Reader Question

I am a high school coach and recently my team was involved in a nail biter.  When the buzzer sounded, we had pulled out a two-point victory - or so we thought.  One of my players being overly excited jumped up and down (and might have said some things to the opponents - I'm not sure).  The ref (after the clock had hit 0:00) gave him a technical foul and then literally cleared the floor and allowed the other team to shoot the technical shots.  Ultimately, the free throws were made and we lost in overtime.  Being under the impression that we were unfairly assessed a technical, I protested, garnering the official's response, "I make the rules on this court."  I guess when it comes down to it, my question is this - does a referee have any official authority once the clock strikes 0?

Barlow's Response

Wow!  That is a tough way to lose a ballgame!  Believe it or not, although the horn sounded and the clock showed 0:00, the game is not over until the officials leave the confines of the playing area.  (NCAA rule 2-4)  Up until that time, penalties can be assessed and it appears that is what happened in your game.  The following excerpt of a case play that is in the NCAA book is similar to what happened in your game and may help to illustrate the rule better:
 
Team A is ahead by one point. The game-ending horn sounds with the ball loose at the division line. Clearly after playing time has expired, A1 retrieves the ball and dunks it into his basket. The referee who is on his way to the scorer’s table to approve the final score sees this action by A1 and assesses a technical foul. (It is illegal to dunk a dead ball. This infraction results in the awarding of two free throws.) The referee would be correct in this play as the officials’ jurisdiction does not end until the approval of the final score. Until the officials’ jurisdiction ends, an official may call a technical foul, correct a correctable error, or correct a bookkeeping mistake by the official scorer.
 
What this means is that anything can be enforced until the officials leave the playing floor.  So technically, the referee was correct in his ruling and I have not been able to find anything that would suggest the high school rule would be any different.  Now, let’s talk philosophy here for a moment.  You stated in your question that your player was overly exited and may have said something to an opponent.  A good referee would have to expect that kids will get excited right after a finish like that but they also need to be under control regardless of how the game unfolds.  Here’s my opinion - If intentional physical contact with an opponent was made, that would be pretty difficult for a referee to ignore.  However an offhand comment that didn’t include anything involving cursing, racist or sexist comments or other vulgarities would be easier to ignore.  But any referee who says “I make the rules on this court,” should be reported to the coordinator or supervisor of officials in your area.  There is no room in the game for that type of attitude.  Rules exist whether we like them or not.  We don’t make them - our job is to enforce them.  So if that referee truly felt that your player was acting in an unsporting manner, I would support the technical foul.  I would not support his comments to you afterward regardless of the situation.

Hope this helps for next time. Good luck!