Every great official needs to know where his hole is. I know a lot of officials whose hole is just under their nose, but everyone has an area they have not been strong in. Even the best officials have areas that they have been lax in, and need to refocus on certain things that have slipped. To that end, I will list some of the mistakes I have made this year.
I have let several crashes go without calling a block or charge as a lead. It's probably happened 4-6 times, and I just did not pull the trigger. One of my games, it happened twice, and I then called a charge across the key as the lead to the chagrin of my partner. I was so irritated at the two crashes I let go, and a few others that occurred, that I was insistent that it would not happen again. I got the call right, admitted my protocol was wrong, and got on with life. I am completely focused on ensuring that crashes have a whistle from me as the lead for the rest of the year--with a late whistle if the C doesn't make his call... ;)
First kicked ball in HS I was unaware that the shot clock resets to 35. Both partners enjoyed educating me on that. At least I was aware that it was reset...
The new block call under the basket in college has been interesting. It took until my 8th game to see someone actually call it. I had a previous game when someone called an odd block call with less than 1 second in a half, with no chance for the player to score from where he was driving behind the backboard. Coach started yelling, and I told him it had to be the new rule of the secondary defender being under the basket. He had asked for that before on a block/charge that the same guy made, but I told the coach the call was good because the defender was well outside the basket area on the crash. Anyway, partner told the coach it was not an under the basket call, so my partner save went awry. Good thing that coach trusts me.
Had a situation where two players basically fouled a rebounder, and I picked the one I had the best look at. Coach wanted the call to be on the other guy. I boldly told him I had it on the right player. In retrospect, the better response would have been to acknowledge they both could have gotten it, and I chose the guy he didn't want--that would have been smoother. I don't think it did any damage but my thinking could have been quicker.
Missed a crash from the C on a baseline drive, and got the nastiest look you can imagine from the L who took the whistle and got abuse for his decision. I had little chance to see the crash, because there were a lot of bodies between where the drive started and ended. Not sure where I could have moved to see it, and I'm guessing thet L should have rotated over. I don't even know if he got the call wrong or not, but he certainly took it from the coach. Not really pleased that occurred.
I have not been overly happy with my shot clock awareness. I would estimate that I am doing the math as T about 1/3 of the time. That needs to ramp a lot higher. I've also been told that my crews have missed a couple of shot clock resets. I know we've caught several, but being told you missed some is still irritating.
I probably have missed some help calls that I should have gotten. I am consciously working to allow others to live and die with calls when they have good positioning. My biggest mistake I have made in several years was a phantom charge from the T when the L was right there seeing a flop, and since then I have really tried to have ultra-high certainty when going out of my area, especially when my partner is expected to be very competent. The end result is that I am calling less fouls than in the past, but I wonder if at some point my crew will take some damage on some of the ones I pass on out of my area. That's always a fine line you have to fiddle with.
One great thing about this year--the number of bad apples, players who disrupt games by being bad citizens, cheap shot artists, or are just plain mouthy, seems to be a lot lower than in the past. There have been some very gracious players this year, especially when things don't go their way in pressure situations. I've been really impressed with a lot of the kids, which is really cool. I hope that continues.
Hope this helps you guys. Enjoy the flip to 2010.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Jeff Foxworthy Tribute
I'm not a huge fan, but it's about time that someone generated this list, so here it goes. You know your partner is a douchebag when:
1. He is doing pushups in the locker room to try and make his arms look buffed before the game.
2. He wears a side-panel shirt to be cool.
3. He gives you 5 things you did wrong in the first half, yet his rating is 20 spots below you.
4. His back/legs hurt so badly that he cannot cover the court, but he won't turn the game in.
5. His son/nephew is playing in the game.
6. He wants to spend 45 minutes giving you a pre-game because he has never worked with you before.
7. He talks about staying in your primary but calls in your area all night.
8. He changes your OOB call with a huge whistle and point without trying to talk to you first.
9. He uses the closed fist and a punch motion to call a charge in a men's game.
10. He takes being an R way to seriously and acts like an ass when he is not the R.
11. He comes over to you with 2 minutes left and says, "Pressure time, need to step up!"
12. He can dish out criticism, but gets defensive when he screws up.
13. He tells stories about whacking coaches, then takes abuse.
14. He makes a bad call, then T's the kid or coach.
15. He tells a coach to "sit down" and/or "shut up".
16. He actually enforces the seat belt rule.
17. He hasn't missed a call in years.
18. He has a rule wrong but is adamant that he has it right.
19. He drives to a travel game, but doesn't provide refreshments.
20. He tells you how bad somebody is, then grandstands about how great he is when he's standing there.
21. He thinks because he went to a camp he knows everything.
22. He calls goaltending from under the basket.
23. He lets a cheap shot go right in front of him without doing a thing.
24. He wants to go to the benches right at 2 minutes so he can kiss the coaches' asses for as long as possible.
25. He acts quiet and reserved with top officials, but is a loud know-it-all with peers.
26. He thinks he's getting screwed on his schedule.
27. He thinks where he is rated is that important.
28. He constantly lies about being the man/tough guy to try and make people think he's good.
29. He whines about his friends' ratings schedule instead of giving them honest feedback to make them better.
30. He thinks mentorship is showing up at 6:30 and sitting in the stands chatting for 30 minutes prior to dressing and saying "Everything looked great!"
31. He doesn't comprehend or even try to understand his weaknesses.
32. He talks about the old days that can never really be verified.
33. He blows his whistle and points when it is not his line.
34. He echoes your whistle to try and steal the call.
35. He says, "Yeah, if you didn't call that I would have," instead of, "Yeah, that was a good call, I should have gotten it, too, but I locked up on that one."
