teams. And I had a partner who was doing his fifth and sixth games...ever.<br /><br />It's almost impossible to come out looking good in a game with players who--and I say this remembering my own junior high years, not to ridicule the players--aren't quite acquainted with their newly-long arms and legs. The game wasn't violent, but there was enough contact and violations that we could have blown the whistle almost all the time. On top of that, my partner was struggling, as I certainly was during my fifth and sixth games. So I tried to keep an eye all over the court...sort of had to. <br /><br />Between giving encouragement and basic lessons at time outs ("Be sure to get your arm up when you blow the whistle!"), I just worked as hard as I could.<br /><br />But the coach for one team kept chirping. "The fouls are ten to four!" "You can't let him plow in like that!" I talked to her once, saying that I wasn't going to listen. She kept it up. Finally, I said this during a free throw: <br /><br />"Coach, this is a challenging game, and I have a partner who is new. I'm not going to listen to you today."<br /><br />As soon as I said it, I felt bad. I didn't intend to throw new guy under the bus, but I sort of did. Fortunately, the coach took it the way I wanted it to be taken. She said "He's new?" and then didn't say another word all day long. But next time, I'll want to be more careful...maybe say "still learning." A more buttheaded coach could have gone a different direction. <br /><br />The first game wound up being a one-point game. It came down to free throws on a foul I called out of my area--too obvious to let my partner die with, I thought. Kid made one of two. Losing coach didn't like the call (it was not the coach I had to warn), but his team also had multiple free throws, etc. down the line.<br /><br />Second game was a blowout with two very kind coaches. Same problem as before--lots of limbs and little control of them. We passed on a LOT. I felt bad because one kid got a bloody nose, but it wasn't because of a foul...it was just two kids reaching for a loose ball, and one got it in his schnoz (and I didn't see how, but it sure wasn't much of a foul if I did). Most of the game was spent beseeching my partner to get his hand up. I look forward to seeing the guy down the road...it's too early to tell how he'll do, but it's always fun to see improvement.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Adjusted game to unusual circumstances, handled whiny coach<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: Geez. This game was so bizarre and such an outlier that I'm not sure where to go here. Maybe go easier on novice partner? Early on, I may have given too much advice.<br /><br />NEXT UP: Small school girls/boys varsity on Tuesday.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-39058642789620658122010-01-28T22:58:00.000-08:002010-01-28T23:14:01.196-08:00Game Log 1/28/2010: Coach managementSome ticklish situations tonight in my JV/Varsity girls' games. We had a winless team against a middle of the pack team. I was the R with two surprisingly inexperienced partners...this isn't a complaint, since both worked hard, but I had to do a LOT of traffic cop on 3-man mechanics. But still, it's always a surprise when I'm the Big Dude In Charge.<br /><br />JV game was especially challenging, since the winless school had only 6 players on the squad. Those girls were also doing enough fouling that we could have made them go the second half with 4 or even 3 girls, but we held our whistles on the the borderline stuff, and perhaps a couple of things just on the other side of the border too. Winning coach was a little annoyed, but this was a least-of-several-evils situation.<br /><br />Anyway, with about a minute and a half left, winless fouled out its second player and was then stuck with four. Winning coach told my partner she'd willingly pull a kid and play 4-on-4. Partner agreed. While that is certainly a sweet sentiment by coach and partner, I had to tell partner that this was against the rule--winning team had to play with 5 or get an illegal substitution technical (and then be required to put a fifth kid on the floor after the shots). Partner went in and reversed his decision. Nice move.<br /><br />Much to everyone's surprise, the Varsity game was tied after a quarter, but Winless couldn't keep it together after that and wound up losing by several dozen. We called the game properly, I think--didn't ever ease up (they pretty much didn't let us). I'm proud of my coach management from tonight. Winless coach is a good guy, polite throughout. Reasonable people are easier to deal with, but I'm still proud of how I handled some situations with him.<br /><br />Case 1:<br /><br />COACH: You've got to call them for keeping an arm on our dribblers! You're letting them get away with stuff you're calling on us!<br /><br />ME: Coach, I disagree, but I'll look.<br /><br />-Immediate silence. (For what it's worth, Winning team played pretty good straight-up defense, partners and I agreed.)<br /><br />COACH: Sir, could you explain that last call before halftime? (This was early in the third.)<br />ME: Coach, without going into too much detail, let me tell you we talked that one over at halftime.<br />COACH; All right.<br /><br />Oh, and one funny one, after winless absolutely creamed a shooter:<br /><br />COACH: I'm not going to complain about that one.<br />ME: [cracks up at table]. Thank you.<br />COACH: Yeah, she creamed her. Nobody could complain about that one.<br />ME: But people do.<br />COACH: Well, I won't.<br /><br />Nice moment overall.<br /><br />The game was as good as we could make it--on the whole, it came together just fine, especially for a pair of inexperienced partners on a varsity/JV doubleheader. I won't pretend it was perfect, but I was a leader, managing personalities of coaches and partners under some tough circumstances. I'm proud of the work we did tonight.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Coach management, partner management<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: May have let the losers of the JV game get away with just a shade too much.