Coaching - Dealing With Refs

i know someone on here must be a sideline pysco..

anyone got any funny storys about dealing with refs,

and just general advice from refs to coaches adn coaches to coaches....

heres where i stand..

a bad call happens..
well ok, you get that..

but unless that call is going to greatly effect the result of the game or the momentium, i leave that alone, if a similar call happens again and its a bad call, i'll try to ask the referee to explain what happened so i can get a idea of what he saw compared to what i saw..

if a similar call continues to come, and my guys are clearly annoyed by it, ill just mention in a time out, we are playing vs the other team not the refs, and mkae sure they dont do anythng silly, and jsut go out there and play...


usually ill jsut ask questions and make light mentions of things if they are missed twice, or not called twice....

while i wont do it..
sometimes coaches will get a T on purpose, this can really work.. as alot of times after that the refs will call it more in your favor to avoid future problems...

the downside is sometimes it can lose your momentium..
but sometimes it gets the guys fired up.. ?
it can be a good tactic, but you must know how to do it well, so your players get inspired by it, and you dont make a dick out fo yourself...

[SLICE23]

we hear what you are saying !!!!

[Hoffa]

sometimes coaches will get a T on purpose, this can really work.. as alot of times after that the refs will call it more in your favor to avoid future problems...

Like throwing a triangular foam sign onto the court :P

[Eeeee]

I always tell the refs when I disagree with the call - Well, we are playing B grade, so I guess we get B grade refs - Only problem is when we play A grade its the same story.

I want to video the refs at Albert Park and send it to them. They really suck. A lot.

I always tell the refs when I disagree with the call - Well, we are playing B grade, so I guess we get B grade refs - Only problem is when we play A grade its the same story.

I want to video the refs at Albert Park and send it to them. They really suck. A lot.


maybe thye pick on you coz u always give them shit

[Eeeee]

No, Ive played rep ball and club ball in Vic in multiple cities/towns and in NSW in multiple towns. Albert Park is the worst I have experienced, hands down.

[barrybazza]

Damn dont say that. I play at Albert Park for the first time tonight. The refs at the Corporate Games were pretty rubbish though. I assume they'll be the same ones. Hi Albert Park refs! ;)

On saturday night we had a very well reffed game.. the closest thing to a complaint from our bench was..
In a friendly tone,
I have no worries with any of your calls, im just a little worried about the foul count 5-0.. the referee acknowledge, and that was that.. in the next few mins, they were picked up for a couple of hands fouls. Which was what we thought wasn't getting called a few times..

No dramas at all, one of the better refereed games ive seen

[Skindog the Hawk]

How not to deal with refs, Part I
12 seconds to go, scores tied, you grab a steal, fast break down the court only to charge into the defense - and you get called for it.

Dumb move #1 - You spike the ball into the court and get teched.
Dumb move #2 - Your teammate boots said ball and gets thrown out.

Other team gets 4 free throws and possession - they make 2 (hence you're down 2 with 12 seconds to go)...

Dumb move #3 - Another teammate decides to call referee (who has just teched one and thrown out one) a "f**king fag"...gets thrown out, opposition makes another 2 free throws to seal game.

Anyone got any better??
SD.

[Lemon Custard]

I got teched once at Sutho in an all areas competition (in which Menai always wins, because we are by far superior :D nah.. The Sutho miniball is terrible - no offense BJ :wink: ) and I was coaching an under 10s team.. Here's the scenario.

So I'm stalking the sidelines (BG style) and Red (my team - a girl) #5 goes in for a layup, Blue #whatever ( a boy) gives some serious body contact and with that gets her arm, as a result she misss completely and loses the ball. It was fairly soft, but for an 9 year old girl - she had no chance.

So I said to the ref (a 12 year old know-it-all) "What the hell was that? A no call?" He answered, "part of basketball"
So I screamed. "GIVE ME A BREAK MAN!! She's 9 years old!! What the hell do you want her to do? Pull up for a 3 pointer? She can't get in the key with that sort of defense!"

