Pollyanna ...
 

I would hope that it isn't on either a college, or high school, level, but from posts on this Forum, and from comments from my Connecticut officiating colleagues, both high school officials, and college officials, that may not be the case.

Looking through my Pollyanna, rose colored glasses, I would hope that assignments would only be based on the competency of the officials, not their race, or gender.

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

We're not there yet, but we can hope.

https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.W...=0&w=384&h=173

Race plays a factor in forming crews for many assigners (Rich?). Not saying it’s right or wrong, but to pretend it doesn’t happen is nonsense.

If a game has one white and one black coach, many assigners will make sure the crew makeup is 2:1. The idea being that it fends off one of the coaches playing the race card if he feels wronged by something. Of course, hopefully all officials are still competent.

As long as racism still exists (it does) and charges of racism get brought up over the results of basketball games (it happens), it’s unlikely that race will ever not be a factor when forming crews for assigners that care about it.

Shows, Gladden, and Self didn't not advance to the second weekend after putting the wrong FT shooter on the line at the end of the Auburn/Charleston game. John Higgins was the alternate and went down with them.

Final Four officials
 

Check out @marchmadness’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/marchmadness/sta...700100608?s=09

Jeff Anderson
Roger Ayers
Keith Kimble
Kipp Kissinger
Randy McCall
Terry Oglesby
Mike Roberts
Doug Sirmons
Michael Stephens
Terry Wymer

Not Much Love for the West Coast guys..Only Randy McCall. Kimble is up and coming, no surprise he is getting a shot. Surprised that Mike Eades and Chris Rastatter did not get the call.

Wouldn’t be surprised if Randy is the alternate. I’m also surprised no Mike Eades. And Rastatter should have gotten it after his excellent performance in the Villanova-Kansas regional final in 2016.

NCAA Men's Tournament Officials (2018)
 

Interesting article from SB Nation. JD goes on the record to tell us what we basically already knew:

“‘If an official errs on a rule, misses a game-deciding play, or his miss-call ratio is too high, they are subject to not advancing in the NCAA tournament,’ Collins told ESPN Sunday night.”

(By this logic, it seems JD agreed with Ayers’ block call. [emoji3])

They’re picking on Higgins in the article, but this is not new. The Sirmons absence last year was a direct reflection of this policy. These guys are all damn good; I’m not sure how else you pick tournament advancements when the officials’ bodies of work are otherwise all the same, i.e. excellent.

Full article at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nca...DDy?li=BBnb7Kz


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You think an official should get a Final Four assignment in 2018 based on one game in 2016?

No lol he should have gotten it in 2016.

You’re probably jesting but I think in JD’s mind it probably wasn’t a game deciding play because it went in favor of the team down 2 and only tied the game, and it wasn’t heavily covered in the media as the reason Duke lost. Duke fans might think so, but they’re not in the tournament anymore.

Making a call on a close to 50/50 block/charge play in favor of the team down (this Ayers call for example) is a LOT easier than calling it in favor of the winning team (Tony Greene in Duke-Syracuse a couple years ago). I’m pretty sure Ayers knew that.

True. In that case, that guy who called the charge in the CO state semifinal game needs to go to Ayers’ camp!



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Ah that made me laugh

2 years ago I said I had an officiating crush on Kipp Kissinger, now he is in the Final Four. I think he is the most technically sound official I've seen working college basketball.

I guess "how you run" isn't that big of a factor for getting into the Final Four. :D

Hank Nichols high-stepped, as I recall. Here are highlights from his resumé:

Philadelphia Big 5 Hall of Fame, Villanova Athletic HoF, Philadelphia Athletic HoF, Greater Buffalo Sports HoF, Pennsylvania Sports HoF.

10 NCAA Final Fours, 6 NCAA Men's Finals, 3 NIT Finals, 2 Olympic Games and 1 European Championship.

First official to work both the NIT and NCAA Finals in the same year.

First National Coordinator of NCAA Officials.

Not bad for a guy who ran funny.