<br />NEXT: Junior high boys doubleheader tomorrow (Friday).TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-17701176624640176752010-01-28T22:49:00.000-08:002010-01-28T22:58:33.059-08:00Game Log 1/25/2010: Junior high stuffI'm a few days behind on my game logs--I'm finding that a boy on sleep strike makes it difficult to blog at night after the games. But I remember enough about these games to know there wasn't a serious problem. Coaches behaved well and kids (8th and 7th grade boys) were surprisingly talented. The second game came down to a last shot. I was lead when a kid for the team trailing by one drove and tried to force a shot. Not much contact on the shot by the defender, who knocked the ball out of bounds. Blue ball. They missed three shots in the final five seconds thereafter, and the kid who drove on my no-call was none too pleased, but I'd do it again.<br /><br />Pet peeve: parents who stand back behind the baseline and bitch--in a gym with inadequate seating, there's not much to be done.<br /><br />I also debuted new shoes in these games. Have a blister on top of my right big toe, but no sign of tendon trouble. Hooray.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Call selection, stayed in area<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: Keeping up with quick, turnover-plagued boys<br /><br />NEXT: It already happened. JV/Varsity girls tonight.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-61225064423984260792010-01-21T22:15:00.000-08:002010-01-21T22:30:26.052-08:00Game Log 1/21/2010: Good game with one bizarre moment; did I get it right?Freshman boys tonight. While doing one game in a night is not nearly as lucrative as my usual JV/Varsity boys' doubleheader, it certainly is a lot more pleasant.<br /><br />What I liked about this one is that my partner (a third-year official) and I had a really good pregame and stuck to it. We said we would take care of the dribblers; each of us called hand-checks in a way that showed crew integrity. We said we'd watch off-ball; we had some good post play calls. While the home team got out ahead significantly, we never changed the way we called the game; the game didn't call for it. It's a good thing, too, since the visitors almost made a game of it.<br /><br />Lots of shot clock problems. It's certainly possible we missed a bum reset or two, but we noticed problems often enough that I'm proud of our alertness. And I even put a coach back into his box!<br /><br />One bizarre moment tonight that I think I got right (but I'd like verification).<br /><br />Late in the game, there's a foul on White. It's the kids' fifth foul. Two shots (double bonus). I head out to report it, where the table tells me the kid is disqualified. Coach doesn't care for the call, so I provide a quick explanation which delays me a little bit as I tell the coach and the player that this is the kid's fifth foul. Long story short: when I turn to tell my partner about the fifth foul, he <span style="font-style:italic;">already has the kid for Blue shooting.</span> <br /><br />He misses.<br /><br />What do do now?<br /><br />I brought on the sub and had the kid shoot two. Explained to the White coach that "you only had four players on the floor."<br /><br />Not sure this is right. What would y'all do in that situation? Ignore the missed free throw and shoot two, or count it and go on to shoot the second of two?<br /><br />Anyway, a relatively problem-free night. I'm glad we were the ones on the job; we kept it clean and stuck to it throughout.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Followed through on pre-game talk, crew integrity, coach management<br />WORK ON: Got beat down the floor a time or two, posture probably wasn't good<br /><br />NEXT: While I originally had a girls JV/Varsity doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday, I had to turn it back due to a work commitment. In exchange, I made myself available on Monday. Net result: I'm doing junior high games on Monday. I'll use them to work on posture and slowing down on the spot.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-84448202324316803062010-01-14T22:41:00.001-08:002010-01-14T22:54:18.173-08:00Game Log 1/14/10: Surprise! Boys' varsity!Had a JV game scheduled tonight: two-man. Headed out there and handled it all right. Partner and I discussed things clearly, put together a few decent quarters, cleaned up the game, and headed to the locker room. We simply shook hands and readied ourselves for a surprisingly early trip home.<br /><br />Problem: There were no officials in the locker room.<br /><br />We called our assignor. My partner reached him. Fortunately--indeed--because he wound up heading up for a three-person game.<br /><br />We needed him. It was a physical matchup--and it was probably the toughest boys' game I've ever had (not that there have been many).<br /><br />Home team jumped out to a big lead and basically held on thereafter. And, in the second quarter, visiting coach became really pissed off at me. Down on his offensive end of the floor, visiting post player thrusted out his butt and displaced his opponent. He doesn't get to do that. Foul on Red. I wound up in his ear for the next possession. "Look at that in the post! Don't call it on them!" First thing I saw worth calling? A push on Red.<br /><br />Coach was irate. He actually called time out just to holler. Didn't think it was a technical, but didn't really have much response either. Eventually, I just said "Coach, are you done?" He was speechless. He didn't want to say "yes," since I hadn't said "Gee, coach, you're absolutely right." He didn't want to say "no," either. So he said "Are you going to start calling that?" I just said "I'll keep calling the game as best as I can."<br /><br />I did wind up warning him in the third quarter, which pretty well stopped him for the rest of the night. Red had launched a shot that hit the shot clock above the backboard (after the rim). I blew it dead and gave it to White. Correct call--as correct as it comes. Next time down the floor said "You know, that ball didn't hit the shot clock." How the hell do you respond to that--a simply false statement? I responded with "Are you done?" again, and then a warning.