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  #1 (permalink)  
Old Mon Jan 19, 2009, 02:42pm
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Location: New York City
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Help/Ideas on Becoming a College Official?

I am writing to find out about becoming a basketball official at the COLLEGE LEVEL.

I have refereed over 250 intramural basketball games at the University of Maryland (Which used NFHS rules with adjustments for timing). I’ve had 4+ years of training in both and 2 and 3 man mechanics. I've got a great letter recommendation from the head of the officiating program in which he states “Brad is one of the best officials I’ve ever had” (I say that with humility… I know there is always more to learn and grow!)

Also interested is my father, who is 52 and a former HS patched referee (though its probably been 20 years since he’s worn stripes). He is also a former Division 1 Player and Coach. We’re interested in being partners.

Please let me know the next steps or recommendations you have to make this happen. Thank you so much.
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  #2 (permalink)  
Old Mon Jan 19, 2009, 02:48pm
(Something hilarious)
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: These United States
Posts: 1,162
-Work high school basketball.
-Work high school varsity basketball for a while.
-Work elite high school varsity basketball in your area for a while.
-Search this forum for a thread from last year that has a listing of the majority of collegiate officiating camps in the country. Bookmark those sites of camps in your region, and check them around April to see if they have current camp info on their pages.
-Find a current/recently retired college official in your area and ask them if they would act as your mentor, to help guide and assist you in your quest.
-Be humble.
-Be in the right place at the right time, and work every game with your A game, because sooner or later (and sometimes often) important people will see you work that can help you advance your career.
-Go to camp.
-Go to camp.
-Nod your head a lot at camp.

Last edited by HawkeyeCubP; Mon Jan 19, 2009 at 02:55pm.
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  #3 (permalink)  
Old Mon Jan 19, 2009, 02:50pm
M.A.S.H.
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Texas
Posts: 5,030
Keep working hard, go to camp, and continue studying the rules. Go to camp!!
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  #4 (permalink)  
Old Mon Jan 19, 2009, 03:05pm
Do not give a damn!!
 
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All you can do is contact the people you work with to see on a regular basis. Someone should know who assigns the local conferences in the area (do not talk to someone at Maryland about the ACC ).

Keep working games. I will help if you work some high school.

Most of all you most likely have to attend a camp. Nowadays you will not get hired unless you attend a camp or are seen by someone at a camp.

Peace
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Old Mon Jan 19, 2009, 03:14pm
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: kansas
Posts: 155
Good and Lucky

All HawkeyeCubP advice is excellent.

-Work high school basketball.
-Work high school varsity basketball for a while.
-Work elite high school varsity basketball in your area for a while.
-Search this forum for a thread from last year that has a listing of the majority of collegiate officiating camps in the country. Bookmark those sites of camps in your region, and check them around April to see if they have current camp info on their pages.
-Find a current/recently retired college official in your area and ask them if they would act as your mentor, to help guide and assist you in your quest.
-Be humble.
-Be in the right place at the right time, and work every game with your A game, because sooner or later (and sometimes often) important people will see you work that can help you advance your career.
-Go to camp.
-Go to camp.
-Nod your head a lot at camp.

Don't make the same mistake as I believe that I made. You can work on your skills now at college camps. They will help your HS games as well as your potential college games. I have become a much better HS official by going to college camps but did not start going until later in life, 40+. Now I am 20+ older than most of the campers, makes for a big uphill battle.

- Do not start at a D1 camp
- Find a NJCAA conference in your area or NAIA
- Sign up for camp now
- Listen with both ears
- Talk very little
- Take what works for you and discard what does not
- Work parallel schedules
- Find a mentor
- It will take a lot of camps to be both good and lucky at the same time.
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  #6 (permalink)  
Old Mon Jan 19, 2009, 03:15pm
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I'm in NYC now (and my father is right outside the city). We're totally prepared to start at the varsity level and work our way up.

We're also both wanting to go to a great top-notch camp or two in the Northeast or Florida. Any recommendations?

Thanks!
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Old Mon Jan 19, 2009, 03:19pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bradfordwilkins View Post
I'm in NYC now (and my father is right outside the city). We're totally prepared to start at the varsity level and work our way up.

We're also both wanting to go to a great top-notch camp or two in the Northeast or Florida. Any recommendations?

Thanks!
Start at the varsity level? It was 4 years before I worked my first varsity game. Many others here will offer up similar experiences. Who do you think works the JV and freshman games (hint, new officials). That said, some people will work some varsity quickly -- it's a function of the area you live in, your talent, and your ability to prove to the assignors that you belong.

