Officiating in the JBA

[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).

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by deecee

I can tell you from experience ...

ALL great advice.

[sj]

I find it difficult to believe that officials will be supported working for Lavar Ball.

[Mark Padgett]

A little while ago I emailed them through their website and asked how they select officials. If I ever hear back from them, I'll let you know.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by sj

I find it difficult to believe that officials will be supported working for Lavar Ball.

Let's put aside the fact that Lavar Ball is an idiot blowhard helicopter parent for a few minutes.

https://sports.yahoo.com/lavar-ball-...221831199.html

Some kids, for whatever reason, just aren't academically college bound. If they are a truly gifted basketball player, this league my be the starting point of a successful career.

Liken it to a kid who decides to skip college to become an apprentice electrician, or an apprentice plumber, many whom go on to a long, financially successful career.

Of course, there are more plumbing jobs, and electrician jobs, out there than there are jobs in professional basketball.

College isn't for everybody. 30% of college freshmen drop out after their first year of college, including athletes and nonathletes.

That being said, if some "borderline academically college material" players decide to go the JBA route, and get injured, or don't make it to the professional level, without a college education behind them, they will be at a financial disadvantage the rest of their lives.

Factor in that the average length of a career in the NBA is just 4.6 years, and that 60 percent of NBA players are broke or under financial stress within five years of retirement, makes skipping college a risky proposition for many, but not all.

The formula of gifted high school athlete going to college, gaining competitive experience, allowing professional scouts to see his potential, getting one to four years of a college education under his belt, and going onto a professional basketball career, sometimes overseas, works for many, but not for all, especially for those who just aren't academically cut out for college, for whatever reason.

Giving up one's amateur college eligibility is a big risk for these young high school athletes. A good risk for some, a disastrous risk for others.

There's got to be some value in leagues like the JBA? Is a college degree, two year, or four year, or a few years of college with no degree, absolutely necessary for all in our modern society?

Full disclosure. I have a post graduate college degree, as do all three of my children, two with doctorates. None of them were gifted basketball players (although two of them received undergraduate scholarship money based on their athletic ability in other sports). My son-in-law has a one year "certificate" from a technical institute, and has a very successful career as an electrician. Also, I live in a state where we have many job opening in the manufacturing industries of submarines, jet engines, and helicopters, that are unfilled due to a lack of skilled workers, despite a robust state technical high school system. We have too many college graduates that are unemployed, or underemployed. It's difficult for English majors to find work, but easy for skilled welders, and skilled pipe fitters, to find work, and there are lots of apprentice programs (earn and learn) out there. Back in the mid-twentieth century parents wanted their kids to graduate from high school, assuring a successful life. Today, many parents believe that a college education will assure a successful life, and that their kids must attend college, even if their kids aren't academically prepared for college, or if their kids aren't interested a career that requires a college degree.