If a coach had not heard enough from walking back to the locker room after being the recipient of a second technical foul, money will now also be departing from his wallet.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association passed a bill stating any coach who is ejected from a sporting event will not only be barred from coaching for two games, they will also pay a $100 fine and take a remedial class to avoid the infraction from occurring again.
Lake basketball head coach Tom McBride hopes to never join that list. The soon-to-be 10th year floor boss of the Blue Streaks is portentously aware of the newly passed bill and has his concerns about the rule.
He maintains his stance there must be a line between coach and official relationships to avoid such actions from happening.
“There could be some unfortunate circumstances involving this rule. We work with our kids 3-4 times a night. Misinterpreting a call could harm a coach regarding this rule,” McBride said. “You look at coaches on the other end of this; there is nothing we can do to hold a coach accountable.”
McBride has been a head coach for 15 years, going back to his six years as girls’ basketball head coach at his alma mater, Canton Central Catholic. He has picked up his share of technical fouls at Central and at Lake.
OHSAA rules mandates any head coach who is assessed a technical foul must remain seated on the bench for the duration of the game.
The average fan may think technical fouls are given to a coach displaying a hot-headed temperament, but that is not the case according to McBride.
“I know after one technical foul that it is time to behave. I would be hurting the entire school and community if I was to ever get ejected,” he said. “Sometimes, I’ll get a technical foul to motivate our team. In a way, it’s like ‘come on guys, I’m sticking up for you.’”
McBride only picked up one technical foul in a 70-60 loss to eventual Division I district runner-up Perry in a hotly contested Federal League battle. During the game, both teams were close to skirmishes. McBride voiced his reasoning behind his foul and what ensued.
“The official missed something during the game and I felt the need to stick up for my team. That was a game where it could have gotten ugly but the officials did a good job of admonishing both sides,” he said.
McBride has never experienced an ejection. Other coaches such as GlenOak’s Jack Greynolds and Massillon’s Matt Creamer have experienced ejections. On the girls’ end of the deal, Jackson’s Greg Whitmer and former Canton McKinley girls’ coach and now boys’ varsity assistant Mark Hyser have as well.
When asked if he has interacted with several coaches in Stark County about their ejections, it took him some time to think about it.
“That’s a good question. I have interacted with them and I know they were embarrassed for themselves and their communities but I have never asked any about it,” he said.
The NBA is known for taking a stand on technical fouls. For every technical foul a player or coach receives, they lose $500 from their check. But with this comes a catch to this.
If a player or coach amasses 16 technical fouls in the 82-game regular season, they are ordered to serve a one-game banishment and for every one after the 18th, 20th, 22nd, and so on. Once the playoffs begin, the technical foul count resets to zero and the noose tightens up a bit. Once a player or coach receives seven technical fouls, they are forbidden from coaching or playing in a game and the same increments apply for technicals administered afterward.
Does McBride believe theOHSAA is becoming an amateur version of the NBA? Don’t count on it.
“We are not the NBA and we don’t have players for sale. For this kind of thing, there has to be some kind of reimbursement for taking remedial classes as mandated by the state,” McBride said. “This doesn’t even compare to what we earn as head coaches.”
“I do know Commissioner (Dan) Ross wants to bring the spirit back to the game. When we look back at this, cooler heads will prevail. At the same time as a head coach, you hope that no one has a vendetta against you.”
Expect McBride to address his coaching staff about the new rule. While most of the coaches on his staff are mostly composed and have a positive relationship with game officials, he still wants them to be aware of the rule.
“We will address them about this. We know what is expected of us as coaches to keep our relationship with officials a good one,” McBride said.
