[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Your statement above has a lot of merit to it, especially since your state athletic association forbids one official games, however, please comment on the following scenario:

Your scheduled for a single varsity game. The junior varsity officials have already showered and left the site (a problem in itself, as far as I'm concerned) when you get a call on your cell phone, five minutes before game time, that your partner has been in a car accident, or is very ill, and will not make the game, or you don't get a call because a scheduling mistake has been made and you don't have a scheduled partner. The bleachers are filled to capacity, the band is playing, the cheerleaders are getting ready for the game, the table has the scorebooks ready (OK, maybe I went too far), the local press, and cable television guys are ready, and the players are warming up. You call your assigner and find out that no other official is available due to scheduling, availability, illness, injury, etc., because it's a busy Friday night (the biggest basketball night of the week here in Connecticut). Now, in your state, the decision would be out of your hands, since they forbid one official games, you just send everybody home, put away the balls, turn out the lights, and lock the gymnasium doors. In the absence of that state rule, what would you do? Here in Connecticut, and in Sudbury, Canada, and in Kansas, we would play the game with one official, and unless you are an experienced official like me, who's done quite a few one man games over the past 27 years, you could use some tried and true mechanics to follow. Also, does your state athletic association cover middle school games, and other games such as recreation leagues, Catholic elementary schools, travel teams, AAU games, etc.? If these programs are not covered by the state athletic association rule, what would you do in a similar situation?

I understand where you are going with this. My question to you is how does the JV Officials go home without knowing a varsity official has not shown up? The non-varsity officials are coming off the court as you are going onto as a varsity official. That would be nearly impossible unless the JV/sophomore or prelim game (whatever you call it in your area) if you have at least one officials in the game before. Even in a tournament setting where there are multiple games. Someone is around to work that game. Then again where I live I do not know when the last time I have heard of a 2 Person game on purpose. I am sure there are others from my state that has different experiences. It just does not happen very often here in the Chicago and surrounding suburbs and it certainly does not happen in my experiences in central Illinois and other parts further south.

I am also sure that if a state, conference or local association has a policy on how to handle those situations. And in that policy I am sure there are ways to not have all officials go home. I really do not think it is that complicated.

Peace