Thursday, December 30, 2010
Touche
Got absolutely smoked by a coach today. Player from the opposing team did a poor jump stop, where he landed with the quick "thu-thump". I didn't see it or hear it. It wasn't in my area. Coach wanted to tell me about it. My response was, "We don't want to be splitting hairs on travels." Coach response, "Well, you're doing good!" implying that we were certainly letting travels go. The good news was, it was not a malicious zinger. Great retort. I was very impressed.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Another Good Friend: Inadvertant Whistle!
Inadvertent whistles are nefarious. They happen when you anticipate something happening, lose your patient whistle, and react before you actually see and process everything. They happen a lot more than you think. Phantom fouls are really inadvertent whistles, you just don;t always realize they were because you guessed and/or anticipated.
You also very rarely see an inadvertent whistle identified and fessed up to during games. Why? Because referees don't know they did it, as described above, or they would be too embarrassed to admit it and administer it. If that is the case, get over yourself. It's a good way to build credibility, believe it or not, and sometimes can minimize the damage caused by them.
How do I know this? I've been there, done that, and seen the mistakes on film. Three years ago, I was the C and the shot clock was about to expire. A terrible flip towards the basket that had no chance of drawing iron was aimlessly flying out of bounds. Shot clock was less than 1. As the buzzer sounded, being alert and as greatly aware as I am, I hit the whistle and tapped the top of my head. Problem was, some offensive player jumped up, reached way out, and somehow redirected the ball towards the basket. Guess what? It grazed the rim. And I was standing right in front of the offensive team's coach (darn second half). "It hit the rim!" he screamed. I knew he was right, and I asked for help from the T, who said it did not hit the rim. The coach was still chapped, and I said, "I think you're right, I anticipated it, and think I blew it. We're going to just go the other way," and we implemeted the shot clock violation, giving the ball to the other team. The other coach loved it, "Great call, it didn't hit the rim." I started wondering if my call was correct, but didn't feel like it was. End of game, the L said it did noth it the rim. I asked someone in the hallway on the way out of the locker room, who said it did not hit the rim. Got in the car, and my wife, who knows little about basketball, told me it hit the rim. That's when I knew 100% I blew it. The film later confirmed it. No damage was done, but I thought about how I could have fixed it. The answer: Inadvertent whistle. Could have gone to the arrow, and the offensive team would have kept the ball. Could have also said that the offensive team controlled the tip after it grazed the rim, so POI give it to offense. Admitting my mistake would have allowed me to attempt to mitigate the negative consequences levied against the offense. I vowed to never be afraid to call inadvertent again.
Earlier this year, working 4th grade girls (yeah, a big big favor to a good friend), one team was blue and one team was purple. Loose ball, frantic and crappy pursuit by several players. Kind of lost track of which team was which and who was going which direction...and I called an over-and-back based on the offensive team being the last to touch...and realized I got it wrong. I right away called inadvertent, went to the arrow, and got on with the game. The defensive team got the ball based on the arrow--so my inadvertent still hurt a team unjustly, but at least they gained the arrow back, and my proclamation of "my bad" did not get screamed at. I was kind of proud of myself to have learned and implemented this lesson.
Think of hypotheticals. Scrambling for a loose ball in a close game, no team gets possession, but a referee guesses visually, reacts to a coach/player yelling for a timeout, and grants one. You know the film will show that the team did not have possession. The crew can discuss inadvertent whistle. It the R has stones, he can and will make that call, and try and fix the damage. Still a lot of variables, but these situations can and do happen, and can ruin a game if done at the wrong time.
Inadvertent whistles happen. We all have the "Oh s&*t!" moments when we hear a whistle we wish we could immediately take back. Acknowledging it, and being quick enough to decide whether inadvertent whistle is the right call will help you be a better official. Of course, if you do it 5 times a game, you're dead meat. But on rare occasions, it can be a crew's good friend. Hope this gets in your toolbox.
You also very rarely see an inadvertent whistle identified and fessed up to during games. Why? Because referees don't know they did it, as described above, or they would be too embarrassed to admit it and administer it. If that is the case, get over yourself. It's a good way to build credibility, believe it or not, and sometimes can minimize the damage caused by them.
How do I know this? I've been there, done that, and seen the mistakes on film. Three years ago, I was the C and the shot clock was about to expire. A terrible flip towards the basket that had no chance of drawing iron was aimlessly flying out of bounds. Shot clock was less than 1. As the buzzer sounded, being alert and as greatly aware as I am, I hit the whistle and tapped the top of my head. Problem was, some offensive player jumped up, reached way out, and somehow redirected the ball towards the basket. Guess what? It grazed the rim. And I was standing right in front of the offensive team's coach (darn second half). "It hit the rim!" he screamed. I knew he was right, and I asked for help from the T, who said it did not hit the rim. The coach was still chapped, and I said, "I think you're right, I anticipated it, and think I blew it. We're going to just go the other way," and we implemeted the shot clock violation, giving the ball to the other team. The other coach loved it, "Great call, it didn't hit the rim." I started wondering if my call was correct, but didn't feel like it was. End of game, the L said it did noth it the rim. I asked someone in the hallway on the way out of the locker room, who said it did not hit the rim. Got in the car, and my wife, who knows little about basketball, told me it hit the rim. That's when I knew 100% I blew it. The film later confirmed it. No damage was done, but I thought about how I could have fixed it. The answer: Inadvertent whistle. Could have gone to the arrow, and the offensive team would have kept the ball. Could have also said that the offensive team controlled the tip after it grazed the rim, so POI give it to offense. Admitting my mistake would have allowed me to attempt to mitigate the negative consequences levied against the offense. I vowed to never be afraid to call inadvertent again.
Earlier this year, working 4th grade girls (yeah, a big big favor to a good friend), one team was blue and one team was purple. Loose ball, frantic and crappy pursuit by several players. Kind of lost track of which team was which and who was going which direction...and I called an over-and-back based on the offensive team being the last to touch...and realized I got it wrong. I right away called inadvertent, went to the arrow, and got on with the game. The defensive team got the ball based on the arrow--so my inadvertent still hurt a team unjustly, but at least they gained the arrow back, and my proclamation of "my bad" did not get screamed at. I was kind of proud of myself to have learned and implemented this lesson.
Think of hypotheticals. Scrambling for a loose ball in a close game, no team gets possession, but a referee guesses visually, reacts to a coach/player yelling for a timeout, and grants one. You know the film will show that the team did not have possession. The crew can discuss inadvertent whistle. It the R has stones, he can and will make that call, and try and fix the damage. Still a lot of variables, but these situations can and do happen, and can ruin a game if done at the wrong time.
Inadvertent whistles happen. We all have the "Oh s&*t!" moments when we hear a whistle we wish we could immediately take back. Acknowledging it, and being quick enough to decide whether inadvertent whistle is the right call will help you be a better official. Of course, if you do it 5 times a game, you're dead meat. But on rare occasions, it can be a crew's good friend. Hope this gets in your toolbox.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Newbie Advice: Tough Coaches
Started going through my files, and found an Excel file that logged every game I ever worked. Since I keep getting a lot of e-mail from first-year guys asking questions, I have a few more things that stood out when I saw the games I worked as a rookie.
One of the lasting memories was getting assigned to a particular coach 7 times, which equated to 13 games since, most of those assignments were freshman games where each school had a freshman A and freshman B team, so you called 2 games. Richland was, and sort of continues to be, a cool place where the former varsity coaches, who were extremely successful during their turns as the Varsity coach of RHS, would coach the sub-varsity teams at Richland, and also the junior high schools that feed Richland. It established a pipeline of kids that maximized their talents, and fostered extreme success for the school. My first year of officiating, the freshman coach at Richland had been a State Championship coach at 2 schools and also coached the local CC team. He was a great big bear of a man, who wore a perpetual scowl and growled all the time. Absolute intimidator. Combine Bobby Knight and Walter Mathau, and this was the guy.
First game with this coach, after my initial fun scrimmage, was with another crusty old guy who was short on people skills. I'm sprinting around, trying my best to hustle, and work on a couple of basic things. Richland is dismantling another opponent by about 40. All of a sudden, the Richland coach doesn't like a few of my calls. I pretty much start to put him on ignore as he gets madder at me. I don't really know what to say, anyway. Them, one of his players makes another poor decision and turns the ball over. "Time out!" he bellows as he glares straight at me. He could have been heard for a mile. I hit the whistle, made the signal, and then realized that something was strange. The opposing coach was yelling, but my partner was right in my grill. "Don't you know you they have to have the ball to get a TO, you f&ck^&^g idiot! Jesus!" I felt pretty small and pretty stupid. I also saw the contented smirk from the Richland coach. Embarrassed and angry at everyone, I finished my games.
Next week, same deal. Same yelling. Same attempts to intimidate. I vowed never to get unnerved again, and I did not, but I really hated working those games. The reason I hated it? I knew that I was making mistakes, and I hated getting called on it that loudly. I had little basis for giving him a T, unless I wanted to get back at him for pointing out mistakes or 50/50 calls that did not go his way. I asked my assignor why I had so many of those games with that school. My assignor said, "George, keep working. He's making you better." Year 2, I had 12 more games with that coach. By the end of year 2, he was killing my partners and kind of leaving me alone. Year 3, I didn't really work freshman games any more.
Point to new guys? Understand that you make tons of mistakes. Don't look to penalize coaches because of them. Tough coaches are not fun to deal with--I still have assignments that I know are not going to be much fun--but as a new guy think of what they are communicating more so than how they say it. Some of these guys can teach you an awful lot. Don't miss the message through the yelling or sarcasm. Embrace the adversity that your mistakes can create, and learn from it.