<br /><br />One other weird play. I had a double foul on banging post guys. Shot clock was NOT reset, which it should not be. But in my mind, I got screwed up when someone shouted "Reset!" I thought..."wait, we just had a foul" and blew my whistle too soon. But I caught myself and said "Wait...no...keep the shot clock at 16." White's assistant coach--a former college official, or so I'm told--said "No! You reset it to 20!" I'm pretty sure that's the college rule, but I know damn well it isn't the high school rule. I wish I'd either been a little more assertive or not responded to the assistant coach at all. But I said "That's the college rule." When he persisted, I said "I'll look it up." Better would have been "Let's both look it up, coach, but it's the college rule."<br /><br />I do think we were tending to catch the second foul instead of the first, but this game was so physical that anybody would have struggled with it. (Did I mention how glad I was that a third official showed up?) It wasn't an incredibly great game on my part, but it wasn't a crash-and-burn either. As I continue to move up, I'll take that.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Kept cool with loud coaches, handled weird situations reasonably well<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: I was a little timid, and I think my posture was a little off.<br />NEXT UP: Boys freshman game on Thursday.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-74918820782975608182010-01-12T22:18:00.000-08:002010-01-12T22:26:57.336-08:00Game Log 1/12/2010: One stupid, stupid mistake.Worst game of the year tonight, and all because of one screw-up. It didn't impact the game, and I did fine in all other aspects of the JV and Varsity games, but with about a minute left in the first half of the varsity game, this happened.<br /><br />White scores. I make my way upcourt as C. I head the coach say "Can I get a time out?" I toot my whistle.<br /><br />Shit. Shit and damn and hell. Black was bringing the ball up the court, and I just tooted my whistle for White's time out request.<br /><br />I did manage to say "Inadvertent whistle." If I had it to do over again, I would then have run away from White's coach and motioned my partners to inbound the ball again before White could call time out. But I didn't. I said: "Coach, I couldn't give you that time out then, but now the ball is dead. Do you still want it?"<br /><br />Of course he did. <br /><br />Black's coach said "Isn't that a technical foul?" I said "No, it isn't. It's a mistake by me." A minute later, at halftime, she said "Did they change that rule this year?" I don't think it's ever been a rule.<br /><br />Anyway, an error that stupid really, really frosts me. I'm better than that. I've been having an awesome year, and even had a really good one -last- year. Then I up and do something like this. Crap.<br /><br />It was a little bit in my head for the second half, but I don't think it impacted the quality of my calls or my game. It just sort of kept me mentally distant. Which, clearly I was to begin with, since it screwed me up.<br /><br />I'd like to focus on the rest of the game--I had a few tough block/charge calls that I think I got right (and so do my partners), and we had good crew integrity and nice call selection.<br /><br />But all I'll remember from this night is one breathtakingly stupid moment.<br /><br />GOOD: Call selection, decent coach communication<br />WORK ON: Keep my goddamned brain in the goddamned game<br /><br />NEXT UP: Boys' JV (alas, it's 2-person) on Thursday. Gotta shake the one whistle off.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-33364622097924142542010-01-09T17:27:00.000-08:002010-01-10T06:42:39.347-08:00This heckle is no more. It has ceased to be.I went shopping for ref shoes at the mall yesterday. The sore ankle freaked me out, but it looks like it's absolutely nothing--the pain was gone the next day. But it did freak me out enough that I decided I needed new ref shoes.<br /><br />In the past, I've ordered them on-line, but after shutting down early for tendinitis two seasons ago, I've concluded I have to wear the things before buying them. So--to Foot Locker.<br /><br />I was greeted by a very friendly, helpful clerk who put up with me as I tried many different pairs of shoes. I noticed he was wearing the old, collared black-and-white ref shirt. And in the midst of this, out of nowhere, it occurred to me:<br /><br />I can't remember the last time a fan told me to "Go back to Foot Locker!"<br /><br />It used to be one of the top five heckles in frequency. What I liked about it was that every pinhead fan who shouted that thought he or she was the only person clever enough to come up with it, when in reality about they were in a subset of about 15 percent of all heckles.<br /><br />What happened to the Foot Locker heckle?<br /><br />And all at once it hit me:<br /><br />In our area, varsity officials now wear the grey (which <a href="http://illegalscreen.blogspot.com/2005/11/sartorial-matters.html">I don't care for</a>). Foot Locker salespeople have not made the switch. Therefore, during varsity games anyway, officials no longer dress like Foot Locker salespeople.<br /><br />Heckle, we hardly knew ye...TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-60015437267539366422010-01-08T07:46:00.000-08:002010-01-08T07:47:27.760-08:00Uh-oh.I woke up this morning to ankle pain--the back-outside part of my right ankle hurts--a bone-on-bone kind of feeling--when I point my toe. I can still walk, and probably run too, but I'd better see a doctor before my next game. I hope to heck I'm not sidelined--I'm having a great year.