[SeanFitzRef]

I live in the same general area as JRut, and I concur with his assessment of the situation in our area. There is a tendency for assignors to 'buddy up' the assignments so that thier friends and family get first dibs on the spotlight games, then everything else is dished out to whomever. It is definitely true that as a minority official here, we have to 'work harder, do more, and be better' in order to move up. I have worked varsity games with officials that would have a hard time doing a solid 8th grade game, and I have worked a freshman A/B game with some that could easily handle the pressures of a varsity game. But if you aren't 'connected' (by whatever connection you need with some assignors) then you just won't get the games. I've worked several games where I'm the ONLY darker face in the gym, so I already know that I have to bring my A+++++ game, instead of just the A+.

The flip side is that some people don't want to work hard, and just expect longevity to get them what they want. This tends to hurt those of us that want to move up due to the quality of our work, not just the quantity. Guilt by association.