[Mountaineer]

I coached varsity basketball for 15 years and loved it. I gave up the last coaching job I had because of the headaches to go into officiating. That was 1996 . . . Here's what I've learned.

Refereeing does not and cannot take the place of coaching for me. I love coaching and I believe I'm very good at it. I miss the interaction and the teaching aspect. I get frustrated going into schools now and seeing poorly coached players all over the place. The reward of gratification from the building process and seeing kids actually "get" it is just awesome. The longer hours and the added headaches are some of the negatives. You don't get a night off when you are coaching - or can't take one if you want one. As a ref, I show up, do my thing and go home - as a coach you show up, get the gym ready, make sure you have a table staff, get the officials in their place and make sure they are happy, make sure the visitors are taken care of, coach the game, take care of any postgame team things and many cases have to put the chairs away and the clock and straighten the locker room . . . and get little or no thanks for all the work you put in - meanwhile the refs are having a cold one down the road, or worse - having one at home watching TV.

All that being said, if I could go back to coaching tomorrow I would do it without hesitation!

Good luck in your decision.