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-12003342681033235532010-01-07T22:15:00.000-08:002010-01-07T22:33:52.101-08:00Game Log 1/7/2010: Another good set o' gamesI don't like going to this gym because they put us in the boys' coach's office, and he usually is in there with us. We watch ESPN on his computer. There's really nowhere else to go (it's a very small place), so we just sit around and talk. I don't mind that, but I do NOT like the appearance that I'm hanging out with a coach for an extended period of time. I don't see a way around it, though.<br /><br />Anyway--boys' and girls' games tonight. The girls' game was pretty smooth. These were very tiny schools (student body of maybe 100-200)--a tiny rural town school coming here to face a tiny religious school in a conference matchup. So there weren't too many skilled kids around. Didn't hear much from anyone, really, until late. With about 45 seconds left, White was down by 4. Green inbounded the ball and White pressed. I waited for the foul. No foul. Just good, stand-up defense in the backcourt. Green passed and dribbled. More good defense. The clock ticked down. Then I heard it from the White assistant coach.<br /><br />"TEN SECONDS! TEN SECONDS! TEN SECONDS!'<br /><br />Puh-leeeeez. I normally don't talk to assistants, but when I headed back down the floor with about 10 seconds left, I started to tell him there is no backcourt 10-second rule in the girls' game. He'd obviously been clued in, because before I could speak, he sheepishly said "I know, yeah." White hit a bucket with a couple seconds left, but lost by two.<br /><br />When I saw the boys' teams, I was worried. Lots of big boys; I was ready for physical play. But each team settled into a zone and stayed there. Made life a LOT easier. Partner said we could have rotated more, but in a zone when the ball is kicked back and forth, I'm not so sure.<br /><br />Anyway. Two weird calls. One was early in the second half. White went up for a shot, but while the ball was about waist level, Green blocked it. The ball didn't go far, but it popped out of the shooter's hands a little. He gathered it in while he was still in the air, dribbled, and scored an and-one.<br /><br />White coach shouted for a jump ball. I said "Nope, coach...he lost control." To his credit, the White coach asked me for a explanation later, and accepted it.<br /><br />Then, there's the When Should You Call The Same Thing At Both Ends question.<br /><br />Green, who had stayed with White all day, totally fell apart in the fourth quarter, and were down by 18 or so with about 2-3 minutes left. They shot a three and missed. Partner had a call on the knock-the-kid-over-with-his-butt "box-out." The player had landed, so we shot one-and-one.<br /><br />Coach and crowd were livid. Incorrect, but livid. They couldn't understand why were weren't shooting three shots.<br /><br />Just my luck, though...About a minute later, White shot a three. And before he landed, Green threw a little forearm his way and made contact.<br /><br />I may have scowled, since I knew how pissed off the losing team and their fans (who were already playing the "we're getting homered" card even though their team was down by 20 by then) would be. But that's a 3-shot foul.<br /><br />Green coach was mad, but he made like a Jeopardy contestant and phrased it in the form of a question.<br /><br />"What's the difference between the play down there and this play?"<br /><br />I may have shown some annoyance, but I answered his question.<br /><br />"That player down there had landed. This player had not yet landed."<br /><br />There was no response. It's nice to be right.<br /><br />I know that there's a school of thinking that, if similar plays at opposite ends occur, we need to call the same thing. But that feels chicken-poop to me. It's not my goal to be popular; it's my goal to be right...and I was.<br /><br />I'm noticing an old, bad habit creeping back in...I'm saying stupid crap after I blow the whistle. The only call I want back all night was the first call I made in the boys' game...shooting foul...but not much forearm contact at all, and a helluva lot of ball. Nobody complained, but I didn't care for it. And I showed it, because the first words out of my mouth were anticipating complaints: "That's not all you got!" What the hell is that? SLOW DOWN, dude. Take a beat and you're less likely to say stupid stuff.<br /><br />Another fine night, though.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Coach management, in position, call selection<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: Slow down, slow down.<br /><br />Next: Girls JV/Varsity probable blowouts on Tuesday.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-60958124992140246662010-01-05T23:06:00.000-08:002010-01-05T23:25:32.552-08:00Game Log 1/5/2010: Boys' doubleheaderFor the first time, I was assigned a boys' JV/Varsity doubleheader tonight. I've done boys' varsity before, but only as a part of girls/boys doubleheaders that the tiny-tiny schools do. These schools were merely small.<br /><br />To be honest, I was quite nervous before the game, in a way I haven't been all year long. But I was a part of a good crew (including a 30-plus-year veteran), and the night went pretty well, all things considered.<br /><br />The JV game was 100% uneventful. Got a moving screen early, flew through the first half without any bonus free throws, and made it through a surprising blowout second half (the team that was down by 10 at half outscored their opponents something like 30-3 in the second half. It was crazy.).<br /><br />The Varsity game is the one I'll remember.<br /><br />As my partner pointed out, it was a game that forced us to make a lot of decisions. Little handchecks, little bits of contact on rebounds, incidental crashes on loose balls...which ones do we like? <br /><br />First, the Green coach was bummed because his team had committed 6 fouls to his opponents' 2. Then, the White coach was bummed because the next several fouls were on him. "We've had four in a row against us!" he said. I didn't see why that was significant. His kids kept fouling, and he thought it was ridiculous that they'd get to 15 in a half. Obviously, my partners and I did not feel the same.