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Post by gdn56 on Dec 10, 2010 22:56:59 GMT -6
The story I am telling actually occured at our basketball game tonight (I am coaching just so I can learn, try to make myself more marketable in the future). We have one black kid on our team (opponent was all white), and throughout the game, this group of 4 roughly 20-21 year old guys (sitting 3 rows behind our bench) were heckling our kid, being obnoxious, talking about his race, etc...in addition to a variety of other comments to our kids and our coaches. Additionally, this school's head football coach/athletic director/dean of students was above the group of obnoxious guys, yelling at the refs, responding mockingly when our head coach said different things, etc. The guys talked trash throughout the game, cursed about our kids (in obvious earshot of our bench and a 7 year old kid who hangs out on the bench with us) and were genrally just being out of hand. During a timeout as the guys heckled our kids, another assistant asked them very politely to please be quiet. Ultimately, the game went into triple overtime and we puled away so with less than a minute to go, we pulled our starters. When our black kid got to the bench, these guys got his attention and were basically harassing him. At that point, I finally stood up, turnned around, and asked the ring leader of the group "How old are you", when he responded, I said "well this is a high school kid and you need to stop talking to him on this bench. If you continue to harrass this kid, I will guarantee that you are removed from this gym". As the game ends, the rest of their crowd behind us came up hollering at how I was out of line for talking to those guys and saying that our entire operation was classless, etc.. I simply responded that "Those are grown men and he (our player) is a child, and I am responsible to he and his family and cannot allow him to be talked to that way by adults". Still I heard how classless I was, etc... Our administrator finally came over and attempted to calm the situation, after which he essentially told me I had handeled poorly. He said I should have had security remove the guys and never interacted with them. Now, the entire extent of my interaction with them occured from about 18 secs to go until the buzzer. While I understand that security should have been called, they were across the gym and the situation had escelated and was out of control and to insure the well being of my players, I felt that I needed to say what I said. I post this to ask if you guys think I did the right thing or what you would have done, or if it seems like I acted out of line or without class...and because I just really wanted to rant about it because I am still pretty hot. Sorry to raid the football forum with my basketball story, but I just thought the whole thing was unbelievable.
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Post by Chris Clement on Dec 10, 2010 23:17:09 GMT -6
Basketball's a different animal, you have no separation from the crowd to speak of. I guess the policy here is to ignore them until you have security remove them, which seems like a 0-60 sort of policy. But you can console yourselves that grown people (I reserve the word men for those who deserve it) who heckle a teenager on the colour of his skin likely have small penii. (take that, censor!)
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Post by coachguy83 on Dec 11, 2010 1:32:00 GMT -6
Coach I personally have no issue with the way that you handled the situation, but administrators do. I got jumped this past football season for a similar issue this past football season, but I guess my infraction was a little worse. I coach the freshmen team and we had a loud mouth kid that quite the team giving my guys a lot of crap during a game. We weren't very good this season, for reasons that still baffle me to this day, and this kid that turned his back on his brothers was now rubbing their noses in it. I honestly didn't even know the kid existed at that game because after two years of youth ball I don't hear the fans anymore, but he was starting to get to my kids. So in between plays I called him on it and went back to coaching. I saw it as me standing up for my players because I would die for those kids. I get asked all the time why my wife and I don't have any kids and don't plan on having any and my response is that I have x number of sons every fall. The administration didn't see things my way of course and I got a couple of talkings to for it, but hey you live and learn.
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Post by 19delta on Dec 11, 2010 5:26:35 GMT -6
Shouldn't have let it go as far as it did.
First time I would have heard anything racial, I'm letting the refs and game security know that there is an issue and that the offenders need to be removed immediately.
There is absolutely no reason that a high school kid should have to be subjected to that. If it is an away game and the game administration doesn't do anything about it, I'm pulling my team off the floor and they can explain to the press why they allow their football coach and racist fans to heckle some 16 year old kid who is just trying to have fun and contribute to his school.
