[Rizzo21]

I administer a men’s league at our church with 12 teams. It’s existed for four years now and generally is a positive experience which has led to word-of-mouth growth in the number of teams and the level of competition. To keep fees low, we started with “call-your-own” which worked for two years but things started getting out of hand so we went to “volunteers” calling the games last year and this year. Most of our volunteers also play in the league and it’s usually guys with a little experience although we’ve got a couple varsity-level officials that help out as well. Last year, this is where I got my first taste of officiating and enjoyed it so much I got registered and am doing high school games at the freshman level.

The level of competition has definitely outgrown the caliber of officiating though it’s too late to impose any additional fees and “hire” out the work. We plan to raise the fees and hire it out next year, making it much easier for me to administer without having to line up volunteers each week. I end up having to help officiate most of the six games in addition to playing in one (it’s obviously very exhausting). This brings on the inherent problem of calling too many games involving the same teams…if less than half the guys don’t hate me by the end of the season I’ll call it a success.

Anyway, we’ve got some VERY large guys in the league this year which causes some problems for less experienced officials including myself. The play in the paint gets rougher each week as each large body tries to establish their position against other large bodies and/or the smaller guys try to prove their manhood by keeping their position against the behemoths. What are you guys looking for when you officiate the match-ups in the post, pre-shot or post-shot? I’ve learned to focus on the defense when possible for displacement or when offensive big men try to spin with the ball and “hook” their way around the defender. On rebounding situations, I’m looking for that shove from behind or hold. I realize every situation is unique but if there were any tips I’d appreciate it.

By the way, I understand why most of you avoid men’s leagues like the plague. Adult males who think they are God’s gift to the game trying to reclaim their glory days. They see every call or no-call as an affront to their over-charged ego’s. Oh well, for the most part, I enjoy it and see it as a way to gain experience, not necessarily friends.