<br /><br />The third quarter was crazy. Partner called a T on a kid for in-bouding the ball and then standing out of bounds for a few seconds. Coach's argument was "He was only there for three seconds!" The argument proved the infraction. <br /><br />Then came a bizarre double-whistle. I was T on a full-court press, doing the ten-second count. I got to ten, tooted my whistle, and held up "Ten seconds!" Unfortunately, my partner tooted his whistle at the same time because White had called time out. We came together. He said he had the time out before the ten-second count. I said that it was close, and I thought it pertinent that the shot clock had ticked down 13 seconds. It seemed to me that, with that evidence sitting in front of everyone, it was the safer route to call ten seconds. We did. I stand by that.<br /><br />Finally, I had the last shot at the end of the third quarter. It was an unusual gym with a clock at only one end, so I was keeping a corner of an eye on it when there was a steal and a break for White. I hauled my butt down the court, waiting for a possible crash on the breakaway layup and listening for the buzzer all at the same time. Stealer went up--and I had a block, a clear no-call. But I was taken by surprise by the second shot that took place as soon as the player recovered the ball. I had another no-call, but it's one I'm a little less confident in.<br /><br />The third quarter therefore ended with some of the loudest boos I've ever endured. <br /><br />Here's the thing: it didn't bother me. It surprises me, sometimes, to notice how much I've improved and matured as an official in the past few years. I was totally calm under great stress.<br /><br />Of course, my veteran partner put it best, I believe. "Well, guys, we're not going to redeem ourselves in White's eyes. So let's just go out and keep reffing our game."<br /><br />The best part: the fourth quarter was awesome.<br /><br />Coach started the fourth quarter by saying "He was fouled on the layin." I asked "Which one?" and he said "Both!" I responded thusly: "Coach, I had a good look at the first one. The second one...well..." Coach nodded, and that ended that.<br /><br />Not long thereafter, I had a stone-cold push-off on White's big post kid. Two hands on the upper back, and he then gathered in the ball for a laying. From my position as C, I had it perfectly, so I closed and sold it.<br /><br />My mojo with the White coach continued. "He only had one hand! It was just one hand getting the ball! He can't have pushed off."<br /><br />My response was 100% effective. "Coach, if that's what you saw, the you started watching the play a little after I did. The push was before that."<br /><br />He nodded. <br /><br />Man, do I love feeling competent. And tonight's games have given me confidence for boys' games in the future. I still have some work to do, to be sure--I need to be prepared for more blocked/challenged shots than I'm accustomed to on the girls' side. But this was a tight, stressful game in which I felt neither tight nor stressful. The game could have gone into the crapper in the fourth quarter, but it didn't. Most of the credit for that belongs to the players, but a lot goes to us, and I'm proud of that.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Coach communication, rotations<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: Adjustments to boys' game<br /><br />NEXT UP: Tiny-school girls/boys varsity on Thursday night.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-84939629390337898142009-12-30T22:42:00.001-08:002009-12-30T23:02:12.741-08:00Game Log 12/30/2009: One of the craziest games everJV/Varsity girls' games tonight. Quite a challenge. <br /><br />First of all, I've spent the last several days recovering from the flu (hit a temperature of 102 on December 26). Climbing up stairs was a challenge a couple of days ago, so a doubleheader was a stretch tonight. <br /><br />What's funny is that the running wasn't the hardest part. For reasons I don't fully understand, it's actually more challenging to have crisp mechanics than it is to run--more physically taxing, somehow. So I slipped into some bad habits, particularly during the JV game (which was uneventful--I barely remember any of it other than a dead and silent gym). I even told my partners that I'd be saving up a little energy in the second half (mostly accomplished this by walking the last 5-6 steps in dead ball situations rather than walking the whole way). I was worried about my ability to get through the varsity game, but when the intensity of play stepped up, I was able to match it. No fatigue at all, which I'm proud of.<br /><br />Coaches for Green were all very, very chirpy, and not in a kind way. They were mostly all over my partners, except for a carry that I had that they didn't like--he accused me of seeing something that wasn't there. (It was a great call, by the way. The dribbler's hand was on the side of the ball, but it came to rest there for a beat as the dribbler pushed it forward. Carry.) There had been enough from both coach and assistants that we discussed at halftime giving a warning at the next opportunity. Head coach gave us that about 4 minutes into the third, and partner whacked an assistant shortly thereafter.<br /><br />Assistant insisted he hadn't said anything. I was opposite the benches, so I didn't know, but I don't believe my partner would make anything up...and even if he was mistaken, I really don't much care, since we could have called something on any number of other outbursts (and even had we not, there surely would have been another shortly thereafter). <br /><br />Head coach tried to talk to me after the warning (but before the T). I politely said "Coach, you've been warned, so we're not listening anymore." That was effective.<br /><br />Assistants asked me for an explanation on the T. I simply said "My partner heard what he heard." What the hell did they expect me to say? I was across the court.<br /><br />Anyway, Green got back into the game after an abysmal start, and managed to tie it up with about two minutes left. Each team turned the ball over a bunch in the final couple of minutes, and White had it with 10 ticks on the clock.<br /><br />I'm C opposite table. Last shot is mine.