This coach is now retired, but he is a fixture at basketball games, and still scowls all the time. However, he is always willing to give opinions, good or bad, about games and officiating. I've had the chance to watch major college games with him, and he is incredibly observant an intelligent about basketball. He has helped me to this day be a better official. I would have never thought that in a million years during my rookie campaign. Think about that.
Have a great Christmas!
One of the lasting memories was getting assigned to a particular coach 7 times, which equated to 13 games since, most of those assignments were freshman games where each school had a freshman A and freshman B team, so you called 2 games. Richland was, and sort of continues to be, a cool place where the former varsity coaches, who were extremely successful during their turns as the Varsity coach of RHS, would coach the sub-varsity teams at Richland, and also the junior high schools that feed Richland. It established a pipeline of kids that maximized their talents, and fostered extreme success for the school. My first year of officiating, the freshman coach at Richland had been a State Championship coach at 2 schools and also coached the local CC team. He was a great big bear of a man, who wore a perpetual scowl and growled all the time. Absolute intimidator. Combine Bobby Knight and Walter Mathau, and this was the guy.
First game with this coach, after my initial fun scrimmage, was with another crusty old guy who was short on people skills. I'm sprinting around, trying my best to hustle, and work on a couple of basic things. Richland is dismantling another opponent by about 40. All of a sudden, the Richland coach doesn't like a few of my calls. I pretty much start to put him on ignore as he gets madder at me. I don't really know what to say, anyway. Them, one of his players makes another poor decision and turns the ball over. "Time out!" he bellows as he glares straight at me. He could have been heard for a mile. I hit the whistle, made the signal, and then realized that something was strange. The opposing coach was yelling, but my partner was right in my grill. "Don't you know you they have to have the ball to get a TO, you f&ck^&^g idiot! Jesus!" I felt pretty small and pretty stupid. I also saw the contented smirk from the Richland coach. Embarrassed and angry at everyone, I finished my games.
Next week, same deal. Same yelling. Same attempts to intimidate. I vowed never to get unnerved again, and I did not, but I really hated working those games. The reason I hated it? I knew that I was making mistakes, and I hated getting called on it that loudly. I had little basis for giving him a T, unless I wanted to get back at him for pointing out mistakes or 50/50 calls that did not go his way. I asked my assignor why I had so many of those games with that school. My assignor said, "George, keep working. He's making you better." Year 2, I had 12 more games with that coach. By the end of year 2, he was killing my partners and kind of leaving me alone. Year 3, I didn't really work freshman games any more.
Point to new guys? Understand that you make tons of mistakes. Don't look to penalize coaches because of them. Tough coaches are not fun to deal with--I still have assignments that I know are not going to be much fun--but as a new guy think of what they are communicating more so than how they say it. Some of these guys can teach you an awful lot. Don't miss the message through the yelling or sarcasm. Embrace the adversity that your mistakes can create, and learn from it.
This coach is now retired, but he is a fixture at basketball games, and still scowls all the time. However, he is always willing to give opinions, good or bad, about games and officiating. I've had the chance to watch major college games with him, and he is incredibly observant an intelligent about basketball. He has helped me to this day be a better official. I would have never thought that in a million years during my rookie campaign. Think about that.
Have a great Christmas!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
"Is that his call?"
I absolutely hate it when I hear officials say, "Ask him!" when a coach questions something that happened right in front of a partner. Especially on scoring plays, because you should have 2-3 sets of eyes on scoring plays around the basket.
At best, you are telling a coach that your partner may have missed on and it is not your problem. Typically, since most of these situations occur on scoring plays when you are near the coach, and probably saw something similar to what set him off, it's a passive-aggressive swipe at your partner. Neither one espouses the mantra of teamwork, brotherhood, and backing each other up that all referees claim as their religion. Wanna be a respected R and leader? Read on...
I had a situation where a ball was fed into a post player who was probably camped for a while. I was the T right next to the opposing coach. Post player caught the ball 3 feet from the basket, and took his sweet ass time to gather himself and moose a shot up through a much smaller defender who was fighting all the way. Boop! 3-point play, call made by the L. Problem was, the kid was probably in there 5 seconds prior to shooting. It should have been a 3 in the key. No question. Can't correct that.
Coach got excited. "That's 3 in the key!"
George's brain: "Oh, s^&t! S*&t, s*&t, s87t 1" George's mouth: "You're right!"
Coach, heading towards L and gaining emotional steam: "How can he not call that?! It's right in front of him. That's his call!"
George: "No, it's all of our call, Coach."
Coach: "What?!? It was right in front of him!"
George: "Hey, I'm standing right where you were. I saw what you did. I should have called it."
Coach: "But that's HIS call!"
George: "No, it's all of our call. Any of us could have made it, and we didn't. It's on me, too."
It ended right there. Coach never even addressed the L. I doubt the L even knew what went on. Now, I had time for this extended conversation because I stayed there for the reporting and the free throw. How do you think that coach views me now? Think I earned some credibility?
The best thing? It's the truth. I could have and should have made that call. I didn't register quick enough, and didn't hit the whistle.
It happens other times. "Yeah, coach, it looked like contact to me, too, but I had the third best look, and didn't feel confident calling it...but you probably have a point, and I'm aware of it."
"Yeah, coach, looked like contact, and I could have pulled the trigger, but didn't. I missed it, too."
Don't be the Big V that points fingers. Crew integrity is your best friend. Everyone talks that game. A lot of people don't walk that game.
At best, you are telling a coach that your partner may have missed on and it is not your problem. Typically, since most of these situations occur on scoring plays when you are near the coach, and probably saw something similar to what set him off, it's a passive-aggressive swipe at your partner. Neither one espouses the mantra of teamwork, brotherhood, and backing each other up that all referees claim as their religion. Wanna be a respected R and leader? Read on...
I had a situation where a ball was fed into a post player who was probably camped for a while. I was the T right next to the opposing coach. Post player caught the ball 3 feet from the basket, and took his sweet ass time to gather himself and moose a shot up through a much smaller defender who was fighting all the way. Boop! 3-point play, call made by the L. Problem was, the kid was probably in there 5 seconds prior to shooting. It should have been a 3 in the key. No question. Can't correct that.
Coach got excited. "That's 3 in the key!"
George's brain: "Oh, s^&t! S*&t, s*&t, s87t 1" George's mouth: "You're right!"
Coach, heading towards L and gaining emotional steam: "How can he not call that?! It's right in front of him. That's his call!"
George: "No, it's all of our call, Coach."
Coach: "What?!? It was right in front of him!"
George: "Hey, I'm standing right where you were. I saw what you did. I should have called it."
Coach: "But that's HIS call!"
George: "No, it's all of our call. Any of us could have made it, and we didn't. It's on me, too."
It ended right there. Coach never even addressed the L. I doubt the L even knew what went on. Now, I had time for this extended conversation because I stayed there for the reporting and the free throw. How do you think that coach views me now? Think I earned some credibility?
The best thing? It's the truth. I could have and should have made that call. I didn't register quick enough, and didn't hit the whistle.
It happens other times. "Yeah, coach, it looked like contact to me, too, but I had the third best look, and didn't feel confident calling it...but you probably have a point, and I'm aware of it."
"Yeah, coach, looked like contact, and I could have pulled the trigger, but didn't. I missed it, too."
Don't be the Big V that points fingers. Crew integrity is your best friend. Everyone talks that game. A lot of people don't walk that game.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Poor Positioning Illustrated
In three-man mechanics, as lead you must get ball side, period. There are rare times where you will have a skip pass followed immediately by a drive or shot, where you would stop your flex, but that is a very rare occurrence. Take a look at this:
Mr. Red is watching the ball on the opposite wing, while there is a competitive matchup ongoing on the opposite block. He's also right on the end line, so even if he decided not to flex, like he would have done in the archaic days of 2-man, he has no depth from the court to see the post play at all--completely straight-lined. It's also apparent that the defender got beat pretty badly, so you know this did not originate on a skip pass. The C should be going top side on the drive, moving the opposite direction of the dribbler in his on-ball matchup. This is a prime example of terrible positioning that will absolutely lead to either guessing or missed calls. That L is screwed.
Learn from this. On about 4 levels, this is exactly what you are NOT supposed to be doing. This positioning is even poor for 2-man mechanics, because he is is right on the endline. Get ball side and flex.
Mr. Red is watching the ball on the opposite wing, while there is a competitive matchup ongoing on the opposite block. He's also right on the end line, so even if he decided not to flex, like he would have done in the archaic days of 2-man, he has no depth from the court to see the post play at all--completely straight-lined. It's also apparent that the defender got beat pretty badly, so you know this did not originate on a skip pass. The C should be going top side on the drive, moving the opposite direction of the dribbler in his on-ball matchup. This is a prime example of terrible positioning that will absolutely lead to either guessing or missed calls. That L is screwed.
Learn from this. On about 4 levels, this is exactly what you are NOT supposed to be doing. This positioning is even poor for 2-man mechanics, because he is is right on the endline. Get ball side and flex.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Rookies...The First Steps
I am still astounded at the number of hits and direct e-mail s I have gotten the last few months, so it is pretty cool that what I am doing here is actually helping someone. I have gotten e-mails from several brand new officials, so I am guessing that others who are silent are out there, too.
My first year was interesting. I reffed intramurals at college and was considered "good". I did all the playoff and championship games. Big head. After I finished my Master's at night, I had some time, and was asked to ref high school games. I agreed as long as I was not stuck with HS girls' freshman games. Again, pretty arrogant, but off I went.
"Training" was a joke. A "veteran" official with no real personality or aggressiveness on the court would lecture for about 10 minutes after meeting. That's it. They then asked for volunteers to go do an intrasquad game, so I jumped.
Rode up to the game with 2 vets, one was a varsity guy, the other was a perpetual varsity wannabe guy. In retrospect, they were both big time, just ask them, and they loved to hear themselves talk. I got quite the load of war stories heading up.