36. He thinks feedback as a tit-for-tat game.
37. He takes crew comments as a personal attack.
38. He won't admit a blatant mistake.
39. He cannot admit that an official with less experience can be better based on talent and work ethic.
40. He thinks rotations on backcourt fouls are really, really important to get exactly right, then butchers them.
41. He takes himself way too seriously and has to be the center of attention during the game.
42. He wears a sport coat and tie with jeans to a game.
43. He barely crosses half-court as a T, and is in pretty much the same position near half-court as C.
44. He doesn't flex--ever.
45. He goads a kid or a coach into a T, then gloats about it.
46. He begs coaches for games/ratings.
47. He has no clue that films clearly show mistakes to coaches. Sometimes over, and over, and over again.
48. He does things for self-interest when he knows it is 100% wrong.
49. He digs for compliments when they are unnecessary, or worse, unwarranted.
50. He thinks George Jackson actually knows something.
Merry Christmas, guys!
1. He is doing pushups in the locker room to try and make his arms look buffed before the game.
2. He wears a side-panel shirt to be cool.
3. He gives you 5 things you did wrong in the first half, yet his rating is 20 spots below you.
4. His back/legs hurt so badly that he cannot cover the court, but he won't turn the game in.
5. His son/nephew is playing in the game.
6. He wants to spend 45 minutes giving you a pre-game because he has never worked with you before.
7. He talks about staying in your primary but calls in your area all night.
8. He changes your OOB call with a huge whistle and point without trying to talk to you first.
9. He uses the closed fist and a punch motion to call a charge in a men's game.
10. He takes being an R way to seriously and acts like an ass when he is not the R.
11. He comes over to you with 2 minutes left and says, "Pressure time, need to step up!"
12. He can dish out criticism, but gets defensive when he screws up.
13. He tells stories about whacking coaches, then takes abuse.
14. He makes a bad call, then T's the kid or coach.
15. He tells a coach to "sit down" and/or "shut up".
16. He actually enforces the seat belt rule.
17. He hasn't missed a call in years.
18. He has a rule wrong but is adamant that he has it right.
19. He drives to a travel game, but doesn't provide refreshments.
20. He tells you how bad somebody is, then grandstands about how great he is when he's standing there.
21. He thinks because he went to a camp he knows everything.
22. He calls goaltending from under the basket.
23. He lets a cheap shot go right in front of him without doing a thing.
24. He wants to go to the benches right at 2 minutes so he can kiss the coaches' asses for as long as possible.
25. He acts quiet and reserved with top officials, but is a loud know-it-all with peers.
26. He thinks he's getting screwed on his schedule.
27. He thinks where he is rated is that important.
28. He constantly lies about being the man/tough guy to try and make people think he's good.
29. He whines about his friends' ratings schedule instead of giving them honest feedback to make them better.
30. He thinks mentorship is showing up at 6:30 and sitting in the stands chatting for 30 minutes prior to dressing and saying "Everything looked great!"
31. He doesn't comprehend or even try to understand his weaknesses.
32. He talks about the old days that can never really be verified.
33. He blows his whistle and points when it is not his line.
34. He echoes your whistle to try and steal the call.
35. He says, "Yeah, if you didn't call that I would have," instead of, "Yeah, that was a good call, I should have gotten it, too, but I locked up on that one."
36. He thinks feedback as a tit-for-tat game.
37. He takes crew comments as a personal attack.
38. He won't admit a blatant mistake.
39. He cannot admit that an official with less experience can be better based on talent and work ethic.
40. He thinks rotations on backcourt fouls are really, really important to get exactly right, then butchers them.
41. He takes himself way too seriously and has to be the center of attention during the game.
42. He wears a sport coat and tie with jeans to a game.
43. He barely crosses half-court as a T, and is in pretty much the same position near half-court as C.
44. He doesn't flex--ever.
45. He goads a kid or a coach into a T, then gloats about it.
46. He begs coaches for games/ratings.
47. He has no clue that films clearly show mistakes to coaches. Sometimes over, and over, and over again.
48. He does things for self-interest when he knows it is 100% wrong.
49. He digs for compliments when they are unnecessary, or worse, unwarranted.
50. He thinks George Jackson actually knows something.
Merry Christmas, guys!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
3 In The Key-My Favorite
First off, I'll say that besides technical fouls, 3 in the key is the last thing I want to call in a basketball game. This year, the NCAA has out an emphasis on calling 3 in the key. They showed us video clips of some pretty obscene abuses of that rule that were not called. I have even had questions regarding what the actual rule is. Here are some absolutes:
1. 3 in the Key starts when the players enters the key, period.
2. 3 in the Key resets on a shot attempt. 10 offensive rebounds? No 3 in the Key!
3. 3 in the Key does not reset on loose balls. Post player fumbles ball? Should be called per rulebook.
4. Player has 1 foot on the lane line or barely in the key? Rule book says that counts as 3 in the key.
Now, here is my philosophy on 3 in the key:
1. If you call 3 in the Key, everyone in the gym should know that the offensive player visibly camped out for a period longer than a second, got a huge advantage, and/or made a series of slow moves after being posted for a while. Grandma in the top row should be saying, Yep, he was in there for 3!" if you call it.
2. Anyone who calls a 3 in the key when the offending player is not posting for the ball or setting a screen to free someone up to flash to the ball is a bonafide idiot who will never, ever get it.
3. I'm fine with someone calling 3 in the key during a fumbled ball. Shows good game awareness.
4. I don't like the 3 in the key call to avoid calling an offensive foul on a player trying to post up.
5. The best call is to tell the player to get out of the key. Then when you have to call 3, the player won't complain.
Coaches yelling at me to call 3 in the key generally get ignored. If they have a point, everyone knows it, and I won't let it happen again. I'd say 95% of the time, the coach doesn't really have a valid point about 3 in the key, unless they want calls made verbatim with the rule book. I'm guessing the T it would cost them for questioning the 3 in the key in the first place, per the rulebook, would end that desire very quickly.
And then I'd really be pissy because I'd rather call anything other than a T.
1. 3 in the Key starts when the players enters the key, period.
2. 3 in the Key resets on a shot attempt. 10 offensive rebounds? No 3 in the Key!
