[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Easy for you to say.

In addition to being a highly respected and successful official, aren't you a teacher/clinician in your local/state area?

If so, doesn't that make you the face of the "organization", and one who sets the guidelines and expectations in your local/state area?

No, simply no one cared about these little details or was going around firing officials because they did not follow a line in a book that most of us never see or have in our possession, to care about.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

In most cases, wouldn't that mean that what "works" for you, will also "work" for all, and should be taught and passed on to new officials?

You're the leader, they follow, what you do (and teach) becomes the local/state "book".

I might be a leader, but no one is going around making officials do anything here. WE might tweak something an official does, but no one is going around worrying about these kinds of things. Honestly, we want people that can call the game and look like they know what they are doing. All these little details are usually personal or what they have been taught. I do not recall telling anyone in camp to blow or not to blow their whistle at the end of a quarter. All I tell them is to not blow a whistle if you are not the official ruling on the last-second shot. That should only come from the calling or ruling official.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Why would you teach something that you know won't "work" and that you wouldn't do yourself?

Set them straight.

Teach them what works for you, because it will probably, in most cases, also work for them.

You are being a little dramatic. It really is not that serious. You keep referring to a book that many of us never use. We do not have IAABO in my area. We do not have associations that assign every game for us. We are truely independent contractors from the standpoint that if a conference assignor likes us, they hire us. They are not regulated by some larger, multi state organization that will not give us a middle school game if we do not pass their specific test or follow their specific rules. Not how it works in either state I work.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

When your at the top of the officiating hill, as you are, it's easy to ignore advice from above, because there is no above.
You're the above (by both reputation and title).

You're "Rome".

It's a different view from the bottom up.

Those below you, including new officials, should follow your leadership and sage advice, and at least initially, shouldn't be striking out with their own guidelines, especially when they have a great example in you to follow.

All a clinician is in the state of Illinois is someone that is trained to run clinics for the state and follow well-known procedures followed by the state. We are not as unique as you are trying to suggest. I believe over there are 100 individuals that are clinicians in our state just in basketball. We are not the only one in our local official's association and many times we are one of many. We are not elected by our LOA. We are licensed by the state and the head clinician of that sport. I belong to associations where there are up to 6 clinicians that are members. We all do not agree on every issue or every procedure. Even when we have a periodic meeting there is debate and we have clinicians ask for clarification on certain procedures. We do not use the NF Mechanics Book and there are things that our head clinician or the state wants to do that might be a little different than what is in the book. Like there was a big thing one meeting about whether we should blow a whistle for a sub. There were people in the clinician meeting advocating that we should blow the whistle and others saying we shouldn't. Then there was a debate about if you should ever use two hands to "hold up" your partner or use one hand so they did not put the ball in play. All things that are not supported or explicitly stated in the NF Mechanics book.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

If they know what's best for them regarding how to move up the local/state ladder, they're probably all trying to "satisfy" you, their leader, their teacher, their example to follow, and the face of the "organization".

If not sounding a whistle before a free throw after a timeout works for you, wouldn't it also work for everybody else, and wouldn't you teach that?

Since you mentioned this I looked it up. I do not find anywhere in the NF book that says you must blow your whistle following a timeout before a FT. I believe it was there at one time, but I am not finding such a reference. All I see about a timeout to blow a whistle before a throw-in. I could be wrong, but someone would have to show me the reference to this procedure during a FT.

Also in my 24 years of officiating basketball at all levels below Division 1, I have never seen an official blow their whistle after a timeout to administer a FT except for one person. That one person I worked with often and he was the only one on the crew that did that. Our other partner and me (both clinicians BTW) never blew a whistle before putting the ball in play after a timeout for a FT. I do not think I ever asked my partner why he did that. It never came up and never was something I even saw him teach or instruct. And I am sure I have worked or witness well over 1000 officials personally. That includes all State Final officials I have witnessed or worked with and even lower level officials that work in front of me on any given high school night. And I am far from the one that taught all these people how to officiate.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

And then, wouldn't that become part of your local/state/Rome guidelines, guidelines that new officials could follow to move up the ladder, certainly better than floundering around on their own with no guidance?

Again, I am not the person telling people what to do in their every day officiating. Not only do I not have that kind of power, I am not the one that officials look up to beyond some specific association I may belong to. I belong to 3 basketball associations. There are many others I have never run or been apart of the camps those officials are taught with. It is not that deep.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Note: Despite what I wrote above, I'm still a realist. We can still be successful in our locality/state by doing a few of our own things, our own way, not always "by the book", but it is nice to have a "book" to follow when we need it, especially when we're first learning something. I'm a retired teacher, over thirty years in the classroom. I hold all teachers (of any type) and all teaching in very high regard. Teaching and learning is always easier when there is a "book" to learn common consistent basics. Students (of all types) look up to teachers and expect them to set them on the right path to learning and to also set a good example for students to follow.

Well, I am the son of a college professor (retired). I know her teaching style in her field did not automatically match those of others in her field. And having been to college all teachers in my departments were not the same and did not require the same things to be successful in their classes.

Peace