With that.. I got teched (ARGH).. The other team got the 2 shots and then possession.. I got yelled at by a couple of parents, and a few plays leter - another girl on the team, who is 8, swung the ball between her legs, and up in the air. The crowd stopped, mouths open in awe as the ball hit the backboard and in for 3..didnt even look like missing :oops: I nearly died.. and the ref came up to me at the end as if he was freaking fantastic.. arg.

Nah skinny boy.. I can't beat your story

[revolution]

...

[Coachpete]

I often wonder why junior domestic coaches regularly default to yelling and screaming at referees in order to get the referess to do what they want. It doesn't work with their teenage kids. It doesn't work with their wife/husband. It doesn't work in their workplace. Why would it work with someone just because they have a black and white shirt and a whistle around their neck?

The answer to this can vary. Let's face it....some coaches are knobs.......so are some refs. You take any cross section of human beings and you're going to strike some knobs. I always find in my dealings with refs that if you talk to them reasonably they respond in kind. The big problem with a lot of young refs though is that they have no idea how to communicate with a coach. I can always tell a ref that is on their game from the way they interact with me. If they can't talk to you they're out of their depth IMHO and shouldn't be doing the game they're on. You can teach the mechanics of lead/trail,areas of responsibility,advantage/disadvantage etc etc but if the ref gets struck dumb every time the coach asks them a question then they shouldn't be there. I know this didn't apply in your situation but I've found the frustration of the brick wall of silence can lead to a desire to yell on occasion :wink:

[Btdg]

Good refs are an absolute pleasure to play with, I must say. Albert Park refs copped some criticism before, but the majority of the refs who do A-grade there are very good. There are a couple of wankers, but then, in any collection of people there is always a couple of wankers.

Good refs will talk to you but not take crap. The best are the ones who constantly watch the game and talk to the players - "hands off, watch yourself in the key, etc". They control the game rather than just blowing away willy-nilly. The worst are the ones that make blatant mistakes, then tech people for pointing them out, rather than having the balls to reverse the call (I'm talking about very blatant mistakes).

Usually though the best way to approach refs is just to treat them with respect. If you yell, or act aggressively, don't expect any love - just like you wouldn't yell at the butcher, or anyone you deal with in the rest of your life. If you actually ask questions like "what did I do wrong there", you'll find the refs not only willling to talk, but they get to know you and your game, pay it a bit more attention, and the calls start to go your way. Thats just my experience anyway.

[Coachpete]

just like you wouldn't yell at the butcher

Lucky you're not my butcher

"WTF MATE....LAMB CHOPS 15 BUCKS A KG....YOU MUST BE FUCKING KIDDING ME. GET YOU FUCKING THUMB OFF THE SCALES YOU THEIVING BASTARD............"

:lol:

[the_referee]

Im only 14 referee all ages of basketball some people dont take me as serious but when i deal with angry coaches i use VERBAL JUDO. Its a book that taught me many great ways of dealing with conflict i use it alot it shuts people up.

[Homer]

I've ben around a few years too, a bit along the same "player profile" as Revolution.

One thing that comes to my mind is ...........

If a ref is doing what the coach believes is a bad job, does said coach think that by giving him a spray and putting him under even more pressure that he will actually IMPROVE in his performance?

Treat a ref the same way as you would like to be treated.
After all we are all people.

homer..
say you feel that a referee is doing such a bad job ( or not putting in such a effort) that the game is actually unsafe (i.e players getting away with jumping over and onto backs, so they keep on doing it more and more.. off ball screens, getting away with shoulders, stepping up and hitting hard on screens etc.. so they do it more and more, as they can, pushing from side on ball handlers, i.e hand checking or body and when they jump they are off balance, yet no protection is on them, and no fouled called, so it happens again and again)

if you mention to the referee at timeouts, 1/4 etc.. and nothing changes..

what is your recomendation in that situation..

i know some people who have been in games where safety has been a issue..
what would you recomend doing ( in game)