3. 3 in the Key does not reset on loose balls. Post player fumbles ball? Should be called per rulebook.
4. Player has 1 foot on the lane line or barely in the key? Rule book says that counts as 3 in the key.
Now, here is my philosophy on 3 in the key:
1. If you call 3 in the Key, everyone in the gym should know that the offensive player visibly camped out for a period longer than a second, got a huge advantage, and/or made a series of slow moves after being posted for a while. Grandma in the top row should be saying, Yep, he was in there for 3!" if you call it.
2. Anyone who calls a 3 in the key when the offending player is not posting for the ball or setting a screen to free someone up to flash to the ball is a bonafide idiot who will never, ever get it.
3. I'm fine with someone calling 3 in the key during a fumbled ball. Shows good game awareness.
4. I don't like the 3 in the key call to avoid calling an offensive foul on a player trying to post up.
5. The best call is to tell the player to get out of the key. Then when you have to call 3, the player won't complain.
Coaches yelling at me to call 3 in the key generally get ignored. If they have a point, everyone knows it, and I won't let it happen again. I'd say 95% of the time, the coach doesn't really have a valid point about 3 in the key, unless they want calls made verbatim with the rule book. I'm guessing the T it would cost them for questioning the 3 in the key in the first place, per the rulebook, would end that desire very quickly.
And then I'd really be pissy because I'd rather call anything other than a T.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The Importance of Context
In a perfect world, we are all robots as officials. We see a play, apply the rules from the rule book, make the correct decision, and either call a foul or violation or not. However, most of us, at least the good officials, know this is never the case. However, context is a very powerful concept that an official must understand and use in order to become great.
We had all heard the advice to stay away from making calls at the end of the game that we have not called all game. No 3 seconds for the first 37 minutes? No problem, don;t call it the last 3. No handchecks yet? OK, then don;t call any at the end of the game. This advice taken literally is flat out stupid, but the real gem in it is how context is important.
End of game situations nonwithstanding, context is huge on calls that are not either not readily seen by most people in the gym, or are obscure by nature. "Let the fouls call themselves" is a great sound bite that I love. Player A gets beat, there is contact, there is a consequence, and you have a foul on Player A. No whining, no complaints. Easy game. However, that's no always the case. Call a foul in a corner well away from a bench, you may catch some grief because the bench and many fans cannot see it clearly. Muddled and messy bunch of bodies in the key and you have a foul? Not everyone can see that. You have one of these, it's no big deal, but there are times you catch a run of those, say 3 in 3 minutes, with no other whistles during that time. They might be the right calls, but you have to expect some negative emotions from players and coaches during those times. And you also should try your hardest to let your partners take the next few calls--if you can--to allow the attention to go away from you.
End of game, remember the key is "ultra-high certainty". If you haven't called 3 second all night, but it is very obvious to everyone that some players gets an advantage (easy scoring chance) from being parked in there for what seems like a lot more than 3 seconds, you have to get that. Horrible screen that sends two guys down? Gotta get it. Just make sure that everyone in the gym knows it was the right call. If you don't, things can get ugly. You can be right, but still pay a price due to our friend Context. You may enter a crosswalk legally, but if a truck runs you over, while you were still right, you're also a cripple. Think about that.
The ending point here is, don't let context be your enemy. Out of context calls are "outliers" and make you stand out. Some outliers are tremendously positive and can pump your reputation with coaches, players, peers, and fans to the stratosphere. Those are the calls that ramp you up, and you have to be competent and ready to have the courage to make those when the context is right. However, most "outlier" calls are negative, and make you stand out like a sore thumb. Those really damage your credibility and reputation, especially if they become one of your calling cards.
Make sure your "outlier" calls have a 3:1 postive:negative ratio, and watch what happens to your schedule and how your treated by your peers.
We had all heard the advice to stay away from making calls at the end of the game that we have not called all game. No 3 seconds for the first 37 minutes? No problem, don;t call it the last 3. No handchecks yet? OK, then don;t call any at the end of the game. This advice taken literally is flat out stupid, but the real gem in it is how context is important.
End of game situations nonwithstanding, context is huge on calls that are not either not readily seen by most people in the gym, or are obscure by nature. "Let the fouls call themselves" is a great sound bite that I love. Player A gets beat, there is contact, there is a consequence, and you have a foul on Player A. No whining, no complaints. Easy game. However, that's no always the case. Call a foul in a corner well away from a bench, you may catch some grief because the bench and many fans cannot see it clearly. Muddled and messy bunch of bodies in the key and you have a foul? Not everyone can see that. You have one of these, it's no big deal, but there are times you catch a run of those, say 3 in 3 minutes, with no other whistles during that time. They might be the right calls, but you have to expect some negative emotions from players and coaches during those times. And you also should try your hardest to let your partners take the next few calls--if you can--to allow the attention to go away from you.
End of game, remember the key is "ultra-high certainty". If you haven't called 3 second all night, but it is very obvious to everyone that some players gets an advantage (easy scoring chance) from being parked in there for what seems like a lot more than 3 seconds, you have to get that. Horrible screen that sends two guys down? Gotta get it. Just make sure that everyone in the gym knows it was the right call. If you don't, things can get ugly. You can be right, but still pay a price due to our friend Context. You may enter a crosswalk legally, but if a truck runs you over, while you were still right, you're also a cripple. Think about that.
The ending point here is, don't let context be your enemy. Out of context calls are "outliers" and make you stand out. Some outliers are tremendously positive and can pump your reputation with coaches, players, peers, and fans to the stratosphere. Those are the calls that ramp you up, and you have to be competent and ready to have the courage to make those when the context is right. However, most "outlier" calls are negative, and make you stand out like a sore thumb. Those really damage your credibility and reputation, especially if they become one of your calling cards.