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Post by John Knight on Dec 11, 2010 6:52:01 GMT -6
Don't feel too bad about the administrators reaction. He is covering his own arse. You did the right thing and the admin never told you how to handle a situation like this, now you know. You got some of the EDUCATION you bought in to when you took the basketball job. See it as a learning experience and go on. When you see the administrator, thank him for explaining what you should do in that situation and hint that he needs to let others how they should behave if they are ever put in that situation.
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Post by cc on Dec 11, 2010 10:53:02 GMT -6
I agree with the 2 points raised that it should not have gone as far as it did and that you did the right thing.
I would have stopped the game and called the refs over, security over, the other coach over, whoever has responsiblity /can help against anything that crosses the line like that.
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Post by mariner42 on Dec 12, 2010 21:16:14 GMT -6
I think the main thing you could've done better would have been doing something earlier. You were in the moral right, which is the kind of right I'd want to be if I had to choose, but the way to be morally and technically right would have been to do as delta suggested. Lesson learned, glad you got that win.
"The best revenge is to live well"
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Post by runtoball on Dec 13, 2010 9:40:09 GMT -6
I personally think the administrator in charge for your school should have stepped in instead of you having to do it. Those are your kids on the floor, but as an administrator he is responsible for them also. Not to mention that is what he is there for. You should be able to do your job, which is coaching, while he does his job of crowd control. It seems kind of spineless for him not to protect a kid, then get on you for doing it.
As far as your question, I agree with others that you are in the right. I have a son and if someone were saying those things to him I would be livid. Like coachguy said, those are your kids to take care of physically and emotionally.
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Post by spos21ram on Dec 13, 2010 9:44:36 GMT -6
Not sure what your AD's job description is there, but that would have been stopped earlier by our AD and if he didn't he would have had to answer to the principal or superintendent. Besides doing something earlier before it got to that point, I don't think you were out of line.
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Post by 42falcon on Dec 14, 2010 11:03:40 GMT -6
Bigger picture: the admin like JK said is covering his/her backside. This "incident" will come back to haunt them not you. They have to go to admin meetings and explain why the team caused this to be an issue and why he/she did not deal with it and instead let you deal with it. Also it will come up that this should have been clearly discussed with the coaches before the season as to how to handle situations like this. There are a lot of things that admin is responsible for and are suposed to have covered with coaches and don't because they just don't have time nor do they even think of them.
I don't think you were out of line personaly. Professionaly it needed to be dealt with differently. 1st sound of racial or indignant comments and secruity needs to remove them. No need for you to be involved.
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Post by jpdaley25 on Dec 14, 2010 23:36:20 GMT -6
Never wrestle with pigs; you both get dirty, but the pig likes it.
The hecklers are trying to anger and distract you and your players and throw you off your game. By responding to them, you played right into their hands and escalated the situation. Avoid the emotional reaction and prepare your players for those kinds of hostile situations.
Stop the game, inform the referees, and inform the administrators, but don't confront the offenders in the crowd UNLESS you WANT to create a big, ugly scene. This can be advantageous in certain situations, but you also have to measure the cost.
Also, from now on, I would try to make sure that friendlies were sitting behind me.
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Post by ajreaper on Dec 17, 2010 10:33:44 GMT -6
Why are there no security or administrators in or near the bench area for both teams? Thats often where issues can arise- sounds as if security was on the other side of the gym to avoid actually having to be security and your administrator was hiding as well. That being said you should have earlier made the officials aware of the situation as well as your administrator- perhaps ask an asst. to go locate him and bring him to the bench area.
While your admin may have issues because many, far to many are all about avoiding anything that may actually require the use of a backbone my guess is your players appreciate your taking a stand.
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Post by champ93 on Dec 17, 2010 15:10:29 GMT -6
As others have said, let the officials know ASAP. They will then ask for administration to take action.
Overall, you did a good thing.
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Post by cnunley on Dec 17, 2010 15:46:56 GMT -6
Sounds like you handled the situation the way I would have in the heat of the moment.
After thinking it over while reading the entire thread I agree with most of the other replies.
Inform the refs/AD of the situation as soon as it's first heard and have them deal with it immediately.
I imagine your players respect how you have their back in sticky situations. Congrats with that coach.
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