[JRutledge]

I will put it this way. I am about to go to a college camp that is the supervisor over a D2 league and is a D1 official himself. If I were to work women's basketball which I do not and try to get hired in his league, I would not likely be picked up. Usually you have to choose one or the other and the competition is too high on both that anything you do that makes them show you are not committed to one over the other they will find someone that will be committed. Without knowing anything else about you it is hard to say why you would have the "Women's official look" and I have been told the same thing, but it is about my athleticism and being slim that I could move faster on the Women's side. But I have no desire to work women's basketball and I would not watch or enjoy a women's basketball game so that would be a hard transition for me.

Also you look would not hurt you on the Men's side, but there are a lot of guys that are that tall if not taller and you might not stand out. Then again that depends on how slim and in shape you look as well. At the end of the day this is totally a personal decision. You have a few years to even try both when going to camps, but you have to be on top of the mechanics differences and even some rules differences. And it is very true that advancing in women's basketball is much easier to the Men's side. There are just so many officials that envision themselves on that side and they are good and could work those sides. The Women's side often does not have a lot of guys with the same "look" and it is easier to stand out. I have said these things before and you will not always get the same people that will agree on many aspects of this. I just know what you are going through and you have to ultimately decide what works for you. You have to live with this decision and you have to get in your car and drive an hour or more to work those games. So you have to be able to live with what you enjoy. Nobody can make that decision but you at the end of the day.

Peace