Mens Rec - First Time

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

First year official, ...

I accepted two last minute games today, at a Boys/Girls Club, not knowing the level. Just found out it's mens rec, ages 40+.

The only advice that I will give is get the details of any potential game BEFORE deciding to accept it. I would want to know the date, time, location, level of play, game fee, travel fee (if any), and my partner (2-man) or partners (3-man).

If the assignor won't provide all of that info, then he can find someone else.

[ChuckS]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

The only advice that I will give is get the details of any potential game BEFORE deciding to accept it. I would want to know the date, time, location, level of play, game fee, travel fee (if any), and my partner (2-man) or partners (3-man).

If the assignor won't provide all of that info, then he can find someone else.

I agree 100% with this. But since this is my first year, I am pretty much accepting everything that comes my way, to get more experience, and to show the assignors that I am willing to hep them out.

But you are right, a lot of those details were a surprise to me when I got to the gym. Turns out it wasn't 40+, it was 17-20. Fee was half of what I was expecting, and the biggest surprise was that it was NCAA rules! I had only done HS, and rec with local rules. My partner was also surprised at the NCAA rules. When I accepted the game, I asked the assignor to send me a link to the local rules. He said that I would find out at the game. If I had known it was NCAA, I could have looked up the differences between NFHS and NCAA ahead of time. (that chart in the NFHS book)

Anyway, the games were OK, very athletic kids, kind of like AAU quality, a lot of trash talking, but very little defense!! LOL
And no T's by me (2 by partner).

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

I agree 100% with this. But since this is my first year, I am pretty much accepting everything that comes my way, to get more experience, and to show the assignors that I am willing to hep them out.

But you are right, a lot of those details were a surprise to me when I got to the gym. Turns out it wasn't 40+, it was 17-20. Fee was half of what I was expecting...

Never accept any game without knowing what your fee is. It shouldn't be a mystery. This is a business.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

Never accept any game without knowing what your fee is. It shouldn't be a mystery. This is a business.

I wonder -- how was the assignment communicated? Was it with Arbiter or another tool that showed a game fee?

You should know particulars before you accept a game. I know I'm piling on.

[ChuckS]

Originally Posted by Rich

I wonder -- how was the assignment communicated? Was it with Arbiter or another tool that showed a game fee?

You should know particulars before you accept a game. I know I'm piling on.

You can pile on, I'm still learning! My first 40 games were all Arbiter, with fees shown for most. These were the first games I ever did just by text.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

You can pile on, I'm still learning! My first 40 games were all Arbiter, with fees shown for most. These were the first games I ever did just by text.

What were you paid? For games like this, I'd expect no more than $25 each around here.

[ChuckS]

Originally Posted by Rich

What were you paid? For games like this, I'd expect no more than $25 each around here.

Good guess! $25 it was. I had been getting $58 for Freshman and JV, and $50 for 5th thru 8th grade travel, so I just assumed......Oh well!

[ODog]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

Turns out it wasn't 40+, it was 17-20.

You lucked out then, at least in terms of what you could've been dealing with. This age group is not the source of the men's league horror stories you've heard so often.

[jTheUmp]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

the biggest surprise was that it was NCAA rules! I had only done HS, and rec with local rules. My partner was also surprised at the NCAA rules. When I accepted the game, I asked the assignor to send me a link to the local rules. He said that I would find out at the game. If I had known it was NCAA, I could have looked up the differences between NFHS and NCAA ahead of time. (that chart in the NFHS book)

Don't worry about it too much... I'd say that 90-95% of things are the same as High school... I can only think of four things that would be different that people would probably know off the top of their heads:
1) restricted arc under the basket (which you probably didn't have on the court anyway)
2) three-point line being farther out (which probably wasn't marked that way anyway)
3) 30-second shot clock (which you probably didn't have)
4) game clock stops after a made basket under 1:00 in the second half (which may not matter if it's a running-time game, as most rec games are).

Had a similar situation a couple years back when I agreed to work a semi-pro football game... found out just after we arrived at the field that they were "using 100% unmodified NFL rules". As officials we took that to mean "ok, we need two feet inbounds for a catch, and the clock doesn't stop on a first down inbounds, but other than that, just call the game like you would anywhere else". Nobody noticed the difference.

[ChuckS]

Originally Posted by jTheUmp

Don't worry about it too much... I'd say that 90-95% of things are the same as High school... I can only think of four things that would be different that people would probably know off the top of their heads:
1) restricted arc under the basket (which you probably didn't have on the court anyway)
2) three-point line being farther out (which probably wasn't marked that way anyway)
3) 30-second shot clock (which you probably didn't have)
4) game clock stops after a made basket under 1:00 in the second half (which may not matter if it's a running-time game, as most rec games are).

Had a similar situation a couple years back when I agreed to work a semi-pro football game... found out just after we arrived at the field that they were "using 100% unmodified NFL rules". As officials we took that to mean "ok, we need two feet inbounds for a catch, and the clock doesn't stop on a first down inbounds, but other than that, just call the game like you would anywhere else". Nobody noticed the difference.

All four of your assumptions were correct!!