[the_referee]

homer..
say you feel that a referee is doing such a bad job ( or not putting in such a effort) that the game is actually unsafe (i.e players getting away with jumping over and onto backs, so they keep on doing it more and more.. off ball screens, getting away with shoulders, stepping up and hitting hard on screens etc.. so they do it more and more, as they can, pushing from side on ball handlers, i.e hand checking or body and when they jump they are off balance, yet no protection is on them, and no fouled called, so it happens again and again)

if you mention to the referee at timeouts, 1/4 etc.. and nothing changes..

what is your recomendation in that situation..

i know some people who have been in games where safety has been a issue..
what would you recomend doing ( in game)

Get the court manager/supervisior i dont no about other associations but at mine we have great court supervisors that will explain any rule questions to coaches and talk to referees to make them improve.

[revolution]

...

[Homer]

Good start Rev. Anything is better than giving the ref a spray. All that does is gets his back up.

[Stigma]

If you've approached the ref and asked them to calm the game down both ways, and he just can't or won't deal with it, pull your team off the court and refuse to go back out until something is done. If you forfeit, so be it. Player safety comes first. And it's interesting how quickly senior officials appear to see what's going on and try to resolve it. No referee likes to write on a scoresheet that a game was forfeited by a team because they said it was getting too rough - especially since a scoresheet can apparently be used as a legal document (I think?).

I've seen a coach do it and it worked a treat. A senior ref came and sat in on it, and everything calmed right down. It WAS an extreme situation though.

Stigma

[Steph]

May i ask what competition it was? sounds really bad on the refs part they should at least say that they are going to calm the game down

[Stigma]

It was a junior game. Under 16 girls. The referee never said he'd calm it down. As soon as the senior official arrived, the coach put his team back on the court. It all happened in less than two minutes. I don't know what the senior official said to the coach. I think the coach was just trying to make a point, which it looked like he did. It was very quick. I felt bad for the ref - he must have been 13 or 14.

Stigma

[Steph]

Was this in melbourne? v.c? Ive seen some really young refs who do our games and.....well they are a bit inexperienced and have made some really bad calls at crucial times. it affects the players and the coach and takes the game to a different level. We had 1 a few weeks ago and he was TERRIBLE and lucky for him they were getting evaluated that night. We ended up winning by 2 to bulleen (also under 16 girls) and i never ever say that refs are the cause for a loss but maybe if he had made some smarter calls then the scores would have been different. thank fully we have some awesome refs going around one who is Sandy (don't know her last name) and she os one of the best refs for junior basketball in australia.

[Stigma]

In my opinion, and I know it's difficult to do, but up to a certain age, referees should generally be a couple of years older than the players they're officiating, unless they're with an extremely senior official, which again is often difficult to coordinate.

At times when I've played in the relaxed lower grade games, there have been kids nearly half my age reffing, and you can tell they are definitely being influenced by the players. How can you not be influenced by someone your parents' age?

:? Stigma

[Steph]

I agree with the age thing, the younger refs should start off in the younger comps and then work their way up depending on their improvement.

I still would like to know where this incident was and what level it was at. Sounds like juniors are getting fewer experienced refs. In v.c especially you should at least get refs who have been doing it a while and know how to handle the players and coaches. otherwise you will get us adolescents hassling the refs and putting them under even more pressure!

[Stigma]

It was in a lower division game in Northern Queensland. You rarely see any senior refs doing those games. Oh, except for the Finals, OF COURSE! I always wonder why that happens.

Stigma

[Steph]

ok wrong state. Oh well goes to show you get the youngens all over australia.

Oh well the ref chose to do it so he has to deal with the side effects

[Steph]

he or she****

[Stigma]

Yep! No distinction between the sexes as far as reffing goes. They can be equally as bad.

[revolution]

...

[the_referee]

In league and cricket there is a rule that you must be fourteen to referee but in basketball down here we have referees who are nine years old and referee upto under 16s

[Homer]

To the best of my knowledge, to be an official registered referee here in Vic it is 14yrs too. There are the odd apprentice ref around reffing after school comp that is maybe 13 but definately not reffing anything serious and most definately not rep ball.