Game started, and I was told to watch and learn. Then, they put me in there. Varsity boys, hothead coach. I got creamed. I was not positioned right. I was not signaling right. I was missing a lot of stuff because I was worrying about positioning and signals. Coach was screaming about me. It was embarrassing.
Post-game, direct quote: "You have no idea what the f%^k you're doing out there, do you know that? You're not even close to being ready to do games!" I got ripped all the way home, for about 35 minutes. I think the one guy was upset because the coach was pissy. It was a nightmare. Got home, called my "mentor" who got me into this, and told him I was done.
My mentor told me to chill out, and informed me that I was not quitting. He told me that I would be working Varsity games during my third year of officiating. He wound up being 100% correct, although I would have bet a testicle against that at the time. I could have been Ol' One-Ball Jackson. Seriously.
"Pick one thing per game, focus on it, master it, and move on." Great advice. Next game out, I vowed to put my arm straight up with a hand or fist on every whistle. That was it. Cared about little else. Felt good about it.
Game number 2, stand up straight when I signaled travel which I called a lot). Other examples: Go super slow reporting at table, beat the ball down the floor as new lead, only signal on my lines for OOB, don't call across key as lead, call only very obvious travels...The list is endless. I still do it. Last night, it was "do not get distracted by player reactions (grunting/groaning/profanity) to the point that you worry more about game management than balls and strikes".
February of that year,I get assigned a freshman/JV doubleheader. I had 64 games since the intrasquad game. That was 64 things I had tried to work on. Guess who my Varsity guy was? He watches a half of our JV game, and proceeds to absolutely rip my partner, who had transferred to Tri-Cities with 10 years experience in other states. "Got anything for me, God?" I asked. (His name was not really God, just changed to protect the jackass.) "George, no. I cannot believe how far you've come already. I really have nothing to tell you. I don't believe it."
Two years later, I was working Varsity games. Four years later, I was working college basketball games. Five years later, I had passed both of those guys by quite a margin. To be fair, both of those guys were cool with me as I ascended. But I never forgot how they treated me, and never did that to anyone else.
New guys, pick one thing each game to fix, fix it, and keep it fixed. Doesn't make many games to make a massive overall improvement. Believe me, it happens.
My first year was interesting. I reffed intramurals at college and was considered "good". I did all the playoff and championship games. Big head. After I finished my Master's at night, I had some time, and was asked to ref high school games. I agreed as long as I was not stuck with HS girls' freshman games. Again, pretty arrogant, but off I went.
"Training" was a joke. A "veteran" official with no real personality or aggressiveness on the court would lecture for about 10 minutes after meeting. That's it. They then asked for volunteers to go do an intrasquad game, so I jumped.
Rode up to the game with 2 vets, one was a varsity guy, the other was a perpetual varsity wannabe guy. In retrospect, they were both big time, just ask them, and they loved to hear themselves talk. I got quite the load of war stories heading up.
Game started, and I was told to watch and learn. Then, they put me in there. Varsity boys, hothead coach. I got creamed. I was not positioned right. I was not signaling right. I was missing a lot of stuff because I was worrying about positioning and signals. Coach was screaming about me. It was embarrassing.
Post-game, direct quote: "You have no idea what the f%^k you're doing out there, do you know that? You're not even close to being ready to do games!" I got ripped all the way home, for about 35 minutes. I think the one guy was upset because the coach was pissy. It was a nightmare. Got home, called my "mentor" who got me into this, and told him I was done.
My mentor told me to chill out, and informed me that I was not quitting. He told me that I would be working Varsity games during my third year of officiating. He wound up being 100% correct, although I would have bet a testicle against that at the time. I could have been Ol' One-Ball Jackson. Seriously.
"Pick one thing per game, focus on it, master it, and move on." Great advice. Next game out, I vowed to put my arm straight up with a hand or fist on every whistle. That was it. Cared about little else. Felt good about it.
Game number 2, stand up straight when I signaled travel which I called a lot). Other examples: Go super slow reporting at table, beat the ball down the floor as new lead, only signal on my lines for OOB, don't call across key as lead, call only very obvious travels...The list is endless. I still do it. Last night, it was "do not get distracted by player reactions (grunting/groaning/profanity) to the point that you worry more about game management than balls and strikes".
February of that year,I get assigned a freshman/JV doubleheader. I had 64 games since the intrasquad game. That was 64 things I had tried to work on. Guess who my Varsity guy was? He watches a half of our JV game, and proceeds to absolutely rip my partner, who had transferred to Tri-Cities with 10 years experience in other states. "Got anything for me, God?" I asked. (His name was not really God, just changed to protect the jackass.) "George, no. I cannot believe how far you've come already. I really have nothing to tell you. I don't believe it."
Two years later, I was working Varsity games. Four years later, I was working college basketball games. Five years later, I had passed both of those guys by quite a margin. To be fair, both of those guys were cool with me as I ascended. But I never forgot how they treated me, and never did that to anyone else.
New guys, pick one thing each game to fix, fix it, and keep it fixed. Doesn't make many games to make a massive overall improvement. Believe me, it happens.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Old Farmer's Advice
Some of you may have seen these, but a ton of them can apply to officating. Think about them and enjoy!
Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.
Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
Every path has a few puddles.
When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
Don't judge folks by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.
Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
Every path has a few puddles.
When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
Don't judge folks by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Dealing With Coaches Part 2: Important Questions
Had tons of feedback a year or two ago when I listed 4 categories which cover how coaches deal with officials. Everyone liked it. Had some recent experiences/stories from others that prompted me to post on this topic again.
First off, if you do not have to deal with a coach, don't! A good rule of thumb is, "Don't make an issue where there is not one." Don't explain what he doesn't ask about. Coaches will let you know if they want to know something. Be approachable, but don't approach them unless you need to. Took me a long time to find that balance, and that spectrum goes from not dealing with issues to being a complete ass kisser. The first one gets you in serious trouble, the second one will erode the respect your receive from other officials and the visiting coaches. You'll see both of these, trust me. Be in the middle.
There are 4 different things to consider when you have to deal with a coach. Each coach has a different temperament/philosophy in dealing with officials, each official has different charismatic ability, each game is different, and each situation is different. You need to think about all of these, to deal with coaches effectively on a consistent basis. Judgment is always of paramount importance, but game management, which comprises with dealing with coaches and players, comes best from experience. Can't fake it. Hopefully, this will help you navigate through those experiences a little easier.
1. First Q: What is the coach like? Don't tell a very aggressive coach, who is a Screamer or Mindfu&*er, as described earlier in the blog, to "calm down", "mellow out" or "relax". Remember Jeff Spiccoli and Mr. Hand from Fast Times at Ridgemont High? They are a race car on red, you have to compete with them or say the minimum and get away. On the flip side, if the coach is mellow, an he starts yipping, you might want to lend a sympathetic ear. They usually either have a point, or are nice mindless souls who just need to be heard once in a while. Don't wave red flags in front of raging bulls. And don't ignore a squeaky wheel that is usually quiet. Common sense rules. Use it.
2. Second Q: How charismatic are you? Are you the life of the party who can make players and coaches laugh via personality and credibility? Are you the Nazi who can quote the rulebook by number and who has no problems playing "T" ball? Are you generally laid back and not a conflict fan? Knowing what your role is, much like when you were a player, is very important. Nothing more painful that a bad communicator trying to explain something to an angry coach, or when the R who doesn't get along with Coach Y feels the need to deal with everything. Learn to use what you bring to the table, and use your partners when you need to. There are officials I work with now that get chewed up by certain coaches, for whatever reason. There's no shame in that, just know who brings what the party, and let them serve it. Just like when we played--some guys shot 3's, and some guys set picks. Know your role and when you are needed--and when to give it up to your partner.
3. Third Q: How important is the game? Is it a non-conference game? Tournament? Does one team have something to prove? Some games are revved up more than others, and the coaches will rev up accordingly. Some coaches rev up every game before the tip. I watched Dick Cartmell T up Mark Few last year with 5 minutes left and Gonzaga up by 35 against an overmatched opponent. "What did I do?" whined Few. "Doesn't matter, we're moving on," said Cartmell, barely looking at him and walking away. I doubt that happens in a NCAA Tournament game that exact same way.
4. Fourth Q: Does the coach have a legitimate gripe? I love that term. Every time I have used it to acknowledge a bad call that I or a teammate has made, it has worked like a charm. I hope I did not jinx myself, but since it is genuine and the truth, it shouldn't. Something looks bad? It may have been. "Coach, I am frustrated, too. You have a legitimate gripe there, but it's not correctable, but we heard you." Big difference between a coach having a real point, or possibly a real point, and a coach trying to make a problem where is not one. Just like we need to avoid that, if a coach goes there, you put up the stop sign and get on with it. Hopefully, you can steer him clear of those.
First off, if you do not have to deal with a coach, don't! A good rule of thumb is, "Don't make an issue where there is not one." Don't explain what he doesn't ask about. Coaches will let you know if they want to know something. Be approachable, but don't approach them unless you need to. Took me a long time to find that balance, and that spectrum goes from not dealing with issues to being a complete ass kisser. The first one gets you in serious trouble, the second one will erode the respect your receive from other officials and the visiting coaches. You'll see both of these, trust me. Be in the middle.
There are 4 different things to consider when you have to deal with a coach. Each coach has a different temperament/philosophy in dealing with officials, each official has different charismatic ability, each game is different, and each situation is different. You need to think about all of these, to deal with coaches effectively on a consistent basis. Judgment is always of paramount importance, but game management, which comprises with dealing with coaches and players, comes best from experience. Can't fake it. Hopefully, this will help you navigate through those experiences a little easier.