Make sure your "outlier" calls have a 3:1 postive:negative ratio, and watch what happens to your schedule and how your treated by your peers.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Shot Clock Advice for HS Officials
With the addition of the shot clock to HS boys basketball, HS officials will have to quickly ramp up their game awareness. When HS went from 2 to 3-man crews, there was an adjustment period. I told people it would take 3 years to really learn and understand the concepts, and feel comfortable with what you are doing. Some arrogant people scoffed at that, but 3 years later understood what I said and knew I was right. The others till don’t get it. The shot clock will not have nearly the impact to the game as the switch to 3-man, however, the potential for crew embarrassment is actually higher, because it adds another element that must be dealt with. Bad game awareness can make you look foolish as a crew should problems occur; good game awareness can make individuals look great and save their crews. As with everything else, the choice is yours. I’ve been through it for 9 years, and probably did not get really comfortable with shot clock game awareness until about year 5-6. Instead of telling “I Love Me” stories, I’m posting these ideas for you to read, ponder, and use at your discretion.
1. Early in the game, when the ball is inbounded in the backcourt, ensure that the shot clock starts when the ball is touched (controlled), NOT immediately after a made basket. To be honest, very few people will notice a 2-3 second headstart when this is done incorrectly. However, a correct shot clock is a great ally when you call 10 seconds, because it can verify a correct 10 count. I can tell you that I will make absolutely sure that the clock reads 25 or less before I will call a 10-second violation. I will also be sure that the shot clock operator is doing his job correctly on that early in the game so I have confidence that the shot clock helps me on the 10 second count. It ends the 2 comments a coach can throw at you—quick 10 count and/or the shot clock started early. And I have never made a 10 second call that was not protested. This helps a ton.
2. If you are confident and have big balls, you can call a 10-second count based on the shot clock from the C or L. You want to talk about good game awareness and helping your partners? They’d probably get pissed at you, but if the game needs it and the defensive team earned it, you can now make that call. If somebody did that to me as the T, and they were correct, I’d tip my cap and be greatly impressed with their game awareness.
3. “Do The Math”. When a possession starts, the trail should try to note what the game clock read at the start of the possession. Shot clocks are weird. Sometimes, they get reset during play. Sometimes, they get reset on a whistle when they should not have. They go out. The funny thing is, someone will notice and let you know about it. If you know the game clock at the start of the possession (or can credibly guess), you can quickly and authoritatively set the shot clock correctly and effectively resolve the issue. Nothing is more impressive than you saying “Game clock was 5:50, it now reads 5:30, so set the shot clock to 15!” Nothing is worse than saying “Let’s just set it to 18.” If you know exactly, that’s the gold standard. You’re a stud. If you have a great idea, make a confident guess and roll with it. In college, they track the possessions by computer, so the scoring table may be able to help you as well. So if you lapse and forget, ask the table for help. I will tell you—the longer the conference/meeting you have to resolve these things, the uglier it can get. Do The Math and save yourself and your crew the hassle.
4. There are times they forget to reset the shot clock, and the buzzer goes off early in a possession. “Do The Math” saves you there.
5. If you have an inkling that the shotclock is wrong, stop play and try and fix it.
6. If you have a whistle stopping play with anything associated with the shot clock, you can go with an “inadvertent whistle”, and give the ball to the team that has possession. Sometimes people anticipate the ball missing the rim with the shot clock winding down, and they blow the play dead because they anticipated it. (GJJ January 2009). Inadvertent whistle is the right way to fix those satiations, instead of sticking with the wrong call with respect to the shot clock.
7. Realize what you have at the table. I am guessing that the bigger schools will have decent table crews, but you always have to be aware. At freshman and JV games, my guess is you will really have to communicate with them, and be a lot more aware than the Varsity guys. You can make excuses, or train yourself and learn the skills. Crappy tables have to be managed—shot clock operators will have to be taught at lower levels. Accept the challenge and get it done!
8. It sounds to me like HS rules say that any shot attempt shot reset the shot clock, not if a shot hits the rim. That opens up room for interpretation. A airball deemed a legitimate shot attempt can be rebounded by the shooter. What is a legitimate shot? My opinion would be that you should not penalize the defense. The offense takes a reasonably good shot as the shot clock winds down—give them the benefit of the doubt. The offense panics and throws up a wild ass shot—you going to bail them out? My opinion is to use commons sense, understand whether the defense won the situation or not, and make your decision based on that. My guess is that shot-clock operators in HS will not reset unless the ball hits the rim, and I would instruct them to do just that. The better game management method in this situation would be to hear the buzzer, blow the play dead, and then rule that a legitimate shot attempt had occurred prior to the buzzer, and go the point of interruption. If the offense has the ball, they get it back. No control, you go to the arrow. Defense has it, they get it. Justice for all.
Lots of stuff here. If you have any questions for me, you know where to find me. Game awareness is become more important. Use it to your advantage with the shot clock.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Game Management
Everyone talks about it. Nobody can really define it. Game management is bringing calmness and order to a game, period. When there is effective game management, you don't see players acting out or throwing cheap shots. You don't see a lot of negative emotions spilling out from the players and coaches. The people in the stands generally understand that the game is being managed fairly. Everything that is called is fairly obvious and well-communicated throughout the gym. T's in well-managed games are really not even remembered by anyone. Just another valid whistle.
If you get feedback that you need to work on game management, you need to figure out what main building block--judgment, mechanics, positioning, presence, or communication--causes the above events to occur. What are you personally doing to ensure good game management? Without being brutally honest with yourself, good luck.
If you get feedback that you need to work on game management, you need to figure out what main building block--judgment, mechanics, positioning, presence, or communication--causes the above events to occur. What are you personally doing to ensure good game management? Without being brutally honest with yourself, good luck.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Avoid Phantoms/Ticky-Tack
Phantom calls are the worst calls you can make, and it happens more than anyone admits. I know this because it happens in my area more than I would like, so I can only assume that it happens to everyone.
Nobody likes to be labeled as calling "ticky-tack", either. Well, no good officials want that in reference to them. And that happens to most people at some point, too.