[RandyOrton]

You have to be at least 15 to get your Level 1C.

That I Do know!

[Stigma]

I know referees who are only just turning 15, and they've already been reffing for 3 years, so there can't be a limit of 14 in Queensland.

I think the coach was well aware of what would have happened had the players not retaken the court. He was trying to bring the situation to the attention of the seniors, which it did. I heard him say to the senior afterwards that he wasn't mad at the kid reffing, but was angry that there were no senior officials there to watch or even help officiate. The kid should never have been placed in that position.

When I coach my under 10s etc., the only thing I ever say to the young refs is during a quarter break that he/she might need to:
1. Blow their whistle louder, or
2. Be more firm in their calls.

I guess they both relate to the same thing - confidence. So many of them don't realise they need to be firmer with the players as far as explanations go. I think it's great for young refs to do the really junior games, because it's pretty damn hard to explain clearly and quickly to a bunch of 7/8 year olds why the game has been stopped. I feel that if they can explain their call, they'll be more confident about it in the future, not to mention the fact that it teaches the ref to communicate with the players, and not bark at them.

I would like to know what others think... :D

Stigma

[Skindog the Hawk]

Just an example of how not to deal with referees...

Don't scream "this is a f**king joke!" across the stadium....
Don't chase the referee across the court to then abuse him about his apparent lack on a grip on reality....
Don't disregard a referee's warning that given any more disregard for the rules of basketball that he'll call the game off... :shock: 8)

SD.

[Btdg]

What about when the reffing is a joke? As in, it reaches comically bad levels. I generally just laugh, but that endears me to the refs less than yelling - sometimes I think they like coaches yelling as it gives them power, and by laughing at them it takes away their power.

Last week I coached a game and the ref blew 3 seconds in the key on 1 of our players; not a bad call cos he'd been in there about 10, and the ref blew it as soon as he caught the ball. He gave it to an opponent on hearing the whistle - the opponent promptly took off on a fast break - and the ref waved play-on! The guy with the ball was the only one on the court who didn't stop, he got a layup with no-one, even team-mates knowing what was happening, and the ref gave him 2 points for it, then immediately came over to me and said 'don't say anything, I don't want to hear it'. We were winning by 20 at the time, with maybe 5 minutes to go, so I just laughed. About 2 minutes later, 2 opponents contested a rebound, jumped into each other, and 1 was knocked to the ground. Same ref awards a foul to the guy who hit his team-mate, and as both teams were in the penalty, the guy who got knocked to the ground got 2 free throws. Seriously. Me, and my entire bench were rolling on the ground laughing by this stage, and the ref got really aggro about it. No-one even complained cos it was so funny, and I still got a warning (I think it was because my tears were making the court surface slippery).

There's no point arguing with refs though, they generally do the best they can, they volunteer their time so we can play ball, and most importantly, they have long memories!

[Stigma]

That does sound damn funny! :lol: I've had funny calls kind of like that, but not all in one game!

I once coached a junior game, where it was raining outside and the raining was leaking through the roof on to 3 separate places on the court. Who thinks the game was cancelled? And if not, what do you think they did?

Stigma :D

[Steph]

they kept playing and told the players to avoid those areas?

you should see how fussed our club gets over a sticking out nail, they don't let us go back on till it's fixed, fair enough seeing as a plyer tripped on it but they don't let much stuff like that go at our club.

[Stigma]

Kind of close, but MUCH funnier! They lay down towels over the affected areas, and then put plastic yellow "SLIPPERY WHEN WET" signs on each spot. I couldn't stop giggling. I'm not talking near the edges either! There was one at each three point line - one at the top of one, and the other on the 45 at the other end - and the third one was just outside the centre circle.

I don't think I'll ever see anything like it again. It was great though. I was running plays off the screens that the signs were inadvertently setting. Fantastic stuff. :D

Stigma

[Steph]

You serious!!! The kept playing through that? that is gold!!

