[stripes]

Originally Posted by LDUB

So 10 years from now Ed Hightower stops officiating D-I games because his body can no longer keep up with the speed of the game and moves town. He calls up an assignor on the phone asking to work some games.

ED: Hi, I'm Ed Hightower. I worked 11 D-I Final Four tournaments. Can I work varsity games for you this Winter?
ASSIGNOR: Sorry Ed, you'll have to hone your skills for 3 years working underclass games before I can trust you on a varsity game.
ED: But I was named the D-I men's official of the year in 1992, I know how to officiate. There is no way I should not have a full varsity schedule.
ASSIGNOR: Ed, you won't be able to get a full varsity schedule for 7 years.
ED: I worked 7 consecutive D-I Final Four tournaments. Doesn't that count for anything?
ASSIGNOR: No, skill isn't really important when it comes to who receives which games. Much more important is how long you have been around.
ED: I have been around for a long time. I worked D-I games for 30+ years.
ASSIGNOR: Well I was only talking about how long you have been around this area.
ED: So the 4th year official who has worked 85 games is higher up than me? I've worked more D-I post season tournament games than that.
ASSIGNOR: In this area having 85 underclass games under your belt counts for more than a few thousand D-I games when it comes to working varsity.


Stop denying it, the system used in your area is a complete joke. As Garth said, stop drinking the Kool-Aid. It isn't hard at all to find a good system. The goal of the system should be to put the best officials on the court (through training, evaluating, and proper assigning) instead of trying to find arbitrary reasons for holding someone back.

I don't think it can be illustrated more plainly than that.