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Coach wants better referees
Dave Murphy of Metro State hopes the RMAC beefs up its evaluation of officials in women's game
By Theresa Smith (Denver Post)
Dave Murphy has reached his boiling point. For years, he's complained to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference administrators about unsafe conditions in women's basketball that he attributes to subpar officiating.
As coach at University of Colorado-Colorado Springs from 1998-2002 and at Metro State the past four seasons, he says the problem has persisted.
"I hope we don't get to a point where a kid loses a season or a career because of injury," Murphy said. "This is continual. We've talked about it and nothing gets done. And I'd be saying this if we were 0-10.
"They tell us they don't call the fouls because they want to keep the flow of the game, but if the fouls are called the kids will stop fouling. If you have seven kids in foul trouble midway through the first half, they'll stop and the rest of the game will be clean. Women's basketball should not be a thug atmosphere."
The elbowing spree by Fort Hays State's Ashlee Gustin last season left RMAC player of the year Diana Lopez of Regis with a concussion. Gustin was suspended by her athletic director for one game, and RMAC commissioner J.R. Smith issued a letter of reprimand.
Smith said the member schools within the RMAC, not the conference office, have decided not to pay for referee evaluators, a common practice in Division I. As a result, the RMAC relies on two unpaid evaluators who attend some games and an online evaluation the coaches are asked to complete after each game.
"Why are we not having officials evaluated?" Murphy asked. "We need to know the number of correct calls, that they are keeping the game safe, and emphasizing the points of emphasis."
Colorado School of Mines coach Paula Krueger is uncomfortable evaluating referees.
"I feel that some times when you fill those things out and you're honest, your team could be punished -later," she said.
Krueger is not as concerned as Murphy, though she wants improved officiating.
"Am I concerned about the safety of my athletes?" she asked. "No. But I do think the officiating could be better. There are financial limitations, but if we want to have more consistent officiating, there needs to be education, improvement and evaluation. And the money should be found."
According to Krueger, when metro area teams travel to small communities, the free-throw shooting disparity can be lopsided. But is it a reflection of visiting players being aggressive or hometown officiating?
When Regis sustained its first conference loss, 83-66, on Feb. 10 at Nebraska-Kearney, it was limited to eight free throws; Kearney shot 32. When Metro lost at Kearney, it shot 19 free throws; the home team shot 29. Mines put up only eight free throws to Kearney's 23, and the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs shot 14 free throws to Kearney's 33.
"At the Division II level, whether it's due to budget or geography, it's been really hard to come up with a consistent system to hold people accountable," Regis coach Linda Raunig said.
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