Officiating in the JBA

[ilyazhito]

You may have heard about the JBA, the new basketball league that LaVar Ball created to be an alternative to the NCAA. Many players in the JBA are those who would be ineligible for the NCAA, and who would have to go to junior colleges to improve their grades, or athletes who are interested more in becoming professional athletes than getting an education. I would assume that the level of play in the JBA is between an upper-level varsity and D2 level of play, based on game videos.

Just like the NCAA, G-League, or NBA, the JBA needs officials to function. How does the hiring process work? Does the JBA have tryout camps, like the various collegiate (NCAA/NJCAA/NAIA) conferences, the NBA, and even the semi-pro ABA, or does it rely on local high school officials recommended by their assigners? I tried to contact the JBA about officiating through the email address provided on their website, but I did not receive a response.

If anyone has any information, I'd be interested to hear it. Maybe the JBA will become as viable a pipeline to the NBA for officials as it is for players.

[ODog]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

… Maybe the JBA will become as viable a pipeline to the NBA for officials as it is for players.

As in completely unviable? Then I agree.

[JRutledge]

If the league is around more than one season I would be shocked. So I would not count on what was done to hire officials for this season as a gauge for how it is going to go further. I doubt seriously that this league is flying officials across the country to play games.

Peace

[Freddy]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

If the league is around more than one season I would be shocked. So I would not count on what was done to hire officials for this season as a gauge for how it is going to go further. I doubt seriously that this league is flying officials across the country to play games.

Peace

This league expects all officials to drive to and from all assignments, and insists that each woman official "stay in her lane" as she travels back and forth.

And all games might not pay a full fee to all officials, as in when a coach decides to pull his team off the floor early to protest the perceived quality of officiating.

[Raymond]

Never heard of it, and I wouldn't trust it.

[LRZ]

This sentence should be in blue font: "Maybe the JBA will become as viable a pipeline to the NBA for officials as it is for players."

If I refereed JBA games, I'd insist on getting paid in cash and in advance.

[SC Official]

Why would anyone want to work in a league run by that yahoo?

Don't hold your breath on making any strides in your career through this league. Matter of fact, I wouldn't hold your breath on getting paid for your games worked, either.

[ilyazhito]

Originally Posted by LRZ

This sentence should be in blue font: "Maybe the JBA will become as viable a pipeline to the NBA for officials as it is for players."

If I refereed JBA games, I'd insist on getting paid in cash and in advance.

Good idea! I thought NBA mechanics = good practice for G-League camp, but if it is a shitshow, I'd rather work high school ball and D3 before trying out for G-League camp.

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

Good idea! I thought NBA mechanics = good practice for G-League camp, but if it is a shitshow, I'd rather work high school ball and D3 before trying out for G-League camp.

Says the 3rd year official.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

Says the 3rd year official.

Yup. He's the guy that's just going to skip the experience part of gaining experience.

[ilyazhito]

I mean if JBA is a shitshow, I'll go the traditional route of gaining experience (HS, JuCo, D3, D2, D1, G-League, NBA, maybe pro-am after I have some college under my belt). If I'm picked up to the G-League earlier, great. If not, I'l work my way all the way up through D1 and March Madness

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

I mean if JBA is a shitshow, I'll go the traditional route of gaining experience (HS, JuCo, D3, D2, D1, G-League, NBA, maybe pro-am after I have some college under my belt). If I'm picked up to the G-League earlier, great. If not, I'l work my way all the way up through D1 and March Madness

You come across as so clueless that it's laughable.
First, I used to officiate in MD. When I was there, officials were probationary members and not eligible for varsity assignments during their first two years. This means that you likely have very little HS varsity experience, if any, at this point. For you to be talking about levels beyond that as if you know what occurs there is comical to the veterans on this forum.
Secondly, most of the NBA officials do not come from the D1 ranks. Rather they are young guys who have reached Juco, NAIA, D3, and then decided to persue the pro game. Few of the experienced D1 officials who work the ESPN games or the Final Four transfer over to the NBA. There is currently some overlap of people working the G-league and D1, but not a high number.

People on here might take you seriously if you spent some time doing research into what you wish to achieve. Many have walked that path before you.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

Good idea! I thought NBA mechanics = good practice for G-League camp, but if it is a shitshow, I'd rather work high school ball and D3 before trying out for G-League camp.

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

I mean if JBA is a shitshow, I'll go the traditional route of gaining experience (HS, JuCo, D3, D2, D1, G-League, NBA, maybe pro-am after I have some college under my belt). If I'm picked up to the G-League earlier, great. If not, I'l work my way all the way up through D1 and March Madness

At the risk of beating a dead horse, you need to slow down. Way down. As everyone on this forum is telling you.

Hope you have a solid Plan B for your career. There are a lot of officials that put all their eggs into making the pros and then when the bottom falls out (as it does for most prospects because spots are limited) or life happens, they have nothing to fall back on.

You will eventually get a tough reality check if you don't change your approach and start figuring things out on your own.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

I mean if JBA is a shitshow, I'll go the traditional route of gaining experience (HS, JuCo, D3, D2, D1, G-League, NBA, maybe pro-am after I have some college under my belt). If I'm picked up to the G-League earlier, great. If not, I'l work my way all the way up through D1 and March Madness

If you notice the G-League and Summer League officials, most of them are young and do not have any D1 experience. You need to get your focus off where you hope to be and concentrate on where you are and how to get to the next step. That step is getting regular HS varsity games and getting noticed at camp.

That's it. Big picture ambitions are great, but you spend too much time trying to get the details down for making the Final Four and NBA, which takes away from the details of improving your current officiating and mastering your current rule set(s).

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

I mean if JBA is a shitshow, I'll go the traditional route of gaining experience (HS, JuCo, D3, D2, D1, G-League, NBA, maybe pro-am after I have some college under my belt). If I'm picked up to the G-League earlier, great. If not, I'l work my way all the way up through D1 and March Madness

You are not going to get any of that experience you talk about unless you get hired by those particular levels. And if you act the way you do here, that is not likely to happen either. Not because you want to work it, but you do not listen to simple advice from the people on this site. One of the biggest things to get to any of those levels is to be teachable and listen to the advice given and not saying anything when it is given. If you always know everything as you act here, none of that is going to happen. Officials in those situations are not trying to tell everyone about their experience, especially at high school or lower level. I have been to many college or higher level camps, I almost never talk about my high school experience at them unless directly asked and a clinician or supervisor wants context. I am a state final official and even work college in other levels and that background never is mentioned by me because they do not care.

The JBA is like the CBA or ABA (the newer one) that hires officials often relatively locally so that they can work for that particular league. Some guys worked the JBA for example in Chicago and they were local guys. They did not send them to LA or Texas from my understanding to work for this league. And those officials are not necessarily in the pipeline for the NBA. They are guys that have been considered at one point and their time has passed for realistic consideration. And based on what we have seen so far about this league, it might not be around in a year or two.

Peace