[Kansas Ref]

Originally Posted by SAK

Seeking advice.

We have a new official who is working wreck games, "competitive ymca" basketball. He is a former college player who insists what he knows to be correct. A few situations have arisen in the last few times I have called games with him. Not to say that one of us is better than the other but coaches have made comments, many coaches in fact.

*First of all, I need you to immediately STOP discounting your obvious superior expertise as compared to this obstinate ref partner, when the thesis of your post is to compare & contrast your reffing acumen.

First this official is extremely intense. He makes his calls and does not seem to care if he got it correct as long as he thinks he looks good making the call (he does not look good making the call). His floor positioning is bad at best, many times he is still on the court as the lead rather than 3 feet or more off the end line, he bends down to see give direction.

* A toxic combination of poor, untrained mechanics and bad judgment is apprant.
Partner makes numerous three second violation calls when there is a shot in flight or on a rebound. Gave a T in a 4th grade game, with a running clock, under tens seconds he requested the ball and the player didn't give it to him fast enough. He said that the player was holding the ball to purposefully keep the clock play from happening. Not only that he would not discuss the play, he said that he would do the same thing every time. I have a hard time believing that in a 4th grade game a kid would do that with intent.

On a previous day, the official made a point of saying that he was not going to listen to any advice because he did a DI scrimmage once and they told him how good he was. Meanwhile the varsity officials who observe him all have a lot to say but he does not listen.

*Others have seen the same so you should feel fine that you are not being biased.

Finally, until I think of more, he calls everything on ball--ie never looks off ball regardless of location of the ball in his primary or not. He does not care if he can see the ball or not, makes the call anyway. He has been unapproachable by coaches and other officials.

What can I do as I prefer not to work with this individual as it is having a negative impact on my attitude during the games and my call selection as I am required to look off ball all game and call well outside of my primary. He is hard to work with. I don't know if it is the right thing to do to call the assigner or not. How can I work with him and get what I need.

*Solution to your problem: YOu need to publicly change, remand the improper calls he makes when they are outside of his PCA primary coverage area. Do this in clear public view and audition of the coaches, players, and fans. Believe me, the coaches will KNOW who is making the right calls and who is doing it incorrectly. Do NOT rely on the Ymca assignor to solve your own problems--they care, but are also not willing to cause conflict. This is a common encountered problem that all refs inevitably face--the obstinate partner. His being a former player in colleg has nothing to do with reffing expertise--be it a walk on at Sisters of Mercy college or all america and Kansas.