Officiating in the JBA

[IncorrectCall]

Originally Posted by 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.

To answer your question, since everybody else here wants to be holier than thou high school state final officials (who gives a damn) every time you try to ask a question:

Since there are so few games in the league (JBA), they have been assigned by "bigger name" officials in the area near the host city, to guys that have more experience. The pay is $500/game, and they are one off assignments (not try out to get on the staff roster or anything like that).

To other points - keep being excited about officiating, have a plan, and in that plan, have a way you are going to accomplish each step. Don't worry about people shooting you down for asking questions, but also be wary as coming off as a know-it-all.

Keep asking questions and trying to learn.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by IncorrectCall

To answer your question, since everybody else here wants to be holier than thou high school state final officials (who gives a damn) every time you try to ask a question:

To other points - keep being excited about officiating, have a plan, and in that plan, have a way you are going to accomplish each step. Don't worry about people shooting you down for asking questions, but also be wary as coming off as a know-it-all.

Keep asking questions and trying to learn.

Stop.

No one is shooting him down for asking questions. People are advising him that he's getting too far ahead of himself and coming across as arrogant/clueless.

You can be excited about officiating without having every detail spelled out for you or listing all your accomplishments when you have limited, if any, varsity experience. And if you don't want to listen to what veteran officials have to say, keep quiet or move on. Don't keep questioning everything and asking for more detail.

The only one being holier-than-thou is yourself.

[IncorrectCall]

Originally Posted by SC Official

Stop.

No one is shooting him down for asking questions. People are advising him that he's getting too far ahead of himself and coming across as arrogant/clueless.

You can be excited about officiating without having every detail spelled out for you or listing all your accomplishments when you have limited, if any, varsity experience. And if you don't want to listen to what veteran officials have to say, keep quiet or move on. Don't keep questioning everything and asking for more detail.

The only one being holier-than-thou is yourself.

If you don't want to answer questions about details .........................

........... don't reply.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by IncorrectCall

If you don't want to answer questions about details .........................

........... don't reply.

It's not a matter of want–it's a matter of teaching a man to fish and sharing "tough love" perspectives based on experience. I fail to see how this is holier-than-thou in any way.

Given that you're the only one that seems to have an issue with the responses to this poster, I'm pretty comfortable with my position.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by IncorrectCall

If you don't want to answer questions about details .........................

........... don't reply.

You are actually right, but that is also not the point. He has specifically taken comments from others and asked questions of them based on their comments. Now if that is the case, we have the right to not only respond but get into a dialog about the situation. And if you are asking a question and the main people on this site are getting frustrated with his or your arrogance in having a retort for every comment, then that is why the response is the way it is. Honestly, I could give a damn. Been here long enough and see a lot of fo people on this site make all kinds of claims of what they are going to do to what they think others do not know. I have no problem sharing my perspective so that others do not make similar mistakes I made. On many levels, I was this guy almost 20 years ago. And in that process I have met many, many from this site or that know exactly who I am. We are not only addressing his questions but telling him what is best to proceed. If we did not want to answer the questions we would not say anything. There are many people here that say nothing for a reason. Many of us are trying to help. Take it or leave it. That is also a lesson you learn as an official. You do not have to take everyone's opinion to heart. But it is better if you just say that to yourself and not those that are talking to you directly.

Peace

[SWMOzebra]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

You do not have to take everyone's opinion to heart. But it is better if you just say that to yourself and not those that are talking to you directly.

When I first started going to camps, this was a tough lesson for me to learn. Putting on the stripes, whether in a camp setting or for a game (at any level) opens you up for constant criticism and critique. Some of it will be good and some of it not so much, but learning to take it without being defensive (i.e., silently) and then sort out the useful is something we all have to learn at some point ... especially if we want to move up.

[BillyMac]

[deecee]

I can tell you from experience making it to the NCAA level of officiating isn't easy. It may appear so for some but you don't know their circumstances, and you most likely don't have what they have (be it connection, skills, knowledge, etc.).

I was 2 years (almost 13 total) into officiating in NY State when I went to a D2 and JUCO assignors tryout. He called me in to work a couple games he assigned in a local HS summer league and picked me up. I worked for him for 2 years before I hung it all up last year. I did about 8 JUCO/D3, and a couple D2 games. It was fun but it was a grind (long travel, many hours commitment per game day).

I also went to a D1 tryout camp and heard what I expected. I needed to lose some weight and that was the really the main reason I was passed over. Between a full time job, family (2 young kids), a business my wife and I run I had to give something up. If getting to D1 was/is a priority I would need to get in shape (about 1 year) and then about another year of proving at camps and assignor tryouts but I think it was possible. Also my age was getting to also be a factor so I don't have much time to mess around if that's what I wanted.

I could have made it to the NCAA level earlier but I was a bit headstrong and very stubborn and it took me a few years to actually listen to advice. Although I was humble in a lot of things in life, for some reason as an official that humility came a bit later (probably in my late 20's).

I guarantee if you look to far down the road from where you actually are, you wont pay the time necessary to get better in your current state and allow yourself to progress when the time is right.

In the end there is no shortage of a need for capable officials from one level or "league" after another. However the real path is HS-->D3/D2-->D1 OR alternatively NBA or BUST. I would pick the first path anyday of the week. It's more fun and more opportunity. However there is no shortage of officials that want that too.

In the end about half the advice you hear at camp is BS, the other half is useful. Figure out the half you need. Also not all clinicians are good. Know who the good ones are and learn from them. Finally you need to gain the trust of the assignor and his/her close advisors (usually other officials) as he/she will lean on them in evaluations.

I also did all this with very little HS playoff experience too, so you don't need that under your belt. What is most important for any official is getting to work in games that count with weird scenarios that come up (fights, flagrants, intentional fouls, tough coaches, trouble kids, scoring/timing mistakes). The more comfortable you are in real world application of the rules the better you will be. You also need a decent grasp of the rules. You don't have to be a master, but you need a rule master on your crew (if that makes sense).