1. First Q: What is the coach like? Don't tell a very aggressive coach, who is a Screamer or Mindfu&*er, as described earlier in the blog, to "calm down", "mellow out" or "relax". Remember Jeff Spiccoli and Mr. Hand from Fast Times at Ridgemont High? They are a race car on red, you have to compete with them or say the minimum and get away. On the flip side, if the coach is mellow, an he starts yipping, you might want to lend a sympathetic ear. They usually either have a point, or are nice mindless souls who just need to be heard once in a while. Don't wave red flags in front of raging bulls. And don't ignore a squeaky wheel that is usually quiet. Common sense rules. Use it.
2. Second Q: How charismatic are you? Are you the life of the party who can make players and coaches laugh via personality and credibility? Are you the Nazi who can quote the rulebook by number and who has no problems playing "T" ball? Are you generally laid back and not a conflict fan? Knowing what your role is, much like when you were a player, is very important. Nothing more painful that a bad communicator trying to explain something to an angry coach, or when the R who doesn't get along with Coach Y feels the need to deal with everything. Learn to use what you bring to the table, and use your partners when you need to. There are officials I work with now that get chewed up by certain coaches, for whatever reason. There's no shame in that, just know who brings what the party, and let them serve it. Just like when we played--some guys shot 3's, and some guys set picks. Know your role and when you are needed--and when to give it up to your partner.
3. Third Q: How important is the game? Is it a non-conference game? Tournament? Does one team have something to prove? Some games are revved up more than others, and the coaches will rev up accordingly. Some coaches rev up every game before the tip. I watched Dick Cartmell T up Mark Few last year with 5 minutes left and Gonzaga up by 35 against an overmatched opponent. "What did I do?" whined Few. "Doesn't matter, we're moving on," said Cartmell, barely looking at him and walking away. I doubt that happens in a NCAA Tournament game that exact same way.
4. Fourth Q: Does the coach have a legitimate gripe? I love that term. Every time I have used it to acknowledge a bad call that I or a teammate has made, it has worked like a charm. I hope I did not jinx myself, but since it is genuine and the truth, it shouldn't. Something looks bad? It may have been. "Coach, I am frustrated, too. You have a legitimate gripe there, but it's not correctable, but we heard you." Big difference between a coach having a real point, or possibly a real point, and a coach trying to make a problem where is not one. Just like we need to avoid that, if a coach goes there, you put up the stop sign and get on with it. Hopefully, you can steer him clear of those.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Not Sure On Intentional (Hard) Foul? Ask For Help!
Had a fast break play tonight where a defender crushed an offensive player gong in for a fast break layin. He went for the ball, but also came across with a full body block. Hard foul, offensive player crashed to the ground hard, groaned, writhed in pain, and stayed down for a little bit.
I know the defender fouled him hard, but he also made some play up top for the ball. I almost put the cross up for Intentional, and I would have called it as a "Hard Foul". I hesitated as I tried to compute the situation quickly enough. Partner 1 cruised in to to in close proximity to the crash site. "Upgrade? What do you think?" He looked at me and said, "I don't think so." Other partner: "No." So I stayed with a common foul. With 2.5 votes out of 3, probably the right call.
If you have a borderline intentional or flagrant, it never hurts you to get a second opinion. You can always upgrade the foul: "Coach, we both thought it was 'excessively hard contact' so we upgraded the foul!" "Coach, he swung at him, and we both saw it. That's flagrant and he's out." It is a lot harder to downgrade.
Last year, we upgraded a foul where the kid got flipped and cut his head wide open on a fast break. I do not think it was intentional or malicious, but by upgrading the foul as a crew we prevented any retaliation or escalation that the bloody scene could have ignited. It was the right thing to do. "Hard foul, 2 and the ball."
Unless you are certain on an intentional or flagrant, quick crew decisions may be a great tool for you.
I know the defender fouled him hard, but he also made some play up top for the ball. I almost put the cross up for Intentional, and I would have called it as a "Hard Foul". I hesitated as I tried to compute the situation quickly enough. Partner 1 cruised in to to in close proximity to the crash site. "Upgrade? What do you think?" He looked at me and said, "I don't think so." Other partner: "No." So I stayed with a common foul. With 2.5 votes out of 3, probably the right call.
If you have a borderline intentional or flagrant, it never hurts you to get a second opinion. You can always upgrade the foul: "Coach, we both thought it was 'excessively hard contact' so we upgraded the foul!" "Coach, he swung at him, and we both saw it. That's flagrant and he's out." It is a lot harder to downgrade.
Last year, we upgraded a foul where the kid got flipped and cut his head wide open on a fast break. I do not think it was intentional or malicious, but by upgrading the foul as a crew we prevented any retaliation or escalation that the bloody scene could have ignited. It was the right thing to do. "Hard foul, 2 and the ball."
Unless you are certain on an intentional or flagrant, quick crew decisions may be a great tool for you.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Double Foul, Your Friend
Had a scrimmage last night, which tends to get really fun when you have overly-aggressive players with little experience and no potential foul trouble...After a never-ending stream of off-ball fouls in the post, where players resorted to hand-to-hand combat and wrestling instead of actually using their feet to get to and establish a post-up position, my partner came out with the double foul, our old friend. Worked like a charm. Both get personals, point-of-interruption penalizes nobody, and the game goes on. In real life, if they do not adjust, they go to the pine in foul trouble. If they do adjust, problem solved and everyone is better for it.
Best call of the night, best lesson of the early season. The double foul in the post is a great friend to you, especially early in the game, and early in the year. Save the wrestling matches for the Octagon; enforce BSQR in the post.
Best call of the night, best lesson of the early season. The double foul in the post is a great friend to you, especially early in the game, and early in the year. Save the wrestling matches for the Octagon; enforce BSQR in the post.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Lowlights From 2009-2010
Last year was a really funny year, like there was a full moon out for entire season. I'll put these out there for comsumption, because we often hear about things like this, but unless you actually see them, you're not really sure if it is just people exaggerating or not...Going through my notes, hopefully none of you will be subject to or around any of this in 2010-2011:
1) I had a game last year where a partner, who refused to really run down the court, would actually look to the scoring table to ask whether a shot was a 3 or not. That might be funny, but when the opposing coach picked up on it, the table thought it was funny, and I got absolutely railed for it. The third guy on the crew basically said it was not his problem to help with, despite the fact that he was the L on that side, with the shots coming from the wing. Film showed 2 FGs were called 2's when they were 3's, and after the issue became "public", we made up for it by calling a 2 a 3. That's hard to do. Net result was visitor getting screwed out of 1 point; they won by 8.
2) Had an R was unable to hold a pre-game, and then proceeded to get called out by a U for the pre-game, the opening toss (which had to be performed 3 times because said U blew the first 2 dead because they were bad), missing a goaltend because he never crossed halfcourt, and the lack of a post-game discussion. The R apologized, then proceeded to rip U all the way home, after he was gone. Two lessons: There is no need to embarass an R, and if you are not capable of being an R, you're gonna get exposed. Disaster all the way around.
3) Had a partner scream, "Don't you signal in my area!" on a block/charge in my area. He proceeded to try and ignore what had happened, and offered, "Sorry if I offended you," when confronted. The film showed not only was it my call, but he got it 100% wrong.
4) Had a partner tell me he worked D-1. I was not impressed with the statement or his floor game. Google indicated he did work D-1: One exhibition game about 10 years ago. I guess he didn't stick...If a guy is bragging about his resume, it's probably as empty as his words.
5) Saw an alternate not point out a team foul error on a scoreboard, which caused a major game interruption and make the crew onthe floor look bad. In the post-game discussion, the guy actually said, "Oh, I knew the scoreboard was wrong!" That either made him a complete liar, or a complete dick. When he was asked, then why didn't you fix the scoreboard or communicate with the crew, it was pretty obvious he wanted the crew to look bad. Glad I was not involved. It was painful to watch and not strangle the guy.
6) Had a coach tell me that a "veteran" official told him during a game that a partner who made a mistake "did not belong on this game".
7) Watched a few people rail and complain about a partner, but then tell them how great they were to their face.
8) Seen people blatantly lie about the years experience they have, the games/tournaments they worked, camps they attended, and who mentors them. That's getting worse. I don't know why. Google doesn't lie.
9) Heard officials first-hand chatting about "getting" a coach, who is rumored to be on a short leash from the school regarding bench behavior. As an official, I think the coach is a dick on the bench. As a basketball observer and person, I think he is a good coach and a top-notch person who a a great leader for young men. Officials playing God is just messed up...
10) Had an official who had 3 whistles in an entire half decide to call a 3-point play with less than 1 second to go in the first half. Coach jumps me, as he was upset about a previous whistle from the same guy, and my answer was, "Your defender must have been under the basket." Coach was OK and calmed down with that, until the guy then decides to give a different explanation without being asked. That made the second half really, really fun for me.
11) Had a partner call a coach to apologize for missing a call late in a game. The partner does not realize that the coach now owns him, the other officials think he's a joke, and that if the coach really respected him, he would have gotten a phone call/e-mail from the coach about it afterwards.
Be honest and truthful, understanding and compassionate with partners, coaches, and players when you work with them, separate business from personal with respect to the game, and acknowledge and admit mistakes when you make them. None of us are as good as we think we are. Don't be one of these guys.
1) I had a game last year where a partner, who refused to really run down the court, would actually look to the scoring table to ask whether a shot was a 3 or not. That might be funny, but when the opposing coach picked up on it, the table thought it was funny, and I got absolutely railed for it. The third guy on the crew basically said it was not his problem to help with, despite the fact that he was the L on that side, with the shots coming from the wing. Film showed 2 FGs were called 2's when they were 3's, and after the issue became "public", we made up for it by calling a 2 a 3. That's hard to do. Net result was visitor getting screwed out of 1 point; they won by 8.
