Improving the Coach-Official Relationship Begins with Mutual Understanding by Andy Katz
Officials aren’t loved by fans, coaches or players. They are in a no-win situation. No one has much sympathy for their attempts to call a game and make split-second decisions, interpret the rules correctly and ensure the game is played smoothly. But what they deserve is respect and to be given a fair chance to call the game. The relationship between officials and coaches needs to improve. It’s never going to be a love fest, but there should at least be a common goal of wanting the game to go as scripted as best as possible. The first way to get coaches to better relate to officials is to understand what they do on a gameby-game basis. “These guys are professionals,’’ said JD Collins, the NCAA’s coordinator of officials. “They have a 90-percent accuracy rate or higher. We may miss a call, but we don’t miss 20 in a game. “What officials desire is to get an equal amount of respect that the officials show to the coaches,’’ said Collins. To bridge the gap that can be wide at times, Collins is hoping there is better communication. Coaches want to be heard. But officials need to make sure they are listening. “We do have room to grow in communicating well,’’ said Collins. One collection of key personnel who have changed their opinion on officials are conference basketball coordinators — former coaches — who must deal with officials and coaches.
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“Everyone should understand that the ultimate goal for both coaches and officials is perfection, which is an unattainable result,’’ said Rick Boyages, the Big Ten’s associate commissioner in charge of men’s basketball and the executive director of an officiating consortium. “Student-athletes and officials are human,’’ said Boyages. “In a game with 120 to 140 possessions, they will make mistakes. It would be great if head coaches thought about incorrect officiating calls, or no-calls, the same way they think about studentathlete mistakes, team turnovers or even coaching errors. Officials are just as disappointed about their mistakes as student-athletes are about theirs, and everyone is striving for continuous improvement in a fast-moving, competitively-charged environment.” Boyages would love for coaches to understand the skills needed to officiate. “Coaches have a great feel for play-calling, but could really benefit from a better understanding of officiating mechanics such as positioning, rotations, signaling, and primary/secondary coverage areas,’’ said Boyages, a former head coach in the MAC and longtime assistant in the Big East and Big Ten. “I didn’t have a grasp of those officiating fundamentals during my coaching career and it led to unfair evaluations and expectations on my part.” “Young officials and coaches could mutually benefit from improving communication and conflict resolution skills,” Boyages added. Nate Pomeday, the men’s basketball administrator for the American Athletic Conference, said his perception changed when he had a better understanding of the type of work officials put into the pregame and postgame, and the amount
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