Good work though, you did an awesome job! so did the refs do this on their own or did they get other staff to help and back them up?

[Stigma]

That was the funny thing - the actual refs on the game weren't that keen, but the referees' coordinator, the court steward, and even a couple of members of the board of the association said to go ahead. Mind you, I know the refs' coordinator, and he thought it was hilarious. We went from having no one watching to about 40 people watching. Lots of oooing and ahhhhing when someone got near a sign. :lol:

Stigma

[Homer]

It's the responsibility of the refs to ensure the playing area is safe to compete on. If, in their opinion it is safe, and someone trip or slips, the refs are liable. Someone must take the responsibility in this day and age. If you don't think it is safe and the ref says it is, then you hurt yourself, they can be sued. Welcome to the 21st century.

[Wallitron]

I had a small run in with the ref of my game this weekend. I'm not the type of coach that generally says anything, but we had a very lop sided foul count in the second quarter which sparked about a 10 point run for the opposition. It's the first time I had ever though that the refereeing was bias in any way. The game was being called very tight (I've been told that Junior refs are told to call everything), but in the second quarter we couldn't get a call.

After a very soft call against my team, I pointed out the foul count to the referee (it was 8-3) in no uncertain terms. The next play we got bailed out on a _clean_ block (make up call maybe?) and then the rest of the game was called fairly evenly.

We lost by 7 points, and the 10 point run was telling. We probably didn't deserve to win, we could have played better. This is the first time I've ever really criticised a ref openly, and I really didn't expect such a noticable change in how the game was called.

Riding the refs isn't something I want, enjoy or am good at doing, but do you think at certain times this is necessary?

[revolution]

...

[Trappist Monk]

rev, I hope I haven't misinterpreted your point but most players don't give a damn if the ref respects them or not because no-one is out there trying to impress the refs. At best, a ref can hope to be merely tolerated :)

[revolution]

...

[Homer]

Trappist Monk, to say "at best, referees can expect to be merely tolerated" is extremely disrespectful and from my experience reffing you and spending time around you, I must say it surprises me.

Like I said, respect is a two way street - you can't expect it if you don't give it.

I agree that no player goes onto the floor to impress a referee but common courtesy from one person to another, regardless of which uniform they are wearing, shouldn't be too much to ask.

[Lethal Vertical]

I don't argue with the refs much when I'm coaching, certainly nothing like as much as I do when I'm playing.

Lethal

[Trappist Monk]

rev and homer, I don't play anymore but I do regularly referee up to 3 nights a week. I also organise, train and encourage players to become refs. I have a reasonable appreciation of players' and refs' attitudes because I'm often the guy fielding the complaints from both sides.

Admittedly I was being a bit flippant with the "merely tolerated" comment, hence the smiley, but I am firm on the point that few players would care if they had the respect of the ref. That’s not a bad thing (and is a separate point from overt behaviour which, as homer says, should be mutually courteous) because players have enough to worry about on the court. No-one goes home thinking, "gee, that ref respected me tonight, I feel good about myself." They're more likely cursing you to hell and blaming you for the loss.

It's quite apparent at all levels that the refs are often perceived as the enemy and player attitudes towards them are atrocious and probably can’t get much worse. As a junior coach, I demand that my players respect the referee but I don't think I've ever told my players to actively do anything to gain the respect of the ref because the ref's personal regard for my players is immaterial beyond the extent of the rule book.

I see the ref as neutral, preferrably almost invisible, and not clouding his/her judgement with notions of whether he/she respects the player. Should a ref change a call because respect is or isn't there for a certain player? That clearly would be wrong. I ref plenty of players that I don’t respect but I don’t let it affect my calls.

I'm more of the opinion that respect is a one-way street in sport, ie, the players have to give respect to the refs. That is demanded in the rule book. Full stop. The referees administer the rules to the best of their abilities. The only caveat is that they do it without arrogance or aggression because nothing inflames players more.