<br /><br />Clean steal. Green is taking the ball downcourt. Bedlam in the gym. But she panics--thinks there's less time left than she does. She chucks up a terrible shot with 4-ish seconds on the clock.<br /><br />It's no good.<br /><br />Rebound kicks out the the elbow. ShoBUZZERt goes up. Swish.<br /><br />I was ready to raise my hand and wave it off.<br /><br />(Here is the only part of the story where I think I fall short. Normally, I'm tooting that whistle from the instant she shoots, shouting "No! No!" But this time, I didn't. Was I replaying the really important shot in my mind? Was I just a tad slow? Did I freeze? I vote for #1, but #3 is disturbing.)<br /><br />Anyway, before I raise my hand, T toots his whistle.<br /><br />Thankfully, neither of us went up with anything.<br /><br />The gym is going bonkers. All of us get together.<br /><br />"Did you have the ball in her hand?" partner asks.<br /><br />"Yes."<br /><br />"You had the ball in her hand at the buzzer?" partner repeats.<br /><br />"Yes."<br /><br />"Okay. No basket."<br /><br />And the two of us turned and waved off the basket. Green and their fans were decidedly unhappy, but both of us had the same thing, so I feel good about the call. It was close enough that we'd have gone to replay if we'd had it at our disposal, but alas, non-conference small-school-in-small-city girls varsity games aren't televised.<br /><br />I do wish my partner hadn't come in with a whistle. It rather surprised me, since the whistle was supposed to be mine. But it's all for the best since (1) I'm very confident we got it right and (2) we probably looked better as a crew, not worse, coming together on that.<br /><br />Overtime was quite uneventful, and Green wound up winning anyway. In some ways it was a weird game--the calls just weren't coming to me in the fourth or in overtime, so I felt like a tad bit of a spectator. But how often do you get to wave off a game-winner? I can't remember another time. So quite a night.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Maintained composure under loads of pressure (never felt even a little bit of nerves!), kept focus in varsity game in spite of not being at 100%<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: Possible freeze on last shot, lost focus a little in JV game due to illness, let mechanics get a little loosey in JV game<br />NEXT UP: My first boys JV/Varsity doubleheader. Small schools on Tuesday.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-56035263294623840332009-12-22T23:18:00.000-08:002009-12-22T23:37:50.187-08:00Game Log12/22/2009: I really need to learn to runI went back tonight to officiate the team with a coach I'd had to T up <a href="http://illegalscreen.blogspot.com/2009/12/game-log-1282009-challenging-and-weird.html">a couple of weeks ago.</a> I was on the alert for any kind of grudges, and things wound up being pretty uneventful--save one little comment.<br /><br />First, the JV game. It was smooth and quiet--not a lot of fouls, and a fairly light, clean game. The only thing that went wrong was that I plum fell down at one point. I was running into L position, looking over my shoulder, when I tripped on...nothing. Maybe the paint for the baseline was an especially thick coat? Anyway, my wipeout put me on my hands and knees--and scraped and bloodied my knees on the polyester of my ref pants. Blood soaked through enough that it was visible...even on the black knees. <br /><br />No real pain or problems moving, but it did sort of knock me loopy-ish mentally. I told my partners between games that I shouldn't have problems moving or calling fouls, but that they should look for any bizarreness as a result of my mentally-off state.<br /><br />(I've been mentally off a lot lately. Need to figure out how to bear down a bit.)<br /><br />The Varsity game was close for three quarters before Red ran away with it in the fourth. Both coaches wanted travels; I felt like kids were keeping their pivot feet down. The Red coach wanted "over the back" (not a foul call, of course) on the White kid who was a head taller than anyone else on the floor. As is so often the case, the tall kid was doing nothing wrong; merely reaching up and grabbing the ball from over the head of a taller opponent. No contact=no foul=no merit to the complaint.<br /><br />The main issue was that the loudest complains from Red came not from their head coach, but from an assistant. So I had a chat with the head coach about how I would talk to him as much as he wanted, but I couldn't hear from his assistants. It went on a hair too long, but since it was effective, I won't complain (didn't hear from the assistant again pretty much all night). Then, as I ran into position for the next play, I heard from the White coach (the guy I had to T a couple weeks back), and I learned he did, in fact, harbor a little grudge. "I got a T for saying 'over the back!'" he said...I think humorously.<br /><br />But let's get real. Yes, I did T him for that...as the last in a series of about five hundred unsportsmanlike utterances that night. To blame his ejection on exactly one action was crazy.<br /><br />I did respond a little--saying "I'd warned you, coach"--and immediately regretted it (although nothing went further). I didn't give a crap about the game 13 nights ago and may have made it look like I did by getting sucked into that conversation.<br /><br />Anyhow, the game moved on pretty uneventfully from there. There were huge swaths of game (like most of the third quarter) where I didn't have a single foul call--simply the luck of the draw, I think. And there was one more situation with the White coach late--he wanted a call for something I honestly had no idea about (it was out of my area.) Somehow, it turned into a laugh for both of us (he said "call it on us; we're trying to foul...but I'd rather you call it on them!" Well, that's not very funny, but a lightened atmosphere sure did help out there.