2) Had an R was unable to hold a pre-game, and then proceeded to get called out by a U for the pre-game, the opening toss (which had to be performed 3 times because said U blew the first 2 dead because they were bad), missing a goaltend because he never crossed halfcourt, and the lack of a post-game discussion. The R apologized, then proceeded to rip U all the way home, after he was gone. Two lessons: There is no need to embarass an R, and if you are not capable of being an R, you're gonna get exposed. Disaster all the way around.
3) Had a partner scream, "Don't you signal in my area!" on a block/charge in my area. He proceeded to try and ignore what had happened, and offered, "Sorry if I offended you," when confronted. The film showed not only was it my call, but he got it 100% wrong.
4) Had a partner tell me he worked D-1. I was not impressed with the statement or his floor game. Google indicated he did work D-1: One exhibition game about 10 years ago. I guess he didn't stick...If a guy is bragging about his resume, it's probably as empty as his words.
5) Saw an alternate not point out a team foul error on a scoreboard, which caused a major game interruption and make the crew onthe floor look bad. In the post-game discussion, the guy actually said, "Oh, I knew the scoreboard was wrong!" That either made him a complete liar, or a complete dick. When he was asked, then why didn't you fix the scoreboard or communicate with the crew, it was pretty obvious he wanted the crew to look bad. Glad I was not involved. It was painful to watch and not strangle the guy.
6) Had a coach tell me that a "veteran" official told him during a game that a partner who made a mistake "did not belong on this game".
7) Watched a few people rail and complain about a partner, but then tell them how great they were to their face.
8) Seen people blatantly lie about the years experience they have, the games/tournaments they worked, camps they attended, and who mentors them. That's getting worse. I don't know why. Google doesn't lie.
9) Heard officials first-hand chatting about "getting" a coach, who is rumored to be on a short leash from the school regarding bench behavior. As an official, I think the coach is a dick on the bench. As a basketball observer and person, I think he is a good coach and a top-notch person who a a great leader for young men. Officials playing God is just messed up...
10) Had an official who had 3 whistles in an entire half decide to call a 3-point play with less than 1 second to go in the first half. Coach jumps me, as he was upset about a previous whistle from the same guy, and my answer was, "Your defender must have been under the basket." Coach was OK and calmed down with that, until the guy then decides to give a different explanation without being asked. That made the second half really, really fun for me.
11) Had a partner call a coach to apologize for missing a call late in a game. The partner does not realize that the coach now owns him, the other officials think he's a joke, and that if the coach really respected him, he would have gotten a phone call/e-mail from the coach about it afterwards.
Be honest and truthful, understanding and compassionate with partners, coaches, and players when you work with them, separate business from personal with respect to the game, and acknowledge and admit mistakes when you make them. None of us are as good as we think we are. Don't be one of these guys.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Fast Break Mechanics
Had another young official ask me about how to manage positioning on a fast break. There are times in transition/fast-break when you will be the new L opposite the ball. There are different ways to position yourself, depending on if it is a fast-break going directly to the basket, or if it becomes a transition situation where there will be no direct and swift play at the basket.
If there is an imminent play at the basket, you stay home. You let the transitioning C take the call on the opposite side. If he cannot run or get anywhere near the play to see it, help him. Otherwise, cover the end line and take your half of the court.
If there is a transition play, get ball-side. Period. Player coming down the wing and a potential cutter moving to the opposite side or block? Get over there if you can. That's called hustle. The C will have the ball on the wing. The 4-4-2 philosophy dictates that you get the next 4 closest players. If you can officiate better by getting over, then go.
The young official told me he got chastised for getting over, because the new T had not even crossed half court yet, and that this was poor teamwork. I found this comical on several levels. The new T should be hustling. If the new L has time to come across, the new T had better be able to cover the back side (new C) side of the play. There will be no bad screens or competitive matchup opposite a transition break situation, anyway. Get to the ball-side to officiate your most compelling competitive matchup. He did the right thing, but the know-it-all who told him different doesn't get it, and never will.
4-4-2 applies all the time.
If there is an imminent play at the basket, you stay home. You let the transitioning C take the call on the opposite side. If he cannot run or get anywhere near the play to see it, help him. Otherwise, cover the end line and take your half of the court.
If there is a transition play, get ball-side. Period. Player coming down the wing and a potential cutter moving to the opposite side or block? Get over there if you can. That's called hustle. The C will have the ball on the wing. The 4-4-2 philosophy dictates that you get the next 4 closest players. If you can officiate better by getting over, then go.
The young official told me he got chastised for getting over, because the new T had not even crossed half court yet, and that this was poor teamwork. I found this comical on several levels. The new T should be hustling. If the new L has time to come across, the new T had better be able to cover the back side (new C) side of the play. There will be no bad screens or competitive matchup opposite a transition break situation, anyway. Get to the ball-side to officiate your most compelling competitive matchup. He did the right thing, but the know-it-all who told him different doesn't get it, and never will.
4-4-2 applies all the time.
One Ref Block, One Ref Charge
Getting ready for the 2010-2011 campaign, I am getting a real charge out of the brilliant people who debate long and hard on how to administrate what they term a "blarge". I will never, ever be part of a blarge. Ever. Anyone who is part of a blarge, in my opinion, has too big of an ego.
On a block/charge, the event occurs in somebody's primary. That is the person who should take that call, period.
High school and college have different "rules" for who takes drives to the basket. Decide who takes block/charges on drives to the basket in the pre-game. Follow the pre-game. It's that simple.
How do "blarges" happen? One way is that the pre-game doesn't cover it or the pre-game is forgotten. Another way is that someone tried to take and sell a call that is out of their primary. Either way, it is bad.
Either way, even if you both signal, you can get together and decide who is going to take it. If it is not your primary, admit your mistake and move on. All you do if you insist on calling both fouls is to make yourself and the crew look like megalomanical and territorial idiots. I had a play last year where my partner was trying to atone for a previous egregious error in judgment against one team, and he poached and sold the call on a drive in my primary, got it wrong, and I gave it up to prevent him and the crew further embarrassment. My response to the coach when questioned, "He took it, end of story." Think it lingered? No. Think a "blarge" call would have reflected well on me, when the film would have shown I was correct? No, I really don't.
Be patient with block/charge calls--you have plenty of time post-whistle to make, and even sell, the call if you have to. The crew is better if you can put up the fist on a double-whistle, and then put it back down and/or nod assent to your partner if you have to. If you give a preliminary signal, it's OK to say, "Hey, I kind of guessed, it's his primary and he has it." We have conferences all the time to "get it right". Use that tool and this philosophy to avoid the "blarge" at all costs.
On a block/charge, the event occurs in somebody's primary. That is the person who should take that call, period.
High school and college have different "rules" for who takes drives to the basket. Decide who takes block/charges on drives to the basket in the pre-game. Follow the pre-game. It's that simple.
How do "blarges" happen? One way is that the pre-game doesn't cover it or the pre-game is forgotten. Another way is that someone tried to take and sell a call that is out of their primary. Either way, it is bad.
Either way, even if you both signal, you can get together and decide who is going to take it. If it is not your primary, admit your mistake and move on. All you do if you insist on calling both fouls is to make yourself and the crew look like megalomanical and territorial idiots. I had a play last year where my partner was trying to atone for a previous egregious error in judgment against one team, and he poached and sold the call on a drive in my primary, got it wrong, and I gave it up to prevent him and the crew further embarrassment. My response to the coach when questioned, "He took it, end of story." Think it lingered? No. Think a "blarge" call would have reflected well on me, when the film would have shown I was correct? No, I really don't.
Be patient with block/charge calls--you have plenty of time post-whistle to make, and even sell, the call if you have to. The crew is better if you can put up the fist on a double-whistle, and then put it back down and/or nod assent to your partner if you have to. If you give a preliminary signal, it's OK to say, "Hey, I kind of guessed, it's his primary and he has it." We have conferences all the time to "get it right". Use that tool and this philosophy to avoid the "blarge" at all costs.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Is It Really Your Line?
If you are the L, and there is a play across the key, do you always have the best look at the out-of-bounds call on the baseline?
Had a play where there was a couple of quick successive turnovers, as the new lead, I was just getting back to the baseline when a wild pass from the far side squirted out of bounds near the far corner. It was pretty obvious to me that it was going to be Blue ball, but the C was standing literally 20 feet away from the spot where the ball went out and the play was right in front of him. He hit the whistle and gave the ball to blue. After the game, he asked me if it was OK that he called that and made the pointing signal, because he wasn't sure I saw it due to the weirdness of the sequence. I told him I though it was great and it looked the best for the crew that he made the signal. The only time I'd be unhappy about someone calling my line is if they got it wrong. And guess what? I can fix that, and I'd only have to do it once!
I then noticed down the stretch in the NCAA games that this has become pretty common. If you don't have a good look at an out-of-bounds call across the key on the baseline as the L, give a look at the C and let him take it. It makes the crew look like they have great chemistry and teamwork, and it also helps you refrain from guessing.
Something to pre-game about with the know-it-alls and "stay out of my area and off my lines" kind of douchebags, who seem to be making a comeback in 2010. Teamwork trumps all. Remember that.
Had a play where there was a couple of quick successive turnovers, as the new lead, I was just getting back to the baseline when a wild pass from the far side squirted out of bounds near the far corner. It was pretty obvious to me that it was going to be Blue ball, but the C was standing literally 20 feet away from the spot where the ball went out and the play was right in front of him. He hit the whistle and gave the ball to blue. After the game, he asked me if it was OK that he called that and made the pointing signal, because he wasn't sure I saw it due to the weirdness of the sequence. I told him I though it was great and it looked the best for the crew that he made the signal. The only time I'd be unhappy about someone calling my line is if they got it wrong. And guess what? I can fix that, and I'd only have to do it once!
