I've officiated youth basketball (8th grade and below in my mind) for 17+ years. I've officiated CYO, AAU and Club basketball circuits. Throughout all those years, you see a little bit of everything. For the most part, you get nice and support parents. Despite the bad raps, most youth coaches are ok too.
On the flip side, there are some parents who seem intent on reliving their lives through their kids OR the parents who think their kid is the superstar and whine about every call to the refs.
Today, I had one of the latter. I'd seen this particular parent before in the previous years. He's always yelling at his kid and then yelling at the referees. Since he was in the stands, my partner and I just ignored him. However, after the game ended (his son's team lost by about 15), came over to us and whined that his son was fouled the whole game. I don't believe he was worried that his son's team had actually lost.
In any case, my partner and I just ignored the parent. However, my partner and I did have to get our payment from the tournament director and the parent was still around. I guess he couldn't stand us and he said to my face that "we should return our money".
I usually don't do this (and not recommended for newer officials) but I basically told the parent he needed to keep his opinion to himself. I'm surprised the team that this parent supports doesn't keep a tighter rein on the guy. After all, the parent is a terrible example for his son. His son is a decent but not particularly great player. Imagine if you're in the son's shoes. Your team lost and your dad is complaining to the referees. What happens when the kid gets to high school and he gets cut or doesn't play much?
In any case, the crazy parent didn't overshadow a good day on the court. There were two solid games and one so-so game. I did alright though I was slowed by my bad left ankle. By the last game, after getting warm, I was doing fine though the ankle is a little sore now.
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