After coaching high school hoops over 23 years I always used this playing the one catholic powerhouse in our league...the Catholic Coach always worked on drawing the offensive fouls..fake fouls and stepping in the lane...many were blocking and moving fouls but he taught them to act,fake,flop,etc....I had all inner city kids and we drive to the hoop a lot...so during warmups before the game I would go over to the two now 3 refs and say hello.. I knew all of them very well.... I would tell them just before we left our lockeroom that I was short underrap tape to tape my kids ankles... I knocked on the opposing teams lockeroom door to borrow some tape.. and no one answered. So I opened the door and Kevin B{ coach of other team] had everyone lined up with gym mats on the floor and everyone was practicing the "fake offensive foul.."...in unison.....then I would tell the refs " so tonight can you let my kids hit their kid 1st before you blow the whistle...please don't anticipate the call...because their flops looked good in the lockeroom especially with their sounds of getting hit"...the refs would laugh at me but I planted the seed...and it did work sometimes... I would tell them the tree has to be cut somewhat before you yell " timber".. That's what I heard the other team saying in their lockeroom.. " timber"... they always laughed and once in awhile one ref would say..."box,you need to buy some more tape...last year you didn't have any tape either...but I was always quicker and say " I know,my school is so tight with out athletic budget"...and we both would laugh...
