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.
Friday, January 30, 2009
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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