I then noticed down the stretch in the NCAA games that this has become pretty common. If you don't have a good look at an out-of-bounds call across the key on the baseline as the L, give a look at the C and let him take it. It makes the crew look like they have great chemistry and teamwork, and it also helps you refrain from guessing.
Something to pre-game about with the know-it-alls and "stay out of my area and off my lines" kind of douchebags, who seem to be making a comeback in 2010. Teamwork trumps all. Remember that.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Game Management Insights
Had a couple of weird things this weekend with respect to game management that I wanted to toss out there.
Subs at the table is an interesting subject. For the last 10 years, I have been very good at being aware of when subs are being put in by a coach. I saw it as great game awareness and good game management to put my hand up to allow time for the sub to come in, or hold the ball until I gave it to the thrower. I watched some games earlier this year on television, and the Pac-10 guys are not doing that. I found that strange,but have really noticed since then that if the sub is not ready at the table, the ball goes in...And nobody bitches about it. I have started to not worry about waiting, and to be honest it has made game flow better. No more line of subs staggering one at a time into a game like a bunch of hobos. No more sending in a sub without really knowing who is coming out. Where does this help? In the end of a blowout game, when subs are staggering in haphazardly, and we are just waving them in without really paying attention--and the losing coach wants a T for 6 on the floor. We have no excuse for that. Coaches need to be organized. You are doing the game, and yourselves, a favor by not prolonging the stoppage of play. Whatever you gain by looking game aware or accommodating the coach is NOT worth the risk. As always, make your choice, but this is a choice I have made this year, and I think it is the best thing to do.
Another one--when discussing things with a player, coach, or another official, give them an out. I had my favorite occurrence recently, players chesting up and yapping resulting in the double T. Things then got really interesting when someone asked why racist statements can be made on the floor. I never heard anything racist, but there was a lot of energy about it. My response was, "I'm not saying it did not happen, but I did not hear it." Understand that everyone gets emotional and has opinions. By giving them an out, it prevents bad feelings. Avoiding absoultes, unless the film will show that you are without question 100% correct (which happens far less frequently than you think), you are always better off acknowledging the opinion without saying they are completely wrong. "I hear you coach, I just did not pull the trigger," works a lot more often than, "It was not a foul, coach." There are times for absolutes. I have found that most of us can minimize or lessen our use of them, and it will help your relationships with players and coaches, without succumbing to them. Trust me, they know when they are wrong, and sometimes it takes a day for them to realize it, just like it takes us a day sometimes to realize and admit we could have done something better. Giving someone an out is always a good thing to do during conflict.
Subs at the table is an interesting subject. For the last 10 years, I have been very good at being aware of when subs are being put in by a coach. I saw it as great game awareness and good game management to put my hand up to allow time for the sub to come in, or hold the ball until I gave it to the thrower. I watched some games earlier this year on television, and the Pac-10 guys are not doing that. I found that strange,but have really noticed since then that if the sub is not ready at the table, the ball goes in...And nobody bitches about it. I have started to not worry about waiting, and to be honest it has made game flow better. No more line of subs staggering one at a time into a game like a bunch of hobos. No more sending in a sub without really knowing who is coming out. Where does this help? In the end of a blowout game, when subs are staggering in haphazardly, and we are just waving them in without really paying attention--and the losing coach wants a T for 6 on the floor. We have no excuse for that. Coaches need to be organized. You are doing the game, and yourselves, a favor by not prolonging the stoppage of play. Whatever you gain by looking game aware or accommodating the coach is NOT worth the risk. As always, make your choice, but this is a choice I have made this year, and I think it is the best thing to do.
Another one--when discussing things with a player, coach, or another official, give them an out. I had my favorite occurrence recently, players chesting up and yapping resulting in the double T. Things then got really interesting when someone asked why racist statements can be made on the floor. I never heard anything racist, but there was a lot of energy about it. My response was, "I'm not saying it did not happen, but I did not hear it." Understand that everyone gets emotional and has opinions. By giving them an out, it prevents bad feelings. Avoiding absoultes, unless the film will show that you are without question 100% correct (which happens far less frequently than you think), you are always better off acknowledging the opinion without saying they are completely wrong. "I hear you coach, I just did not pull the trigger," works a lot more often than, "It was not a foul, coach." There are times for absolutes. I have found that most of us can minimize or lessen our use of them, and it will help your relationships with players and coaches, without succumbing to them. Trust me, they know when they are wrong, and sometimes it takes a day for them to realize it, just like it takes us a day sometimes to realize and admit we could have done something better. Giving someone an out is always a good thing to do during conflict.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Red/Yellow/Green
Got a great little philosophy from Will "The Thrill" McKay last week. We've all noticed that the NBA and NCAA D-1 guys have seemed to call tight out front and loose near the basket. Thrill picked up a way to understand that at a camp last summer. I've added a twist to it that I think further accentuates this.
Think of the basket as the capitol city of the basketball court. The offense wants to invade and take the city by scoring. The defense wants to protect its basket and prevent the invader from scoring. The offense can launch missiles with finesse by gunning long-range 3's, or they can grind out close-range shots by setting screens, crashing to the basket, and using physical dominance to get there.
Thrill will tell you to divide the front court into 3 areas, the Red Zone, the Yellow Zone, and the Green Zone.
The Red Zone is above the top of the key. The only scoring attack from here is a long-range bomb. It's not near the battle front of the war on the basket. Hand-to-hand combat should be rare. You don't need or want rough post play 30 feet from the basket. Therefore, you should be intolerant of physical play when you are more than 20 feet from the basket. Bad screen 30 feet fro the basket is not going to provide an imminent scoring threat, so it will be called tightly. Finesse and quickness rule the Red Zone.
The Yellow Zone inside the 3-point arc but outside the key. Screens may be set, guys start to drive the basket. However, you are still quite a way away from the basket. It will not be an area of all-out defense. The offense is still trying to position themselves to attack the basket. You will want to let a little more go than in the Red Zone, but still understand that the offense has not gotten into the Green Zone yet, where victory becomes imminent, and the defense may get desperate.
The Green Zone is the key and the post area. Ball gets in there on post play, the defense will rush down there to protect the basket. Coaches will scream at the defense to prevent open lay-ins. Players will try and play through contact in the final push for the position or shot. Just like Russia piled millions of people to protect Moscow to the last man in World War 2, the good team will desperately try and prevent the basket when the ball gets in the Green Zone. Again, the threshold for a foul here is higher than in the Yellow Zone, and lot more than the Green Zone.
Fouls are fouls. But the strategy of the game is to score baskets. Understanding how physical the game should be with respect to how far away from the basket the basketball is, and where the offense is trying to go with the basketball, will help you get the right balance of when fouls should be called, and when you should pass. This metaphor and description may illustrate a way to think about it and give you something to think about. Or, it may not. I liked it--it's what I see on TV, and there is a reason they're there and most of us are not.
Think of the basket as the capitol city of the basketball court. The offense wants to invade and take the city by scoring. The defense wants to protect its basket and prevent the invader from scoring. The offense can launch missiles with finesse by gunning long-range 3's, or they can grind out close-range shots by setting screens, crashing to the basket, and using physical dominance to get there.
Thrill will tell you to divide the front court into 3 areas, the Red Zone, the Yellow Zone, and the Green Zone.
The Red Zone is above the top of the key. The only scoring attack from here is a long-range bomb. It's not near the battle front of the war on the basket. Hand-to-hand combat should be rare. You don't need or want rough post play 30 feet from the basket. Therefore, you should be intolerant of physical play when you are more than 20 feet from the basket. Bad screen 30 feet fro the basket is not going to provide an imminent scoring threat, so it will be called tightly. Finesse and quickness rule the Red Zone.
The Yellow Zone inside the 3-point arc but outside the key. Screens may be set, guys start to drive the basket. However, you are still quite a way away from the basket. It will not be an area of all-out defense. The offense is still trying to position themselves to attack the basket. You will want to let a little more go than in the Red Zone, but still understand that the offense has not gotten into the Green Zone yet, where victory becomes imminent, and the defense may get desperate.
The Green Zone is the key and the post area. Ball gets in there on post play, the defense will rush down there to protect the basket. Coaches will scream at the defense to prevent open lay-ins. Players will try and play through contact in the final push for the position or shot. Just like Russia piled millions of people to protect Moscow to the last man in World War 2, the good team will desperately try and prevent the basket when the ball gets in the Green Zone. Again, the threshold for a foul here is higher than in the Yellow Zone, and lot more than the Green Zone.
Fouls are fouls. But the strategy of the game is to score baskets. Understanding how physical the game should be with respect to how far away from the basket the basketball is, and where the offense is trying to go with the basketball, will help you get the right balance of when fouls should be called, and when you should pass. This metaphor and description may illustrate a way to think about it and give you something to think about. Or, it may not. I liked it--it's what I see on TV, and there is a reason they're there and most of us are not.
Pre-Game The "Automatics"
The past couple of years, the powers that be have required that basketball officiating should become more science than art. Part of that has been the introduction of "absolutes" that allegedly MUST be called. Most officials have developed their own styles and philosophies based on the rule book, their knowledge of the game, and the instructions and feedback they receive from peers who are higher on the food chain, and supervisors who can help them advance or keep them down.
"Rough play" has been an emphasis for years. As a former "let them play" official, I initially bristled at the NCAA and supervisors telling me that I had to call certain things every time. Last year, they spoke of automatic consequences for coaches being out of the coaching box. My initial reaction was, "Gee, I can handle coaches. This sucks. I don't want to do that." I eventually followed that directive, and it really was not a big deal. I realized that if I did not enforce that, and something went wrong, I'm vulnerable. 99% of the time, nothing would occur if I let the coach roam out of the box, but why take the chance? This year, they have told us that crashes on drives where both players go to the ground--better have a whistle. Dribbler goes to the floor and there was any contact at all from a defender? Foul on defense every time.