<br /><br />A quick note about locker room talk: I feel like a lot of halftime discussion becomes too similar and not too helpful. It's usually coach-centric: "The [insert color] coach is on me. He wants [insert call]. But I can't give it to him because it's not happening: instead, [insert what is really happening]." Or, alternatively, "The [insert color] coach really didn't like the [insert call] that I had against his team. But it was really a good call. The player [insert brief description]."<br /><br />I'm guilty of this too, but I think it's about 85% of halftime conversation (at least tonight). Coach complaints probably merit a lot lower percentage of our time. As R in the future (although I'm done as crew chief for a while), I'll try to steer conversation more to how we feel and less to how coaches feel.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Coach management, crew integrity<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: Mental alertness, staying upright<br />NEXT: Eight days to another girls JV/Varsity nonconference matchup.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-38653149188589377802009-12-17T22:46:00.000-08:002009-12-17T22:57:05.462-08:00Game Log 12/17/2009: A hair offNot much to complain about in this JV/Varsity girls' doubleheader, but I don't think it was one of my best nights, either.<br /><br />The three of us were set to start the JV game when the Varsity coach came and said nobody was there for the C-team game upstairs. We tried to contact the assignor--no luck--so one of my partners went to do that game solo while the other partner and I did a 2-person JV game. I now do enough 3-person that it's weird to do 2-person, which is actually kind of nice. The JV game was completely, 100% without incident. We called a fair number of fouls early--as I recall, the foul count was out of whack--but it went just fine. My relatively-green partner was in my area once or twice, but no big whoop. The game was sort of endless--lots of whistles--so the partner who soloed upstairs wound up watching and waiting for us. But there was little to pass on.<br /><br />The Varsity game was not a big problem either. The coach for Blue liked to chirp quite a bit. I had a pretty clear shooting foul against his girl early--full forearm on full forearm--that he wanted to talk about. He surprised me with his civility. "I can't even argue that. You saw what you saw. But I think you got it wrong." I smiled and said "I disagree, coach." Handled that okay. He did get louder when the foul count was strong against him, but I didn't see anything to call against White. It eventually evened up just of its own volition, but he was still barking a little. Nothing T-worthy, but enough that we discussed later on how we need to make sure he didn't get in our heads. Was he in my head? I think he was, just a little, but it didn't impact any of my calls.<br /><br />I had two I'd like back. One was an OMG double-dribble that was in front of my partner as C (I was T). I thought he had it. I should have saved his butt, but I didn't. The other was a scramble for a loose ball. Blue landed on top of White, so I called Blue for the push. About two seconds too late, my mind reconstructed the play: Blue didn't land on top of White she pushed her; Blue landed on top of White because White was on the floor, where she tripped up Blue. Blocking foul on White. Barking coach had some things to say about that. Regrettably, I couldn't compose a good response on the spot, and I didn't want to burn my one "Gee, I screwed that one up" for the night just then...so I gave him the ignore.<br /><br />The game itself was fairly slappy and sloppy, but we got through it. Our observer said we had a good game. He also said that my mechanics are as good as anyone's he's seen. WOW. I can't believe I've gone from "look bad, too loosey-goosey" to "one of the best I've seen" over one summer. I think I'd like a second opinion, to be honest. While I can handle a compliment, I'm just not sure I could have come this far this fast with no real practice. But still, it's nice to hear.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Positioning, rotation<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: Brain freezes (double dribble and set up wrong on FTs twice), coach management a little better, perhaps<br />NEXT UP: Smallish schools on Tuesday night. Girls JV/Varsity again.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-4872769646727400142009-12-17T22:37:00.000-08:002009-12-17T22:46:49.697-08:00Game Log 12/15/2009: Two Ts in a row...An interesting challenge the other night that I can't really reveal because it would show where I was officiating. I may talk about it later on in the year, however. But not here. Here, we'll just say we had two microscopic-school games, girls then boys. The girls microscopic-school team played a C-team for a local larger school and trounced them. The boys team played a microscopic school and pulled away in the second half.<br /><br />The first game was smooth. What was most difficult about it was that this microscopic school used what was more or less an elementary school gym. The court was so short that it had the double-line for halfcourt that we had to explain to the visitors. Also, there was literally zero room on the baseline, which meant that we tried to eschew rotations as much as possible. Essentially, we agreed to holler when we rotated, which was rarely. But it all worked out.<br /><br />Boys game was tougher, mostly thanks to the White coach. On my second call of the game--a rebound push where his kid landed on another kid--he piped in that his kid was 50 pounds lighter than the opponent. I didn't really have a response, since there is no wording in the rulebook which states that smaller kids cannot foul bigger kids. I did manage to say "Coach, this is not a polite question" (echoing what I say to coaches before every game). He said "I don't have a question." So I knew what he was made of early. He continued the play-by-play from hell enough that I warned him late in the second quarter. Both my partners said it was a good warning. He cooled off for a while, but his team started to fall apart in the third quarter (it was close at halftime). He chirped a little more then, and with the warning passed, the T was easy. In fact, my partners said they were surprised at how long I waited! "I'd have had him when he sarcastically addressed you as 'sir,'" one said. Nope--not enough. (How do you explain that in an ejection report? You don't. So I won't T for that.) We got together and said that they would have to have the second T. Second T was a possibility, really, but never quite arrived. Which I'm fine with.