I heard a great line this past week that helped me calibrate my judgment: "Let the fouls call themselves."
How great is that? It makes you have a patient whistle. It helps you just call the obvious. It will help with coach and crowd reactions. You'll get the big stuff, and avoid calling the 20-30% plays where there is some contact but you could do without a whistle if you chose to.
I don't know, I though this simple philosophy was awesome, so on the blog it goes. It helped me have my best game as an individual official in a month in terms of judgment. Hope it helps someone else besides me!
Nobody likes to be labeled as calling "ticky-tack", either. Well, no good officials want that in reference to them. And that happens to most people at some point, too.
I heard a great line this past week that helped me calibrate my judgment: "Let the fouls call themselves."
How great is that? It makes you have a patient whistle. It helps you just call the obvious. It will help with coach and crowd reactions. You'll get the big stuff, and avoid calling the 20-30% plays where there is some contact but you could do without a whistle if you chose to.
I don't know, I though this simple philosophy was awesome, so on the blog it goes. It helped me have my best game as an individual official in a month in terms of judgment. Hope it helps someone else besides me!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Idea
I'm going to go buy a white arm sleeve, some black leggings, and a purple headband, so I can wear them the next time I work men's league at the court club. I'm loving these guys who either can no longer play, or never could play, spending $300 for their outfit. The arm sleeves on the guys whose range should be 3 feet or less is the final straw for me. I have to join 'em!
Christ.
Christ.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
I'm Here All Week, Folks
I had a pretty funny line this week that a lot of people seem to be enjoying way too much. A player in a game had a very goofy shot mechanic. He would almost double-clutch his jump shots, and would have the same hitch on his free throws. As you can imagine, the hitch in his shot caused lane violations the first couple of times he went to the line.
An opposing player got pissy and complained. My response was, "What do you want me to do? Goofy isn't illegal." The whole lane broke up laughing. Even the shooter thought it was funny.
Use at your own peril. Have fun.
An opposing player got pissy and complained. My response was, "What do you want me to do? Goofy isn't illegal." The whole lane broke up laughing. Even the shooter thought it was funny.
Use at your own peril. Have fun.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Feedback!
The number of hits and readers has been growing exponentially the past 3 months. The following are some of places where folks are reading from: Everett, Philadephia, Albany, Tucson, Spokane, Keizer OR, Vancouver, Stanwood WA, Simi Valley, Omaha, Denver, Wichita, College Place WA, Petaluma CA, Brussels Belgium, Manchester UK, United Arab Emirates, Melbourne Austraila, and Toronto.
Who knew there is basketball being played, let alone referees scouring the Net in search of help or entertainment, in the U.A.E.?!?!?!
Anyway, I'd love to get either comments or e-mails from y'all. Any topics I can throw out there, questions you may have, or just a simple kudos would be much appreciated.
You can also spread the word to others if you like the blog. I'm getting close to enough traffic to be able to sell advertising. If I am able to do that, I will be donating any proceeds to help subsidize local youth basketball. If that is a stupid idea, let me know that, too!
Thanks again for reading my blog. It is very satisfying, and to be blunt, very humbling to me. Hope it helps.
Who knew there is basketball being played, let alone referees scouring the Net in search of help or entertainment, in the U.A.E.?!?!?!
Anyway, I'd love to get either comments or e-mails from y'all. Any topics I can throw out there, questions you may have, or just a simple kudos would be much appreciated.
You can also spread the word to others if you like the blog. I'm getting close to enough traffic to be able to sell advertising. If I am able to do that, I will be donating any proceeds to help subsidize local youth basketball. If that is a stupid idea, let me know that, too!
Thanks again for reading my blog. It is very satisfying, and to be blunt, very humbling to me. Hope it helps.
Integrity and Respect
Basketball is an emotional game. As referees, we have a difficult job to maintain our composure when targeted by angry question or comments. We always have to be the bigger person. Whatever comes our way on the court, the second that we treat a coach, player, administrator, or fan with any perceived malice or disrespect, we are automatically 100% wrong.
Virtually none of us go out on the court with the intent of making wrong calls. However, a lot of officials get extremely defensive, and even hostile at times, when under duress. Once that happens, it almost always goes downhill from there. These are the times when the red flag or perceived malice and disrespect can rise up.
If you always conduct yourself with integrity, and show coaches and players respect, virtually any bad situation will have a very short shelf life, and that is very good for your career as an official. I am by no means a perfect official, and it is plainly evident when I am irritated or annoyed on the court by the shaved head and look my my face. But I never lose the empathetic perspective I have spoken about here way too many times. Never hold a grudge from game-to-game. Never even hold a grudge from minute-to-minute. Nobody wins when that happens.
Part of having integrity is admitting mistakes. I made a very poor call last night in a game I worked, and it resulted in a starter having the sit the remainder of the half with foul trouble. I got yelled at by the coach, and did even acknowledge it at the time. At halftime, one of my partners told me it was a bad call. As I got that team out after halftime, I told the coach flat out that the call was bad. Think I liked it? No. Think it showed the coach and player a lot of respect? Yes. Did it prevent them from questioning me about other calls? No. But it was the right thing to do.
Part of having integrity is disagreeing in a respectful manner. I had a young coach who I had never worked for before question a bad screen call I made that I thought was a no-brainer. He then took umbrage with my next 2 calls against his team. He had a reputation or being easy to work for and not going after officials, so I was unsure as to how to deal with it. He proceeded to get on a partner about me. Before the end of the half, he asked me another question, and I told him nicely that I was 100% certain on every call I had made against his team (there were only 4 the entire half), and that he would clearly see the bad screen on the film. I also told him that I would never lie to him, and if I missed one, I'd have no problems admitting it. The rest of the game went with not a single question or comment from him.
Part of having integrity is being able to say "I'm not sure." The rule book is vast. Very few know them all 100%. After 13 years, I have a pretty good idea about it, although I'm probably never the #1 rules guy on any crew I am on. I had two coaches question rules where I was 98% sure we had it right, but not 100%. In those cases, the next day I looked up the rule and popped a e-mail to the coach, clarifying that we were right both times, with the intent that they would know that rule from that point forward.
