USA Basketball/FIBA Registration Process

[ilyazhito]

Hello all! Does anyone in this forum work basketball in the United States of America under FIBA rules? If so, how did you get started, and join USA Basketball and/or FIBA itself?

I have done some background reading about the process, and know that FIBA only accepts referees (its term for on-court officials) and commissioners (officials who act as supervisors for the table officials, similar to a Chief Bench Official in lacrosse) who are registered with the appropriate national federation (which in the case of the United States is USA Basketball), each federation has a limit on the number of licences that can be granted to it, depending on rankings, number of currently licensed officials, nominations to international tournaments, etc., and that all officials who are licensed by FIBA are licensed for 2-year cycles starting in odd years (2017-2019, 2019-21, etc.).

I know that I have to be registered with USA Basketball to be able to potentially register with FIBA in the future (I'm 24 now, and will reach the age of 25 on May 10, 2019, so the first cycle that I could get a FIBA licence in would probably be 2021-23). How would I do so?

I have read the instructions on the https://www.usab.com/news-events/new...s-program.aspx website, but it does not appear that they have been updated since 2016 (The referenced deadlines are all 2016 dates, and the rulebook used on the website is the 2014 edition). Do the procedures listed still apply (physical examination, letters of recommendation, written rules test, application), or has USAB changed the process?

Finally, who else, besides USA Basketball, assigns basketball games in the US that use FIBA rules (preferably in the Mid-Atlantic region)? I'll need to get practice in applying FIBA rules on the court, because there are some differences (the traveling rule allows players to make a "zero step" when gathering the ball, which is not allowed in NFHS or NCAA basketball, the goal does not count on a blarge (or other double foul) that happens during an apparent score, a ball lodged between the ring and backboard is not considered as a jump ball without team control, and overtime does not start with a jump ball) between FIBA and US basketball that affect officiating and gameplay. I would not want to make a US call in a FIBA game or vice-versa .