[Brad]

Originally Posted by Travelling Man

for example I can see how they get annoyed by pesky defenders which causes them to commit violations, how they experience stress of waning time and being down by 1 or 2 pts and the urgency that envelopes them, and also I know how they feign fouls--like initiating contact on drives when defender has LGP and they are looking to exploit the "gray areas" of the call. (i.e., 'flopping')

You do not have to play high school or college ball to see these things —*they are easily learnable, if not simply obvious from the get go.

Originally Posted by Travelling Man

Also, there are just some aspects of hoop that I cannot verbalize but I can sense during a game--simply because I've been in the same situation that the players have been in.

What's better imo is when you have been in the same situation before as an official. It's a completely different perspective —*one that almost no one thinks about during their playing years.

Originally Posted by Travelling Man

officials who have not played competitive hoop are more prone to be duped by players who are prone to deceptive feigning.

Originally Posted by Travelling Man

I'm sorry to say this and will likey recieve feedback from the posters here.

Why are you sorry it will receive feedback? That's what this entire forum is about —*the idea that no single individual possesses all of the knowledge on any given topic, including officiating.

Originally Posted by Travelling Man

Yet, it also begs the question: can a coach who has never played varsity actually be an excellent varsity level coach?

Clearly. Many very successful coaches at every level —*high school, college, NBA did not play or were poor players.

Originally Posted by Travelling Man

Can a ref who has never played in the nba be a good nba ref? But that is not really the point here.

Since there are only two NBA referees that ever played in the NBA, I would say so. Maybe look at their performance compared to others and see how much their playing experience had an impact.

I did not play high school ball. Well, I did, on the 9th grade B team for about half a season before I quit because, well, I sucked (and, thus, got almost no playing time). Plus, I was also a year younger than everyone else and, honestly, probably didn't want it enough.

As an official I had great success — moved up in my high school chapter quickly, hired to work college ball 5 years in, then 3 years later hired to work NCAA D1 Men's (which I worked for 7 years before I took a "year off" to focus on my business and family).

So, yes, you can be successful as an official without having been successful as a player. I'm sure that your experience helps you, but not all former players make the transition to official so easily and it can be a hindrance to some. Any experience that gives you greater insight into the game is great though. So, my suggestion is put that experience to use for yourself—but don't hold it against others if they haven't had the same experience as you.