No matter what we do, I still don't know if ABA refs in Sydney will be getting invited to a whole lot more after-game functions :)

[Homer]

Thankyou for the clarification TM.

You did put it much clearer second time round and after reading your post I tend to agree with almost every word.

The rule book does demand that the player respects the referee and there are penalties in place if that respect is not forthcoming. But you said that it is not nessesary that refs respect players. Here is where I disagree.

If a veteran player who has shown me respect for a number of years or has many years of court-time under his belt (example- Ray Borner) gives me a spray, I am more likely to talk to him about the problem, where-as, if a 16 year old hot headed rookie gives me a spray, I would have no hesitation in "T" ing him up and usually aknowledging the coaches call for a sub. This is because I respect the veteran's opinion after much experince in the game. If he feeeels strongly enough to express himself so loudly, he may be right and I may have stuffed up. He has earnt my respect. It is a two way street.

I ref and also treat people the way I want to be reffed and treated.
Unfortunately, by the time a person matures and develops these people skills, it is nearing time for him to retire. That is why I think so many people dislike the way the young refs work. They find they cannot talk to the young refs.

perfect example in our aba game on weekend, a very good opposition guard got a tough call and he let the ref hearabout it and the ref just told him upfront, you didn't get there, get over it

then a 17 year old got a tough call, and he gave the ref a spray bang T

[Wallitron]

I rarely entertain arguments about team foul counts because each play is assessed on its merit. If you are able to legitimately highlight a series of inconsistent decisions, I am likely to concede the error.

I agree, the foul count is a bad arguement. I followed that up with the fact that the same contact was happening at both ends. This is the first game as a rep coach that I've ever shown displeasure towards a ref (near the end of my second season).

I'm not the sort of person that goes out of my way for confrontation, but this was a critical stage of a must win game. I knew I was taking a risk by saying something. I actually thought I'd have to say a lot more to have an impact, I didn't even get close to getting a T.

Can referees be biased for the home team, or was my judgement clouded? Even so, it seemed worthwhile to say something in this case. I know every NBA coach rides the refs constantly, is it really something that needs to be done at a junior level? Or maybe I just imagined the calls getting better.

[Trent]

... I would have no hesitation in "T" ing him up and usually aknowledging the coaches call for a sub.

Homer, you take a sub request from a coach? But he is not in uniform to take the court ...

[Coachpete]

Can referees be biased for the home team

2 words for you.......Hills Hornets :wink: :lol:

:lol:

bias towards home teams.. of course

[MAIN_MAN]

Can referees be biased for the home team

2 words for you.......Hills Hornets :wink: :lol:

hey our refs aren't THAT bias :wink:

[Coachpete]

Can referees be biased for the home team

2 words for you.......Hills Hornets :wink: :lol:

hey our refs aren't THAT bias :wink:

Riddle me this.....my girls have played Hills twice this season. We're 11-1 and finished equal 1st. They have missed the playoffs.
1st game at Hills.....we struggle to win by 2 on the buzzer
2nd game at Sutherland........we win easily by 20 despite having both PG's and another starter out injured.

What might have been the difference... :wink: :lol:

[MAIN_MAN]

the difference might be that Sutherland refs are bias !!!! :wink:

[Hogsbreath]

CP, I was at Hills for that game and despite the Ref looking like your long lost brother, they were pretty good.

[Coachpete]

CP, I was at Hills for that game and despite the Ref looking like your long lost brother, they were pretty good.

And you're from........................ :lol:


Don't get me wrong......the ref you're talking about I've known for years and he's a top class ref..........anywhere else but at Hills :wink:

[Steph]

Dandenong refs are pretty awesum. i like how they explain to you why you got the foul or travel instead of just calling it to blow their whistle. having said that, some of them are head scratchers......

i dont know anyone these days who really argues alot with the refs, they might just say a few things but no one goes on about it. the coaches are tighter with their players arguing and so are the refs i.e tech fouls and stuff come into action alot more now when you misbehave..

[Trappist Monk]

I have a Hills story from about 15 years ago when I played in a grand final against a team of mostly young referees.