What does this all mean? In the first situation, I got a nice note from the coach who appreciated my candor and for his behavior during the game. In the second, the next time I had the coach, he called me over and told me that I was right, the film showed that I was correct on all of them, and apologized for getting on me. The last two, they appreciated the e-mail and the help we gave them in learning more about the rules, and about our dedication to getting them right.
We all hear the exaggerated war stories about telling coaches off, giving them technicals, telling them to "shut up", running players out of games via technicals or common fouls, and booting fans from gyms. Most of those stories are about 50% fact, 50% what the referee wishing he he the stones to do. Or they really do those things, and make complete fools of themselves, usually without recognizing the laughing at them behind their backs.
The bottom line is, showing them respect and exhibiting the utmost integrity at all times builds relationships that allow you to manage games and situations a lot better. Yes, it hurts the ego some nights. Last night I was pissed off when I got into my car, but understood that it was how that game went, and I wouldn't have changed a thing I did (or did not) do. I was unhappy and embarrassed that the coach was riding my partner about me. I wasn't pleased that I was not 100% on a rule that the coaches questioned. But I continued to treat them with respect, and maintained my integrity at all times.
Think those guys are happy to see me in their games? Think that makes a difference to their kids? Think the fans recognize it? The answer to all of those is a resounding yes. Think about these things and remember to always take the high road whenever possible. More times than not, you don't ever see the positive consequences of doing so, but trust me, they exist far more than we all realize.
Virtually none of us go out on the court with the intent of making wrong calls. However, a lot of officials get extremely defensive, and even hostile at times, when under duress. Once that happens, it almost always goes downhill from there. These are the times when the red flag or perceived malice and disrespect can rise up.
If you always conduct yourself with integrity, and show coaches and players respect, virtually any bad situation will have a very short shelf life, and that is very good for your career as an official. I am by no means a perfect official, and it is plainly evident when I am irritated or annoyed on the court by the shaved head and look my my face. But I never lose the empathetic perspective I have spoken about here way too many times. Never hold a grudge from game-to-game. Never even hold a grudge from minute-to-minute. Nobody wins when that happens.
Part of having integrity is admitting mistakes. I made a very poor call last night in a game I worked, and it resulted in a starter having the sit the remainder of the half with foul trouble. I got yelled at by the coach, and did even acknowledge it at the time. At halftime, one of my partners told me it was a bad call. As I got that team out after halftime, I told the coach flat out that the call was bad. Think I liked it? No. Think it showed the coach and player a lot of respect? Yes. Did it prevent them from questioning me about other calls? No. But it was the right thing to do.
Part of having integrity is disagreeing in a respectful manner. I had a young coach who I had never worked for before question a bad screen call I made that I thought was a no-brainer. He then took umbrage with my next 2 calls against his team. He had a reputation or being easy to work for and not going after officials, so I was unsure as to how to deal with it. He proceeded to get on a partner about me. Before the end of the half, he asked me another question, and I told him nicely that I was 100% certain on every call I had made against his team (there were only 4 the entire half), and that he would clearly see the bad screen on the film. I also told him that I would never lie to him, and if I missed one, I'd have no problems admitting it. The rest of the game went with not a single question or comment from him.
Part of having integrity is being able to say "I'm not sure." The rule book is vast. Very few know them all 100%. After 13 years, I have a pretty good idea about it, although I'm probably never the #1 rules guy on any crew I am on. I had two coaches question rules where I was 98% sure we had it right, but not 100%. In those cases, the next day I looked up the rule and popped a e-mail to the coach, clarifying that we were right both times, with the intent that they would know that rule from that point forward.
What does this all mean? In the first situation, I got a nice note from the coach who appreciated my candor and for his behavior during the game. In the second, the next time I had the coach, he called me over and told me that I was right, the film showed that I was correct on all of them, and apologized for getting on me. The last two, they appreciated the e-mail and the help we gave them in learning more about the rules, and about our dedication to getting them right.
We all hear the exaggerated war stories about telling coaches off, giving them technicals, telling them to "shut up", running players out of games via technicals or common fouls, and booting fans from gyms. Most of those stories are about 50% fact, 50% what the referee wishing he he the stones to do. Or they really do those things, and make complete fools of themselves, usually without recognizing the laughing at them behind their backs.
The bottom line is, showing them respect and exhibiting the utmost integrity at all times builds relationships that allow you to manage games and situations a lot better. Yes, it hurts the ego some nights. Last night I was pissed off when I got into my car, but understood that it was how that game went, and I wouldn't have changed a thing I did (or did not) do. I was unhappy and embarrassed that the coach was riding my partner about me. I wasn't pleased that I was not 100% on a rule that the coaches questioned. But I continued to treat them with respect, and maintained my integrity at all times.
Think those guys are happy to see me in their games? Think that makes a difference to their kids? Think the fans recognize it? The answer to all of those is a resounding yes. Think about these things and remember to always take the high road whenever possible. More times than not, you don't ever see the positive consequences of doing so, but trust me, they exist far more than we all realize.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Judgment/Position Relationship
For years, my opinion was that the best officials have the best judgment. Mechanics are flashy, most refs are nice guys, but judgment is what separates the great officials from the mirages. However, the last year or two, I had become acutely aware of how most of us are somewhat lax on positioning, and that has a huge impact on our performance. You must be strong on positioning, or you will not make the right calls, period.
No matter how good your judgment is, if you are not in position to see the play, you miss a foul. Therefore, mistakes that are made are a function of both judgment and positioning. This really hit home to me last week when a couple of guys asked me to watch their game and provide feedback. One young official had phenomenal judgment., When he saw a play, he made the right decision just about every time. Problem was, he was tied to the sideline at the FT line extended as the C, and did not move much as the T to get the angles he needed. So he missed some fouls. I am convinced that with better positioning, he would have aced the game. The other guy was in position A almost every time, he just needs to refine his judgment. That will come with reps, self-awareness, and experience.
