Coach the players not the refs

Well, I think most of us been there in a game where the ref is totally wrong or just bad in general and you get upset trying to get him to change something he will never change. I have been there, but usually I dont say much to the referees in games, since it usually just leads to that you start on minus already next game with the same referees or friends to them.

Some coaches go at the refs as a tactic in games and YES, with some refs you can change their behaiver by being on their ass. But you need to be somebody for it too work usually, nationalteams coach, famous old player, then usually you can ride their ass all night long without getting the big T and in the same game to other coach says one thing and he gets T:ed badabing directly.

I once saw the great Coach Ivkovic ride two refs ass so hard in a friendly game in Novi Sad Serbia that it looked like the refs where little defenseless children. He made fun of them loudly so the whole gym could hear what he said and everybody was laughing. The refs well lets say the knew that is was majstore Ivkovic so of course nothing happened there, not even a warning. They just took the abuse......

Coach K can change refs minds in a game and he knows it

I still remember my first "T" as yesterday it was 17 years ago and it was in my first tournament Lundaspelen with my first team. We played a deciding game for A-playoffs against a german team and had two german refs, whom one of tried all tournament to score not a basket but the german teams coach. I knew that so I said absolutely nothing for more than half the game. With 3 minutes left we just scored and now was behind with one point we where hot and their guard dribbled the ball, but before she took 3 steps and not small steps.

I said loudly "Hey, ref travelling" and showed with my hands the referee sign for travelling, badabing the big "T" and he turned to their coach and smiled.

Why do I remember my "T"`s its easy I have gotten a total of 5 in 17 years as a coach. I have tried to get maybe four more without success, why just to make a statement for being raped by the refs.

The last two was in the same game and they where ridicolous and just bad refeering.
When a ref is trigger happy and chases the big "T"`s, well then that can happen.

I have it on tape and I have laughed at it so many times, Nothing I said should have been a "T", the second I got for saying "thanks". It was cold as hell outside the gym I tell you.

Well,  got hung up here a little about "T"`s, but back to my topic.

Watched a youth game some days ago and one of the teams are very good and the other teams lets just say not very good. From the first minute to the end their coach was on the referees asses about every call he thought was wrong. In the second period with a lead of 35 points the coach of the better team couldn`t keep his mouth shut anymore and told the other coach something like "Why on the refs the whole time, cant you give my guys some credit, we are up by 35 points, and some more, you need help or what?"

The bad team played zonepress, or different zones the whole game and all coaching that was done was, you are down, you are on top, you are 4,5 and so on. Mostly focused on the refs and onetime he put 6 players on the court just to make some kind of statement to the refs and when they saw it and gave him a "T" he even complained about that, "you cant give my a T now bla bla bla." Incredible.....

The better team won by 80 or 90 points and if it would have been great refs they would have won even more, because that coach couldn`t see the forrest because of the trees.

I sat there getting mad, because his kids tried, they really did, but the zonpress was just terrible and there zones was so full of holes you could fit a elephant in there. Why dont focus on their movement, placement and so on instead of riding the refs asses the whole game, it was to me sad since the kids tried, but the coach, coached the refs instead............

Maybe it was a one time deal that he focused totally on the refs I dont know I have only seen one game with him. But thats enought......

We can all get angry or caught up in the moment and lose it a little bit, where a humans......but coach remember when you are coaching the refs, your players are without what you are there for, so get come back to focus again, shake it off (hard ass hell sometimes I know, believe me), but remember who needs you the most and its never the refs.