A huge topic of conversation amongst officials is how to handle coaches. Everyone has the story of the complete jackass that got deservedly T'd up and put in his place by the Big Bad Tough Guy referee. And while those exaggerated tales of bravado impress the easily impressed and can be entertaining, after 14 years they kind of get old. So I got to thinking about the different styles that coaches employ to try and get calls. Let's face it, if they can get 2 extra calls from each official per game, that equates to 6 possessions or sets of free throws, which probably equates to 6 points. Thinking of it that way, I expect the coaches to do whatever they can to get those possessions and points, or they just are not that competitive. Competitive coaches and players are why I love to officiate.
1. The Screamer. They love to get very loud so the whole gym can hear them. I'm not a big fan of the screamer, but they don't bother me a whole lot. If you ask them nicely to please stop screaming, that you are right there to listen to them so they don't have to scream, that usually works. I don't see a lot of guys scream the whole game, they tend to get very loud during short outbursts. They just cannot control themselves. Once you've asked them to stop screaming, you have the option to T them. However, do not T these guys if you or your crew either blew a call or m ade a really tough, but correct call. Let the guy vent within reason, as long as he is not personal or profane. But screaming on an obvious correct call is when they get dumb.
2. The MindF^%$er. These guys are the smartest and potentially the most annoying. They will be rather calm and try and get into your head. They will ask you an innocent question, then try and twist your answers against you. Examples are: "George, why did you call that handcheck?" "Because he had 2 hands on the ball handler and that is automatic per the NCAA this year." You then have him asking why you don't call that 5 times for him the rest of the game. I also heard this great line once: "George, do you hate X High School?" "No, Coach." "Well you sure act like it!" With these guys, answer questions with short answers that do not lock you into anything with respect to the rule book. Stay in gray areas, or else you will box yourself in and invite trouble. Minimizing what you say is the critical step, but remember that we have to communicate with the coaches. You cannot put The MindF&*&ers on Ignore. They'll turn into a Screamer and you'll have a problem.
3. The Whiner. These guys just don't give up. They chip about travels. They chip about 3 seconds. And they are usually incessant. These guys annoy me, but they are harmless. Usually, the chipping is just nervous energy that has to go somewhere, so they vent on us. If they chipped that much at the kids, they'd quit. If they held it in, they'd eventually explode and be a Screamer on steroids. Two ways to handle these guys. You can ask them nicely to not chip/ask for calls on every trip. You can tell them you are working your tail off to call things right both ways. In my experience, that works some of the time. The other way to handle this is to call a travel on them when they chip about travels. I don't like to call travels unless they are obvious and affect the game. A lot of times, I'll tell a coach he was correct, but it was a "Baby Travel" and I just did not pull the trigger. Well, if I have asked a coach to stop chipping, and he persists, I'll get a Baby Travel and not even look at him. That works far more often than the first method. For me, these are the guys that would have the highest chance of getting the T from me because they are the most persistent.
4. The Intimidator. They like to growl at you. They like to stare you down during time outs. They like to bark, "This is MY gym!" A few of these guys are intimidating. I've had 2 coaches make me nervous--Jim Castleberry of Richland and Greg Franz of Wenatchee. Both were gray-haired guys who could stare a hole through steel and blow your hair back with a loud caustic comment. The important things to remember when dealing with The Intimidator are to always be ultra nice and professional when addressing them, and never giving into it. If you go aggressively at them, more times than not the situation will blow up. These guys hold long grudges over T's. Acting as if you are unaware and unaffected by their behavior will usually be the best course, especially because the other coach will have no reason to question you or react to the Intimidator. The worst symptom of the Intimidator is how the opposing coach views your response. When you don't let it affect you, and have the courage to keep making the right calls in the face of the stare downs and growling, you win, and so does your game.
None of these are 100%. But think about how the coach attacks the officials during the game, and why they do it. If you can understand them, you'll be better prepared to deal with them effectively!
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