Quote:
Originally posted by Oz Referee
I'm curious - how hard is it to become a college ref in the USA? And are there different levels of college refs in the same way that there are different divisions of schools?
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For the most part, it is pretty tough. First you need to have a solid HS varsity schedule for a few years. After that, you would work junior (2-year) college games, then maybe NCAA.
The NCAA is split up into three divisions for college basketball - Division I (the biggest schools, where most of your future NBA players go), Division II, then Division III (smallest athletic programs; no scholarships). Generally you move up from III ---> II ---> I.
Within each division, schools form conferences of about 7-15 schools. Hiring officials is usually by conference, but many big-time officials work for more than one. An East Coast ref might work for ACC or Big East, while a West Coast ref would work for Pac-10 or Mountain West. The best officials travel the entire country to work Top 25 games.
Bottom line: I have my work cut out for me
