[jritchie]

what do you think?

By Ken Koester

Is that how were now judged? By foul totals? As I sat back and went over some of my games from last season on video, I couldn’t help but chuckle on some of the observations I had written down in my notes during the season.
I can still remember talking to a pair of officials after a high school game last season and the comments are still vivid in my mind. “Nine fouls per team, great game.” Now, of course I realize that a game with only 18 fouls probably had a nice flow, the players played and the coaches coached. But doesn’t it seem we officiate in a society now where the game is measured in terms in how close the foul differential was?
So in watching a game I had on tape from last season, I charted some of the calls. Home team had 25 fouls, visiting team had 16. Differential of nine fouls. Foul total in the first five minutes of the third quarter was 6-1. And you know what else, the home team also came out more aggressive and went on a 13-2 run after being down by eight at the half. I think the average person could effectively correlate the aggressive action to better results (albeit with more fouls). But I remember the coach pointing out the indifference in the foul total. I know I answered with a sarcastic remark indicating “Whatever the team was doing, it appears to be working.” I know, I know … such a remark is better left unsaid.
But it seems as though more and more officials translate a well-officiated game to one with fewer fouls and more importantly, similar foul totals. Obviously that can’t be the case. Officials can’t control how the team plays, how aggressive players might be, whether or not the ball goes on or what else might have gone on at school that day. I understand that coaches will consistently refer to the foul-total card when its not in their favor, but it seems to me that more and more officials are buying into that notion. If that’s the case, it’s certainly disturbing.
I’d argue that a well-officiated game would be one where all of the calls are made (regardless of the totals). Could be 12 to three or nine to eight, but if the officials got ‘em right, it shouldn’t really matter. Should it?
Written by Ken Koester, Referee associate editor.