<br /><br />I can't recall any real issues--calls I'd like back or calls I wish I'd made. I do think I was calling too much as lead, especially on rebounds. Need to have a more patient whistle there--that's a recurring theme for me this year in 3-person. But beyond that, it wasn't a bad night.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Handled bizarre court well, took no crap<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: Patient whistle as L<br /><br />NEXT UP: Well, it already happened. A Thursday girls JV/Varsity doubleheader. Just scroll up and you'll see.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15496718.post-57193929631797689292009-12-08T22:39:00.000-08:002009-12-08T22:59:39.470-08:00Game log 12/8/2009: Challenging and weirdWeird night. JV and Varsity girls games. <br /><br />The JV teams weren't terribly skilled, and they gave us plenty of opportunities to call fouls. Not much we could pass on, either--these were NOT ticky-tacks. To give you an idea how many we called, the varsity game wound up starting 35 minutes late. But I can't think of a single one I'd like back. The main problem was, as the game went on (and on, and on...), we were sort of lulling ourselves to sleep. I took control in the locker room and warned everybody that we would need to step up and speed our brains up for the second game.<br /><br />One weird call in the first half--not mine. Partner A had an elbowing technical foul against Blue. He didn't call it flagrant--didn't eject the player. Coach and player were upset, but fortunately player said "I had to do it; she had my jersey!" I think that made the sale of the call much easier. We went on from there.<br /><br />The problem was that Partner A and the coach seemed to know each other from the past. So while I was getting literally no guff the whole game, Partner A was getting it. No issues in the first half, though.<br /><br />In the second half, things started to get weird.<br /><br />Partner A had at least 8 travels on Blue. Maybe a dozen of them (and only 1 or 2 on White). I do not remember me or partner B (a guy who's on his way to being a great official, but only in his second year and a tad deferent) calling a travel on Blue. <br /><br />It looked bad. It looked a little like a vendetta. To be sure, partner A was callign stuff elsewhere. And I don't think he had a vendetta or any ill will. I just think he decided he needed to call every travel.<br /><br />I probably should have gotten together at a time out and stressed crew integrity, maybe between the third and fourth quarter. But I didn't--it didn't feel enough to call everyone together about. In retrospect, I wish I would have, because Blue coach's behavior started to go downhill.<br /><br />The part of the night that bugged me most was during Blue free throws when I was next to the bench. The player (elbower) was next to the coach, and she was pissed off about something Partner A was doing. Coach was encouraging unsportsmanlike behavior. "Don't worry about him," he said to her. "He's just like that. They call him Captain T." I managed to say to the player "Kid, keep your cool. I'm right here." But I chose not to disrupt the conversation. I guess if the coach wants to teach disrespect, I can't stop it, even if I would like to. But I know, as a teacher, that even if I don't like a fellow adult in the building, I would never actively undercut one like that. He continued to mutter--for my benefit--about the partner even as the kid walked away. I ignored it.<br /><br />Anyhow, with about four minutes left, he had added the play-by-play from hell. Typical stuff--wanting three in the key when shots were going up, wanting everything (even though we were already calling a LOT of fouls on very-aggressive White). And, again, all of the coach's bile was directed towards Partner B...until I had a pretty freakin' obvious forearm-in-the-back-on-a-free-throw-rebound. Easiest call of the night.<br /><br />He went bonkers. "You're going to call her for boxing out???"<br /><br />I kept my cool and approached him. "Coach, two things. First of all, you don't box out with your forearm in the back."<br /><br />"How'd the player get around her?"<br /><br />"It doesn't matter how. Your girl's forearm gave her a big shove in the back. Secondly, I've had enough of you. I don't want to hear you anymore. No more. (give the palm signal)."<br /><br />In retrospect, those sentences have too much "I" and "you" in them. I'll try to ease up a little...go with "coach, this is not sportsmanlike behavior, and it needs to stop. Enough." But still, I think I handled it okay.<br /><br />I even gave him one slip-up...barking for three-in-the-key...before T-ing him up for a loud "OVER THE BACK!" Again, like most T's, this was for persistent infringement, not for the one outburst.<br /><br />It's hard to say whether our lack of crew integrity contributed to this guy getting so worked up. I'd already had him this year, and he had acted like a total angel (although, to be fair, his team won by 30 that night...tonight, they won by about 10). I need to think through what to do in future situations like that. I think I had a good night, but I don't know that we were as good as a crew as we should have been, so in the end, I guess that reflects on me. That's that. It is what it is.<br /><br />THINGS I DID WELL: Call selection, pregame, felt fairly consistent<br />THINGS TO WORK ON: More care with "you" to a coach, crew integrity<br />NEXT UP: Have a week off due to family coming to town. I have tiny-tiny schools oubleheader on that day--girls and boys varsity.TeacherRefPoethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com0