(Do not think that intramural experience is necessarily the same as working organized basketball. It only pays more. Organized basketball, that is. Back in 1987 I worked intramurals for the minimum wage at the time ($3.35 an hour) -- then someone showed me JV/Freshmen game paid $30 and the players couldn't talk back )
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Old Mon Jan 19, 2009, 03:21pm
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"Start at the varsity level? It was 4 years before I worked my first varsity game. Many others here will offer up similar experiences. Who do you think works the JV and freshman games (hint, new officials). That said, some people will work some varsity quickly -- it's a function of the area you live in, your talent, and your ability to prove to the assignors that you belong."

Understood -- just trying to figure out how to accelerate the process to get to the college level hah. My father had 10+ years doing varsity ball so his learning curve is probably a little less steep than mine.
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Old Mon Jan 19, 2009, 03:32pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bradfordwilkins View Post

Understood -- just trying to figure out how to accelerate the process to get to the college level hah. My father had 10+ years doing varsity ball so his learning curve is probably a little less steep than mine.
Trying to "accelerate the process" is probably the number 1 thing that will prevent you from getting there.
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Old Mon Jan 19, 2009, 03:32pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bradfordwilkins View Post
"Start at the varsity level? It was 4 years before I worked my first varsity game. Many others here will offer up similar experiences. Who do you think works the JV and freshman games (hint, new officials). That said, some people will work some varsity quickly -- it's a function of the area you live in, your talent, and your ability to prove to the assignors that you belong."

Understood -- just trying to figure out how to accelerate the process to get to the college level hah. My father had 10+ years doing varsity ball so his learning curve is probably a little less steep than mine.

Caution: If you try accelerate too quickly you will hit a wall and will never recover.

(Please take figuratively and not literally)
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Old Mon Jan 19, 2009, 03:42pm
M.A.S.H.
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eyezen View Post
Caution: If you try accelerate too quickly you will hit a wall and will never recover.

(Please take figuratively and not literally)

In other words, it's better to be two years late than one year early!
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  #12 (permalink)  
Old Mon Jan 19, 2009, 07:12pm
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Number 1---Get ready to hear the phrase over and over again on this board and behind your back that your father is the one and only thing that got you into D1 basketball if you make it. The posts are going to use that word nepotism again & again even if you are the greatest thing since sliced bread or the second coming of Hank Nichols.

I am surprised that you even need to ask this question if your father was a D1 coach. Both him and you need to get that rolodex out and make contacts, and don't let any D1 official who had some contacts tell you he didn't use them. You will have to go to an officiating camp somewhere and have a supervisor see you or an experienced official at the camp who has the surpervisor's ear recommend you and your dad. Your dad should probably know Don Rutledge in the Florida Area even though he is retired, I'm sure a recommendation from him would go a long way. You may get put on what they call a high potential list (this turned out to be a crappy designation years ago just to string some guys along) and start with Small College first before moving to D1.

You should have gone to the Maryland coach long ago to see if you could work any scrimmages for them or if he could help you with contacts in the ACC. Although you are a little young; John Clougherty started that way years ago when he had a job at Wake Forest doing finance or something after graduating from college I believe. He was young. He was working HS varsity and worked Wake Forest scrimmages during practices for Carl Tacy who had just come from Ferrum Junior college in Virginia.

He started working in the D2 Carolina's Conference just before the camp concept came about and from there went to ACC camp for Norvelle Neve and then worked on the ACC JV staff back when schools freshmen had to sit out a year and then he got onto the ACC full time staff by the age of 30 I believe, maybe earlier, and never looked back. Lenny Wertz and Lou Moser were only 25 when they made the Big Ten Staff back in the day and were also on the ACC staff.

Clougherty is now the supervisor in the ACC and you should have your Dad call him directly or any D1 supervisor in the New York area or Big East to see about the steps needed for both you and your father to possibly become ACC officials or another conferences D1 officials. There will be no guarantees of course, but with your dad being in the fraternity of D1 colleges coaches I do not see how this could possibly do anything but help if you are a very good official. However, if you are not very good at officiating, they cannot afford to stick their neck out or put their reputation on the line if you cannot ref a lick. Then again, if you are in a group of highly rated officials that are probably going to make D1 no matter what, your connections can probably speed this process up a little bit while the other guys may have to wait another year or two.

There was something on the internet about official Steve Wellmer getting injured. He is 57 and has been working D1 for 27 years. He has been an official for 34 years, so he was just about your age when he started. He probably worked D2 and D3 before working his first D1 game at 30.

Get going and don't look back. Heck, even the NBA might discover you as I hear they have scouts at the college games looking for potential NBA refs.
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Old Mon Jan 19, 2009, 08:09pm
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While contacts are necessary, you aren't going to make a call and get into the ACC. Before some things changed with camps, the ACC held an invitational camp in Indianapolis. The camp was not for new officials. Many of the officials you see doing ACC games on TV were evaluators in addition to Zack Zarba and Joe Forte. The ACC uses the Colonial as a "minor league" D1 conference.

For now, I would try to start with high school and then JC. I know some may frown on this, but New York also has a good Pro-Am league. You have a ton of ball in your area so get out and work.
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