Having great positioning also eliminates the need to be very rigid on whose area calls are in. The better officials understand that primaries are guidelines. On drives to the basket, the whole crew should be getting a look, but you give the first crack at the play to the guy who has the best look at it. When your positioning is very good, and you are not guessing, all of a sudden you've become a very valuable teammate. Great positioning gives you more chances at good looks. That will make you better.
What happens with guys who have average judgment and average positioning? They guess. Guessing means phantom calls or incorrect calls. Nothing worse than phantom calls.
So the lesson here is, really, really focus on your positioning. Move as the T and C to get angles to see the plays. If you are not in position, don't guess, and hope that one of your partners had a good look and can help you out. Otherwise, track when you have no-calls, and go back to really figure out if you had good positioning or not.
No matter how good your judgment is, if you are not in position to see the play, you miss a foul. Therefore, mistakes that are made are a function of both judgment and positioning. This really hit home to me last week when a couple of guys asked me to watch their game and provide feedback. One young official had phenomenal judgment., When he saw a play, he made the right decision just about every time. Problem was, he was tied to the sideline at the FT line extended as the C, and did not move much as the T to get the angles he needed. So he missed some fouls. I am convinced that with better positioning, he would have aced the game. The other guy was in position A almost every time, he just needs to refine his judgment. That will come with reps, self-awareness, and experience.
Having great positioning also eliminates the need to be very rigid on whose area calls are in. The better officials understand that primaries are guidelines. On drives to the basket, the whole crew should be getting a look, but you give the first crack at the play to the guy who has the best look at it. When your positioning is very good, and you are not guessing, all of a sudden you've become a very valuable teammate. Great positioning gives you more chances at good looks. That will make you better.
What happens with guys who have average judgment and average positioning? They guess. Guessing means phantom calls or incorrect calls. Nothing worse than phantom calls.
So the lesson here is, really, really focus on your positioning. Move as the T and C to get angles to see the plays. If you are not in position, don't guess, and hope that one of your partners had a good look and can help you out. Otherwise, track when you have no-calls, and go back to really figure out if you had good positioning or not.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Great Quote
Ran across an unbelievably great quote from Jim Harrick, former Pepperdine and UCLA head coach:
"Good referees make bad calls. Bad referees make bad calls and then call technicals."
Succinct and perfect. Think about it.
"Good referees make bad calls. Bad referees make bad calls and then call technicals."
Succinct and perfect. Think about it.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Advice From "Veterans"
You need to be really careful about "advice" from "veterans". I cannot tell you how many phone calls and e-mails I have gotten the past several years about "veterans" providing "feedback" to young officials that is 100% wrong.
Keep in mind that a lot of "veterans" think they know everything, and that their way is the only way. Listen to them, thank them, and then walk away and make up your own mind. There s a bell curve for everything in life. Years experience does not force you to the top of the bell curve, unless you are in a union.
Really good mentors will always give you ideas to help you further shape and develop your own philosophies and personal style of officiating. They will understand what makes you successful, and prod you into areas where further development will make you a better individual official and partner. They understand that there are many ways to be a great game manager, different kinds of game awareness, and judgment philosophies that all can be used at different times to be the best you can be in each game, because every game is different. I have games where there is no question that I have the most authority and credibility on the floor, and not necessarily because I am the best official of the 3. There are other games where I am the best of the 3, but I defer to a partner because he is the best to set the tone or work situations as they arise.
"Veterans" like to hear themselves talk a lot. They are always right, because they've been around longer than you. They also don't want you taking their games.
Remember: Smile, thanks, and then do what you know is right.
Keep in mind that a lot of "veterans" think they know everything, and that their way is the only way. Listen to them, thank them, and then walk away and make up your own mind. There s a bell curve for everything in life. Years experience does not force you to the top of the bell curve, unless you are in a union.
Really good mentors will always give you ideas to help you further shape and develop your own philosophies and personal style of officiating. They will understand what makes you successful, and prod you into areas where further development will make you a better individual official and partner. They understand that there are many ways to be a great game manager, different kinds of game awareness, and judgment philosophies that all can be used at different times to be the best you can be in each game, because every game is different. I have games where there is no question that I have the most authority and credibility on the floor, and not necessarily because I am the best official of the 3. There are other games where I am the best of the 3, but I defer to a partner because he is the best to set the tone or work situations as they arise.
"Veterans" like to hear themselves talk a lot. They are always right, because they've been around longer than you. They also don't want you taking their games.
Remember: Smile, thanks, and then do what you know is right.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
4 Techniques For Coaches to Affect Refs
A huge topic of conversation amongst officials is how to handle coaches. Everyone has the story of the complete jackass that got deservedly T'd up and put in his place by the Big Bad Tough Guy referee. And while those exaggerated tales of bravado impress the easily impressed and can be entertaining, after 14 years they kind of get old. So I got to thinking about the different styles that coaches employ to try and get calls. Let's face it, if they can get 2 extra calls from each official per game, that equates to 6 possessions or sets of free throws, which probably equates to 6 points. Thinking of it that way, I expect the coaches to do whatever they can to get those possessions and points, or they just are not that competitive. Competitive coaches and players are why I love to officiate.
1. The Screamer. They love to get very loud so the whole gym can hear them. I'm not a big fan of the screamer, but they don't bother me a whole lot. If you ask them nicely to please stop screaming, that you are right there to listen to them so they don't have to scream, that usually works. I don't see a lot of guys scream the whole game, they tend to get very loud during short outbursts. They just cannot control themselves. Once you've asked them to stop screaming, you have the option to T them. However, do not T these guys if you or your crew either blew a call or m ade a really tough, but correct call. Let the guy vent within reason, as long as he is not personal or profane. But screaming on an obvious correct call is when they get dumb.
