The coach was surrounded by his players in the locker room, going over the game plan for that evening's basketball game.

Out of nowhere, the coach and his team hear the beginning to AC/DC's hit song "Back in Black".

The music came from a player's phone, who had downloaded the ringtone of his favorite song.

The intense pregame moment was broken, and the coach lost his team's undivided attention.

Bismarck State men's basketball coach Jason Harris is one of many coaches who is considering making a team policy that restricts the use of players calling or texting from their mobile phone. BSC women's coach Len Stanley is on board with Harris.

"Here's what we're looking at doing,"Harris said. "When they get on the bus to go on a road trip, we take the cell phone, and they get it back when the game is done."

Like in the fictional scenario above, Harris has been interrupted during pregame or postgame talks. It's downright annoying for a coach when phones are ringing and players are texting.

"Ask any coach now, they'll tell you during their halftime talk the cell phones are constantly ringing,"Harris said. "It's a distraction."

Cell phone police

Century volleyball coach Jeni Walsh has implemented a cell phone policy for practice time if a cell phone goes off, the team runs.

"At that point the kids are pretty good at policing themselves," Walsh said. "Ihave not pulled them on bus rides because sometimes it's important for parents to get ahold of them. We implement bus partners, so we ask the kids to do their homework or visit with their bus partner."

Bismarck High volleyball coach Lisa Krom has asked her players to turn off their phones for group functions, such as a team meal. In her players' rule sheet, which is distributed at the beginning of the season, Krom has asked her players to be courteous in regard to phone use.

A few years ago, at a team meal, Krom noticed a lot of kids texting and wanted to address the issue.

"It's not out of control,"Krom said, "but let's not let it get there. As a coaching staff, we are courteous with our phones, and the athletes pay the respect back. It's not like we're strict with our policy. I don't feel like we have to be."

Krom is understanding when it comes to cell phone use because she calls her husband after each match.

"Iknow when my husband calls, I need to take it because there's a problem,"Krom said. "There are times when you need your phone, however, many years ago we lived without it. But our lives have changed. Because I have a cell phone, I don't make sure things are completely organized (at home) before I go."

For University of Mary football coach Myron Schulz, cell phone use has never been a problem during practice or team meetings.

"If I heard a cell phone at practice, it will probably get broken,"Schulz said. "Cell phones are not allowed in meetings. If a cell phone goes off in a meeting, you're an attention getter. You hope that they use them at the appropriate time.

"The thing you have to wonder about is where is that cell phone when they are playing,"Schulz said. "You hope the locker room is secure. It's like losing your wallet nowadays."

Hindering team unity

Harris' said his biggest problem with phone calls and texting on bus trips is he wants his team to spend that time together.

"Most teams do their bonding on the road,"Harris said. "That's time they have to be together. If you have 12 kids on the team, and those 12 kids are texting 12 other kids, that doesn't give them time to know one another. It's taking back from the team part of sports. Kids are busy texting other people and not getting to know each other."

Walsh agrees that phone calls and texting have taken away from team camaraderie.

"Sometimes kids lose that face value of being on a team and being on a bus," she said. "They live life through texting and calling people. I think kids today do so much through texting, they're losing some of that eye-contact-type stuff when they're talking to their peers, coaches or teachers. Some of them aren't sure how to communicate with each other. They can text all day, but when they get in a room it takes them awhile to warm up."

Positives

Century girls soccer coach Sarah McNulty takes a more laid-back approach with cell phone use and texting. She did, however, ask her players to put away their cell phones for the state tournament.

"Ihave never had a problem with it," she said. "The only time I notice it is if we travel together. They leave their phones on the bus during meals."

McNulty often communicates with her players via cell phone.

"I use group texting to notify my players if practice is canceled or moved or if there's a game they should check out on TV,"McNulty said. "Everybody on our team has a cell phone and has texting capability. It's the easiest and fastest way to communicate with my players if there's a change."

Schulz, who said he used to hate cell phones, has found out that it's a handy tool to keep in touch with his players.

"In all, cell phones have been good for college athletes,"Schulz said. "We're not in a one-room school house. If I switch practice, I can text the whole team. That's how we communicate with our players.

"In the old days we had the land line and would run up huge phone bills," Schulz added. "They have helped in recruiting. It used to be where we could only find a kid at home at nine o'clock on a land line. Now you can call him on his cell phone, and he's available to you a lot more often. Maybe a negative is everybody wants us to be attainable at all times, too."

Long road trips, which always include an overnight stay, are the norm for the U-Mary football team. Schulz said cell phones have helped his athletes stay close to their families.

"They can send photos and call in their off time," Schulz said. "We were down at Mount Rushmore, and the guys were sharing that experience immediately with their families by sending photos. A negative is you can sit next to your teammate and not talk to them the whole trip because they are on the phone."

Schulz just wants his team to use their phones at the appropriate time and to not misuse the device.

"We have a weird society," Schulz said. "You almost have to educate society about mistakes you can make on cell phones and Facebook (a social networking Web site). There are so many things out there that can get you in trouble."