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Me doing varsity games in my 2nd year was more a product of a lack of quality officials in my area than anything else. Here, the entry level is JV. In 2-3 years, people are usually considered "ready" for varsity. One reason I think there is a lack of officials here is the *HORRIBLE* pay. People, one, just don't take the time to improve themselves, or two, just leave officiating completely.
All the "good" referees move into JUCO and higher pretty quickly. What I'm trying to get across is here, the better officials move out of HS and into college quicker than in other parts of the country.
As for doing a varsity game my 2nd year, in the offseason I went to camp and REALLY made an effort to improve myself. I can't help my lack of experience, but I can make sure I know the rules.
One of our contracts won the boys state title. I called a regular season game between them and their eventual finals opponent. I was pretty nervous before the game! By the end of the game, the home team was down by 3 with about 6 seconds remaining. They inbounded the ball and pushed it up the court quickly. (I was the trail official) Their best shooter put up a shot that appeared to be a 3 pointer as the clock expired. He got the shot off in time, but from my angle, I knew that his toe was on the line. At that moment, time seemed to stand still and I was praying that it didn't go in. I knew what the consequences could be! Fortunately, he missed the shot! But, they went on to beat that same team for the state title.
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