The refs appointed to the game were friends of those players! By half-time we were 20 points down and had amassed 7 techs, 200 travel calls and many other violations that haven't even been invented yet.

One of the techs on me came after I rejected one of their punk guards who then tunnelled me and, after I fell to the floor, kicked me. I got up and laughed at the kid but suggested he give me his best shot as I pointed to my chin. The ref saw it all but unbelievably chose me for the tech - I don't think I had his respect :P

So my team mounts a comeback and we're only 7 down with 8 minutes to go - plenty of time. Then someone on the scorebench kicks out the plug to the scoreboard (this was back in the Valentine Park days). After the plug is reattached, the refs tell the bench to set the clock at 4 minutes to go! We've lost 4 minutes off a running clock, there's no 30 second clock, and the opposition decides to hold up the ball.

Our supporters go mental, there's nearly a riot, some of our players refuse to continue playing, and we ultimately lose by 4. At leats 4 Hills board members witnessed the game and later cited the refs. Big deal, nothing happened to them, but I have a fond memory of the shonkiest Association in Sydney!

[MAIN_MAN]

15 years ago...?? :? riiiiiiiiight

[Trappist Monk]

15 years ago...?? :? riiiiiiiiight

Lighten up, gizmo, you know Hills still sucks :lol:

[revolution]

...

[Homer]

Not too many Victorian associations can claim to have at least half a dozen SEABL referees working their domestic competition.

This fact totally pi$$es me off Rev.

Too many get to this level or even approaching this level and think their shit doesn't stink and think they are above domestic basketball. They forget how they got to their current position and who helped them get there.

Good on Dandenong for keeping so many top refs working with their less experienced comrades.

BTW, could you name them for us?

[Lethal Vertical]

When you are involved in bball as much as I am, from time to time there are games where you lose, and the poor reffing is the main contributing factor. One of them happened to me this week. Another a few weeks ago. 2 in a month, so understandably I'm a bit down on refs at the moment.

But I think what I'm gradually learning, is that comes with the territory. Basketball is an extremely subjective sport, where the players are at the mercy of the refs to a bigger extent than most sports. Sometimes, when some chump screws over your team and you lose an important game, you just wonder why you don't sit an home watching TV instead. It legitamately gets me down. Just a feeling of numbness. But I guess, as I said, an understanding that the nature of the sport will ensure this happens from time to time, at least puts it into perspective :)

Lethal

[revolution]

...

[Coachpete]

An excellent story of good sportsmanship and respect from both sides - http://content.cricinfo.com/australia/content/story/214205.html

And if Peterson had got 250 not out and won the poms the game??? would it be so cuddly then?? :wink:

[revolution]

...

[Trent]

I prefer to see the glass as half full. :wink:

Some see the glass as half full, some see the glass as half empty. I look at the glass and say, 'Are you going to finish that?'

[Franklin]

I prefer to see the glass as half full. :wink:

Some see the glass as half full, some see the glass as half empty. I look at the glass and say, 'Are you going to finish that?'

I see the glass is only half smashed :)

[revolution]

...

i can honestly say that in my first few months of refereeing at dandenong I got to referee or be taught by pretty much everyone on that list.

[revolution]

...

:lol:

[upnorth]

I use to ref, but eventually stopped when it came to ref or play?

I use to be fairly heated towards refs. I had the attitude that I do know what I am saying here, and you are just doing it wrong.

Now that I am a bit older I only have one real pet hate when it comes to refs. Now not all refs are like this, not many at all, but when I get one, it drives me nuts.

I HATE when a ref seems to be under the impression that everybody in attendance (players, coaches, scorers, spectators) is there to watch them ref! This boils my blood.

I think the biggest thing that was taught to me about reffing, and it was during the refs school when I was 14 at Knox; was...

IF EVERYBODY INVOLVED WALKS AWAY FROM THE GAME NOT KNOWING WHO THE REF WAS, THEN THEY'VE DONE A GOOD JOB.