I figured there was no way this would be enforced. Then I saw a UW game in November. 4 times within 2 minutes, a dribbler 30 feet from the basket going east-west (nowhere good) went down on minimal contact, and all 4 got called. Romar went ballistic on every one of them. He may have gotten T'd. Crowd went crazy. I'm thinking, "Did they really have to call them?" After reflection--yes they did.
More robot, less traditional "game management". That's where basketball officiating is headed. It's why I talk a lot about understanding what the film will show, and ensuring that your judgment is good enough that the film can be your best friend, and that you will be aware enough to admit weak or wrong calls, but be firm when you now you have it right. That is how you become a great official.
All that said, there's a bell curve for everything. Many officials don't care about this. Many are incapable of picking it up and incorporating it into their game. That's where communication--and pre-gaming--can be a huge help.
I had a game last weekend where I am not sure if my philosophies meshed 100% with my crew, and I went and called a couple of "absolutes" with late whistles. We had a chance to chat about it, and after the chat, I believe that we all moved closer together in terms of what we would all be calling, and it helped. I also realized that I could have talked about "absolutes" in the pre-game. Even if my partners don't agree, the discussion could have moved us closer to alignment and agreement, which is better than not moving closer at all. "Absolutes" should be discussed in a pre-game!
For the foreseeable future, the questions I will ask in the pre-game with respect to absolutes:
1. All crashes in the key where both players go to the floor have to have a whistle, and I will try to always get one. Are you guys going to do the same?
2. Dribblers going to the floor need to have a whistle. In my primary, it is automatic. Will you guys do the same? I probably will NOT call that out of my primary, just want you to know what I will do so you can do the same or be aware of the difference in case our explanations to coaches differ.
3. Coach out of box coaching? I'm going to ask him to get back in and not mark in the book. Coach out of box yelling on a non-obvious call? Same thing. Coach being irrational out of the box? Warn, then T on 2nd infraction. When will you warn in the book, and when will you automatically T in terms of where he's standing? We need to be the same here and I'm willing to change what I'd normally do to match you guys, if necessary. Need to be the same here.
For me, the first 2 are very important. You may have other ideas. My point is to try and define automatics. I've been around a lot of guys who talk the game and then don't walk the game. They'll tell you a coach out of the box is a automatic T, then have a coach accost them on the floor and they'll do nothing. But by pre-gaming, you're maximizing your chances of success. Makes common sense to me.
"Rough play" has been an emphasis for years. As a former "let them play" official, I initially bristled at the NCAA and supervisors telling me that I had to call certain things every time. Last year, they spoke of automatic consequences for coaches being out of the coaching box. My initial reaction was, "Gee, I can handle coaches. This sucks. I don't want to do that." I eventually followed that directive, and it really was not a big deal. I realized that if I did not enforce that, and something went wrong, I'm vulnerable. 99% of the time, nothing would occur if I let the coach roam out of the box, but why take the chance? This year, they have told us that crashes on drives where both players go to the ground--better have a whistle. Dribbler goes to the floor and there was any contact at all from a defender? Foul on defense every time.
I figured there was no way this would be enforced. Then I saw a UW game in November. 4 times within 2 minutes, a dribbler 30 feet from the basket going east-west (nowhere good) went down on minimal contact, and all 4 got called. Romar went ballistic on every one of them. He may have gotten T'd. Crowd went crazy. I'm thinking, "Did they really have to call them?" After reflection--yes they did.
More robot, less traditional "game management". That's where basketball officiating is headed. It's why I talk a lot about understanding what the film will show, and ensuring that your judgment is good enough that the film can be your best friend, and that you will be aware enough to admit weak or wrong calls, but be firm when you now you have it right. That is how you become a great official.
All that said, there's a bell curve for everything. Many officials don't care about this. Many are incapable of picking it up and incorporating it into their game. That's where communication--and pre-gaming--can be a huge help.
I had a game last weekend where I am not sure if my philosophies meshed 100% with my crew, and I went and called a couple of "absolutes" with late whistles. We had a chance to chat about it, and after the chat, I believe that we all moved closer together in terms of what we would all be calling, and it helped. I also realized that I could have talked about "absolutes" in the pre-game. Even if my partners don't agree, the discussion could have moved us closer to alignment and agreement, which is better than not moving closer at all. "Absolutes" should be discussed in a pre-game!
For the foreseeable future, the questions I will ask in the pre-game with respect to absolutes:
1. All crashes in the key where both players go to the floor have to have a whistle, and I will try to always get one. Are you guys going to do the same?
2. Dribblers going to the floor need to have a whistle. In my primary, it is automatic. Will you guys do the same? I probably will NOT call that out of my primary, just want you to know what I will do so you can do the same or be aware of the difference in case our explanations to coaches differ.
3. Coach out of box coaching? I'm going to ask him to get back in and not mark in the book. Coach out of box yelling on a non-obvious call? Same thing. Coach being irrational out of the box? Warn, then T on 2nd infraction. When will you warn in the book, and when will you automatically T in terms of where he's standing? We need to be the same here and I'm willing to change what I'd normally do to match you guys, if necessary. Need to be the same here.
For me, the first 2 are very important. You may have other ideas. My point is to try and define automatics. I've been around a lot of guys who talk the game and then don't walk the game. They'll tell you a coach out of the box is a automatic T, then have a coach accost them on the floor and they'll do nothing. But by pre-gaming, you're maximizing your chances of success. Makes common sense to me.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Rules, Rules, Rules
I have to now chime in on the WSU/Whoregon game last week, when WSU won the game, only to have subs storm the court, resulting in a T with 0.3 seconds left. Whoregon proceeded to tie the game and win it in the subsequent OT.
Mike Littlewood was the R. I don't know him. Couldn't recognize him. He did what he had to do in that situation. He had no choice. The wrong team won the game. He knows that. It is probably bothering him today, and will probably bother him for a while, which Coug fans probably do not realize and may take some vindictive satisfaction from. But in the end, Mike Littlewood was right.
Now some chucklehead named Ed Bilik, who is the Secretary-Editor of the NCAA Basketball Rules committee has thrown Littlewood under the bus. Bill McCabe, Pac-10 0supervisor, kind of has, too, but in a lawyerly way. Bilik decided to post a bulletin to all NCAA officials after the game inferring that Littlewood did not know the rules. Then McCabe basically said that he backs someone's judgment, but not knowing a rule is subject to a trip to Siberia.
To cap it, John Adams, who is the top dog for NCAA officials, said he felt that Littlewood was not wrong. So why would a dorky policy wonk like Bilik do what he did? Because he is an ass. I am embarrassed for the NCAA and Pac-10. Adams should get him removed from his post immediately. How could a 75-year-old guy whose claim to fame is coaching and being the AD at Springfield College (that's in Massachusetts just so you don't have to look that up) be even a remote player in this? Maybe he wears a hoodie like Belichick, but come on....How about someone who has actually been part of the big time that does not suffer from senility or a burning desire to stay relevant? Bilik must have a Bowden-sized ego.
Littlewood's opinion was that when subs enter during a live ball without being beckoned, it is a T by rule. Bilik's opinion, stated after the fact, was that since nothing interfered with Oregon's ability to inbound the ball, that no T should have been called. Great. Now not only does Easy Ed expect us to keep coaches in their boxes, but we can let celebrating players spill onto the court, slap guys who make baskets on the ass as they run by, and as long as there is no disadvantage, it's OK.
Ernesto Kent, pride of Mexico and Tiger Woods' role model, screamed for the T. Littlewood has to make that judgment. If a player entered the court at any other time, it is automatic. Why would it be different at 0.3 seconds? Rules are rules, and there are gray areas of the rule book that must be decided black and white quickly at the scene of the crime.
I wish Littlewood did not call the T. As a Husky, I don't like WSU, but I absolutely despise Whoregon. However, I would bet my officiating job that had Littlewood not called the T and gave Bilik's reason, he gets hammered for it by McCabe and Adams. And Littlewood knew that. He had no choice. And Billik and McCabe killed him for it.
No win situation for Mike Littlewood. My hat is off to him. I also feel bad for the NCAA. This would have never happened with Hank Nichols at he helm. I hope John Adams sees this. I also hope Bilik does, too, and he sees the bold and italics. At his age, I doubt he can use a computer or read a screen without a magnifying glass, but hell, Robert Byrd is still in the Senate, too, so who knows.
John Adams: You have to put Mike Littlewood into at least the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. He's more than earned it!
Mike Littlewood was the R. I don't know him. Couldn't recognize him. He did what he had to do in that situation. He had no choice. The wrong team won the game. He knows that. It is probably bothering him today, and will probably bother him for a while, which Coug fans probably do not realize and may take some vindictive satisfaction from. But in the end, Mike Littlewood was right.
Now some chucklehead named Ed Bilik, who is the Secretary-Editor of the NCAA Basketball Rules committee has thrown Littlewood under the bus. Bill McCabe, Pac-10 0supervisor, kind of has, too, but in a lawyerly way. Bilik decided to post a bulletin to all NCAA officials after the game inferring that Littlewood did not know the rules. Then McCabe basically said that he backs someone's judgment, but not knowing a rule is subject to a trip to Siberia.
To cap it, John Adams, who is the top dog for NCAA officials, said he felt that Littlewood was not wrong. So why would a dorky policy wonk like Bilik do what he did? Because he is an ass. I am embarrassed for the NCAA and Pac-10. Adams should get him removed from his post immediately. How could a 75-year-old guy whose claim to fame is coaching and being the AD at Springfield College (that's in Massachusetts just so you don't have to look that up) be even a remote player in this? Maybe he wears a hoodie like Belichick, but come on....How about someone who has actually been part of the big time that does not suffer from senility or a burning desire to stay relevant? Bilik must have a Bowden-sized ego.
