[tnolan]

Last year was rough. Covid pushed the season back a month, many games were moved/PPD/cancelled, pre-game conferences were different, and the on-court interactions just felt awkward or non-existent. All of those things combined just made the season feel wrong. Additionally, I was on call during playoffs so I had to close nearly all my dates, and ended up only having 1 game....that didn't go well, so it left a bad taste in my mouth during the off-season.

This year however has been good. I was looking to improve on that feeling from last year, hoping that everything would start to trend back to normal. Personally, I was able to work a few big local games, as well as some showcase Academy games. A good partner (who took last year off) is now back and being able to work with him is fantastic. I decided to take a break from NCAA to spend more time with my kids and their activities, as well as getting a new job, so my stress levels are definitely lower.

I "roller-coaster" emotions prior to and during the season. Assignments get released and you can see your games and crew mates and you're excited to discuss rules and cases and just bball in general. But then one or two bad games or 30 pt spinners and you're asking yourself "is this worth it?" But then better games or awesome partners can change that back to that exciting feeling. I find that discussing bball here or Friday nights at the bar or even during ABO Greg's FPF live feed on Fridays helps to keep the spirits up deep into the cold/disgusting/icy winter months of January and February.

This year however, we've seen an uptick in poor fan behavior. I personally have been apart of 3 fan ejections, have discussed at least 8 others, and 2 more than included coaches in our district alone, and I'm sure there are plenty others that I just haven't heard about. Additionally, there was another game that had to be called due to fans and coaches exchanging words and then punches/pushes. It is however that time of year, where bad teams know that they are bad and players may not have anything left to play for OR certain teams are fighting for that specific playoff spot.

So for me, as I ramble on and most of you have stopped reading already, I cannot wait until...playoffs. For this year, I have no closed dates and am expecting a full slate of games and hopefully be able to work with guys/gals that I haven't seen in 2 years.