2. The MindF^%$er. These guys are the smartest and potentially the most annoying. They will be rather calm and try and get into your head. They will ask you an innocent question, then try and twist your answers against you. Examples are: "George, why did you call that handcheck?" "Because he had 2 hands on the ball handler and that is automatic per the NCAA this year." You then have him asking why you don't call that 5 times for him the rest of the game. I also heard this great line once: "George, do you hate X High School?" "No, Coach." "Well you sure act like it!" With these guys, answer questions with short answers that do not lock you into anything with respect to the rule book. Stay in gray areas, or else you will box yourself in and invite trouble. Minimizing what you say is the critical step, but remember that we have to communicate with the coaches. You cannot put The MindF&*&ers on Ignore. They'll turn into a Screamer and you'll have a problem.
3. The Whiner. These guys just don't give up. They chip about travels. They chip about 3 seconds. And they are usually incessant. These guys annoy me, but they are harmless. Usually, the chipping is just nervous energy that has to go somewhere, so they vent on us. If they chipped that much at the kids, they'd quit. If they held it in, they'd eventually explode and be a Screamer on steroids. Two ways to handle these guys. You can ask them nicely to not chip/ask for calls on every trip. You can tell them you are working your tail off to call things right both ways. In my experience, that works some of the time. The other way to handle this is to call a travel on them when they chip about travels. I don't like to call travels unless they are obvious and affect the game. A lot of times, I'll tell a coach he was correct, but it was a "Baby Travel" and I just did not pull the trigger. Well, if I have asked a coach to stop chipping, and he persists, I'll get a Baby Travel and not even look at him. That works far more often than the first method. For me, these are the guys that would have the highest chance of getting the T from me because they are the most persistent.
4. The Intimidator. They like to growl at you. They like to stare you down during time outs. They like to bark, "This is MY gym!" A few of these guys are intimidating. I've had 2 coaches make me nervous--Jim Castleberry of Richland and Greg Franz of Wenatchee. Both were gray-haired guys who could stare a hole through steel and blow your hair back with a loud caustic comment. The important things to remember when dealing with The Intimidator are to always be ultra nice and professional when addressing them, and never giving into it. If you go aggressively at them, more times than not the situation will blow up. These guys hold long grudges over T's. Acting as if you are unaware and unaffected by their behavior will usually be the best course, especially because the other coach will have no reason to question you or react to the Intimidator. The worst symptom of the Intimidator is how the opposing coach views your response. When you don't let it affect you, and have the courage to keep making the right calls in the face of the stare downs and growling, you win, and so does your game.
None of these are 100%. But think about how the coach attacks the officials during the game, and why they do it. If you can understand them, you'll be better prepared to deal with them effectively!
1. The Screamer. They love to get very loud so the whole gym can hear them. I'm not a big fan of the screamer, but they don't bother me a whole lot. If you ask them nicely to please stop screaming, that you are right there to listen to them so they don't have to scream, that usually works. I don't see a lot of guys scream the whole game, they tend to get very loud during short outbursts. They just cannot control themselves. Once you've asked them to stop screaming, you have the option to T them. However, do not T these guys if you or your crew either blew a call or m ade a really tough, but correct call. Let the guy vent within reason, as long as he is not personal or profane. But screaming on an obvious correct call is when they get dumb.
2. The MindF^%$er. These guys are the smartest and potentially the most annoying. They will be rather calm and try and get into your head. They will ask you an innocent question, then try and twist your answers against you. Examples are: "George, why did you call that handcheck?" "Because he had 2 hands on the ball handler and that is automatic per the NCAA this year." You then have him asking why you don't call that 5 times for him the rest of the game. I also heard this great line once: "George, do you hate X High School?" "No, Coach." "Well you sure act like it!" With these guys, answer questions with short answers that do not lock you into anything with respect to the rule book. Stay in gray areas, or else you will box yourself in and invite trouble. Minimizing what you say is the critical step, but remember that we have to communicate with the coaches. You cannot put The MindF&*&ers on Ignore. They'll turn into a Screamer and you'll have a problem.
3. The Whiner. These guys just don't give up. They chip about travels. They chip about 3 seconds. And they are usually incessant. These guys annoy me, but they are harmless. Usually, the chipping is just nervous energy that has to go somewhere, so they vent on us. If they chipped that much at the kids, they'd quit. If they held it in, they'd eventually explode and be a Screamer on steroids. Two ways to handle these guys. You can ask them nicely to not chip/ask for calls on every trip. You can tell them you are working your tail off to call things right both ways. In my experience, that works some of the time. The other way to handle this is to call a travel on them when they chip about travels. I don't like to call travels unless they are obvious and affect the game. A lot of times, I'll tell a coach he was correct, but it was a "Baby Travel" and I just did not pull the trigger. Well, if I have asked a coach to stop chipping, and he persists, I'll get a Baby Travel and not even look at him. That works far more often than the first method. For me, these are the guys that would have the highest chance of getting the T from me because they are the most persistent.
4. The Intimidator. They like to growl at you. They like to stare you down during time outs. They like to bark, "This is MY gym!" A few of these guys are intimidating. I've had 2 coaches make me nervous--Jim Castleberry of Richland and Greg Franz of Wenatchee. Both were gray-haired guys who could stare a hole through steel and blow your hair back with a loud caustic comment. The important things to remember when dealing with The Intimidator are to always be ultra nice and professional when addressing them, and never giving into it. If you go aggressively at them, more times than not the situation will blow up. These guys hold long grudges over T's. Acting as if you are unaware and unaffected by their behavior will usually be the best course, especially because the other coach will have no reason to question you or react to the Intimidator. The worst symptom of the Intimidator is how the opposing coach views your response. When you don't let it affect you, and have the courage to keep making the right calls in the face of the stare downs and growling, you win, and so does your game.
None of these are 100%. But think about how the coach attacks the officials during the game, and why they do it. If you can understand them, you'll be better prepared to deal with them effectively!
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