[Nikki]

I don't want only black officials to work games with black players, or only women to work the women's game. But I agree with JRutledge and JetMet and tomegun completely. Everyone has different experiences and can relate differently to different people. Not everyone can do this. The example of that 2A game in IL is the perfect example. Those 3 officials may have been really good officials worthy of working a championship, they should not have been working that championship game, not the 3 of them together.

I am the first to admit that I was hired in my first NCAAW conference because I was female, but that wasn't the only reason, and some people would say I didn't deserve the chance. (A lot of people actually said that) But the supervisor told me that he saw potential in me. If I was male and he saw the same exact potential and the same ability would he have hired me? Maybe not. I had been officiating basketball for years - though only 2 years of actually being certified to work high school. I grew up officiating games at the boys club. I didn't have great mechanics ,I had never worked 3 man before, but I had worked some good ball and I knew the game. I took in everything I could and learned so much that first summer of going to camps and I have been very successful.

I honestly don't think that there are any conference supervisors out there hiring someone JUST because of their race or gender alone, not saying it can't give you a leg up if all things are equal but you have to bring something else to the table. I had a supervisor tell me that he would much rather hire someone with little to no officiating experience and mold them and teach them and mentor them than to hire someone with a lot of high school experience that was already set in their ways.