Littlewood's opinion was that when subs enter during a live ball without being beckoned, it is a T by rule. Bilik's opinion, stated after the fact, was that since nothing interfered with Oregon's ability to inbound the ball, that no T should have been called. Great. Now not only does Easy Ed expect us to keep coaches in their boxes, but we can let celebrating players spill onto the court, slap guys who make baskets on the ass as they run by, and as long as there is no disadvantage, it's OK.
Ernesto Kent, pride of Mexico and Tiger Woods' role model, screamed for the T. Littlewood has to make that judgment. If a player entered the court at any other time, it is automatic. Why would it be different at 0.3 seconds? Rules are rules, and there are gray areas of the rule book that must be decided black and white quickly at the scene of the crime.
I wish Littlewood did not call the T. As a Husky, I don't like WSU, but I absolutely despise Whoregon. However, I would bet my officiating job that had Littlewood not called the T and gave Bilik's reason, he gets hammered for it by McCabe and Adams. And Littlewood knew that. He had no choice. And Billik and McCabe killed him for it.
No win situation for Mike Littlewood. My hat is off to him. I also feel bad for the NCAA. This would have never happened with Hank Nichols at he helm. I hope John Adams sees this. I also hope Bilik does, too, and he sees the bold and italics. At his age, I doubt he can use a computer or read a screen without a magnifying glass, but hell, Robert Byrd is still in the Senate, too, so who knows.
John Adams: You have to put Mike Littlewood into at least the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. He's more than earned it!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
2006 vs. 2010
My progression as an official has been interesting. There are times I wish I could go back and mentor myself, because it would have been great to have gotten better faster. I was fortunate to find some folks that took a very keen interest in giving me brutal and honest feedback after about 7-8 years, and after taking 2-3 years of that, I finally found a comfort zone and figured a lot of stuff out. 2005-2006 is when all the pieces finally started fitting together, and I understood how to manage a game, while at the same time understanding when I did not have to manage anything.
I have continued to make changes the past 4-5 years and they continue to help me. I have made some recent changes that go against what I believed 4-5 years ago, but my experience is showing me that I was wrong. I want to list some for you to think about. There is no right or wrong on these, but they have been good for me.
1. I call less travels that I did 5 years ago. I have learned that most advanced officials (higher level and/or just great officials) will tell you that it is hard to call traveling well, and that they flat miss more travels than they would like. Dave Hall missed a bigtime travel in the Husky game last week, letting a player get up with the ball after he dove to get it. It happens. But that is better than calling the phantom travel. I think as a younger official it makes sense to get what I call the "baby" travel. It shows you understood he traveled and were right on top of it to make the call. Over time, I think that when you get the big travels that everyone knows is one, and leave some of the subtle or unclear ones alone, it's better for the game and helps with how you are perceived as on official. It is easy to call a lot of travels, and it does not make you a great official. Last point on this--if the defense makes a player travel, you must get that, period. That does show you understand the game, and that the defender won that play. Gotta give that one to him.
2. OOB calls. This is a great one. 5 years ago, the top guys would tell you that if there is a slap foul and the ball goes out of bounds, and it is not really clear, to skip the foul and let the ball stay with the offensive team. That was how to "manage the game" and keep the foul count lower and the coaches happier. Of course, I took that to another level. Big foul, player loses ball out of bounds in full view, and I keep it there. I then tell the angry coach that I passed on a foul (because that's how good I am) and kept the ball there (justice). Bad move. That's never a good explanation, the film shows you suck, and it's a lot easier to call the foul. End of story.
3. Reminding coaches of TO's. That's cool--you are showing the coach how smart and aware you are. The last 2 years, my attitude has been, if they don't know, so be it. The home book is what I will go to, every issue or debate arising from that is between the schools. No need for me to be involved. That goes for JV kids playing too many quarters, too. "Don't make what is not your business your business." I'm still working that idea across the board, as well.
4. Evening out fouls. 3 years ago I had a game that was 10-1, with the team with 10 pressing out of control all half long. Of course, every call after 5-1 was met with howls of protest. The half ended 10-1. It should have ended 13-1. None of the 3 were in my primary, but I could have helped on all 3 of them, and I passed because it was 10-1. Guess what? The team with 10 was a much worse team all game long. They made a ton of 3's in the second half and won the game by 2 points. If we call the fouls in the first half, I honestly believe the game would have turned out differently. So did the coach that lost. I learned a huge lesson from that--you call the game the way it is played and let the film be your judge.
5. Allowing crappy teams or teams getting blown out more leeway. The thought process was that this may help prevent hard feelings and frustration, helping stave off cheap shots or non-basketball plays borne from them. I now disagree. For the same reasons above, let the film be your guide. The subs compete every bit as hard; ref your same game.
6. Not calling fouls at the end of game that are not competitive. For the same reasons as #5, call it til the end. Subs deserve your effort, the parents who showed up deserve to see their kids who don't play much be judged the same way, and the strategy might backfire--some subs are trying to prove something, and not getting calls may results in something bad happening. Call the game until the final buzzer.
7. Getting it right versus the speed at which you do it. Get the game going. If you cannot get a definitive answer quickly, have the R make a decision and get it going. Prolonged stoppages are never good for anyone, no matter how cool it looks on TV when they go to the monitor. I bet you don't think it's cool on NFL games. It's 10 times worse in a HS or small college gym. Trust me.
Paul Simpkins, a local official done good, will say that officiating has gone away from a "feel" type game to a "science" game. The new philosophy is to be more robot. With all the gray areas in basketball officiating, it is still more art than science, but when you can, if you think about what the film will show, it will be you ally more times than not. That probably explains the items above and how I approach the game differently today than I did 4 years ago. It's also why I am a lot better, too. Hope some of this does the same for you.
I have continued to make changes the past 4-5 years and they continue to help me. I have made some recent changes that go against what I believed 4-5 years ago, but my experience is showing me that I was wrong. I want to list some for you to think about. There is no right or wrong on these, but they have been good for me.
1. I call less travels that I did 5 years ago. I have learned that most advanced officials (higher level and/or just great officials) will tell you that it is hard to call traveling well, and that they flat miss more travels than they would like. Dave Hall missed a bigtime travel in the Husky game last week, letting a player get up with the ball after he dove to get it. It happens. But that is better than calling the phantom travel. I think as a younger official it makes sense to get what I call the "baby" travel. It shows you understood he traveled and were right on top of it to make the call. Over time, I think that when you get the big travels that everyone knows is one, and leave some of the subtle or unclear ones alone, it's better for the game and helps with how you are perceived as on official. It is easy to call a lot of travels, and it does not make you a great official. Last point on this--if the defense makes a player travel, you must get that, period. That does show you understand the game, and that the defender won that play. Gotta give that one to him.
2. OOB calls. This is a great one. 5 years ago, the top guys would tell you that if there is a slap foul and the ball goes out of bounds, and it is not really clear, to skip the foul and let the ball stay with the offensive team. That was how to "manage the game" and keep the foul count lower and the coaches happier. Of course, I took that to another level. Big foul, player loses ball out of bounds in full view, and I keep it there. I then tell the angry coach that I passed on a foul (because that's how good I am) and kept the ball there (justice). Bad move. That's never a good explanation, the film shows you suck, and it's a lot easier to call the foul. End of story.
3. Reminding coaches of TO's. That's cool--you are showing the coach how smart and aware you are. The last 2 years, my attitude has been, if they don't know, so be it. The home book is what I will go to, every issue or debate arising from that is between the schools. No need for me to be involved. That goes for JV kids playing too many quarters, too. "Don't make what is not your business your business." I'm still working that idea across the board, as well.
4. Evening out fouls. 3 years ago I had a game that was 10-1, with the team with 10 pressing out of control all half long. Of course, every call after 5-1 was met with howls of protest. The half ended 10-1. It should have ended 13-1. None of the 3 were in my primary, but I could have helped on all 3 of them, and I passed because it was 10-1. Guess what? The team with 10 was a much worse team all game long. They made a ton of 3's in the second half and won the game by 2 points. If we call the fouls in the first half, I honestly believe the game would have turned out differently. So did the coach that lost. I learned a huge lesson from that--you call the game the way it is played and let the film be your judge.
5. Allowing crappy teams or teams getting blown out more leeway. The thought process was that this may help prevent hard feelings and frustration, helping stave off cheap shots or non-basketball plays borne from them. I now disagree. For the same reasons above, let the film be your guide. The subs compete every bit as hard; ref your same game.
6. Not calling fouls at the end of game that are not competitive. For the same reasons as #5, call it til the end. Subs deserve your effort, the parents who showed up deserve to see their kids who don't play much be judged the same way, and the strategy might backfire--some subs are trying to prove something, and not getting calls may results in something bad happening. Call the game until the final buzzer.
7. Getting it right versus the speed at which you do it. Get the game going. If you cannot get a definitive answer quickly, have the R make a decision and get it going. Prolonged stoppages are never good for anyone, no matter how cool it looks on TV when they go to the monitor. I bet you don't think it's cool on NFL games. It's 10 times worse in a HS or small college gym. Trust me.
Paul Simpkins, a local official done good, will say that officiating has gone away from a "feel" type game to a "science" game. The new philosophy is to be more robot. With all the gray areas in basketball officiating, it is still more art than science, but when you can, if you think about what the film will show, it will be you ally more times than not. That probably explains the items above and how I approach the game differently today than I did 4 years ago. It's also why I am a lot better, too. Hope some of this does the same for you.
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