Quote:
Originally posted by rwest
During half-time I asked my partner, who's a more senior official than I, if we should tighten it up a little. I thought things were getting a little rough, but was unsure of myself. He said no. I was the Ref that game. My question is, does the Ref have the reponsibility to get his crew to tighten up the game when he/she thinks the game is getting out of hand? If so, how does a rookie go about accomplishing this with a more experienced ref?
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The Referee position is at best a ceremonial position. There are things a Referee is suppose to do that no one else can by rule, but it is so rare that even becomes an issue. So no, as Referee you do not have the right to tell anyone how to call the game. You are equal after the ball is thrown up and you can say whatever no matter what your position is. I tend you be an outspoken person, and depending on who I am working with, I might speak up regardless of whether I am the Referee or Umpire that game. Same goes for the veteran officials I know.
Quote:
Originally posted by rwest
Also, I know some have said that you call your game, no matter the style of your partner. However, it seems to me that that can make the game seem one-sided. If the lead is calling it tight and the trail is letting them play, then one team is going to get penalized more than the other. It seems to me that the officials need to be consistent.
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I think at this stage of your career, you need to just call what you see and not think much more than that. For the most part you have to call your game, but when certain things are being called by your partners, if you see what they have called, you might watch certain "problem" areas to hopefully make similar calls. But just because your partner had an illegal screen, does not mean you will be in a position to call one yourself. You are always better off calling your game. For the most part this is never an issue that I see.
Quote:
Originally posted by rwest
One more thing. This was my first 9th grade game. I've done 2 middle school games. There is a big difference in the skill set between the two. Any advice on how to modify your officiating style to match the level of play?
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Experience. Seeing plays, calling the game at that level and above. There is no magic bullet to calling ball at a higher level, other than watching and officiating games at that level. I think you should go watch a few varsity games to see what the "veterans" are doing and what they are calling. I will help you get used to the game properly and you can learn. Also watch college basketball on TV as well. You will start to understand what is acceptable and you will see advantage/disadvantage called. It will help you learn what to call and what not to call. The older the kids are, the more physical they are. And you just cannot call something because contact occurs. You have to call what affects the play.
Hope that helps.
Peace