Three Person ...
 

I don't want to be misunderstood.

I've always said that I like the mental and physical challenge of a two person game and that I don't' mind working them.

That being said, I do agree that the modern game of basketball, definitely at the varsity level, possibly at lower levels (if only for official education purposes), requires three to be properly officiated.

For all intents and purposes, we don't work doubleheaders and don't have shot clocks here in Connecticut.

If any of that were to change, I would be leading the three person parade along with the seventy-six trombones.

https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.S...=0&w=307&h=173

Since the top Connecticut coaches, winning with a full court defense, fast break game, believe that the third official will lead to more player disqualifications, their principals, and athletic directors, as well as the state interscholastic sports governing body, don't see the need to spend the extra money for a third official, a third official that many of their coaches don't really want and aren't pushing to have.

None ...
 

Freshman? Middle school?

What's the cutoff? At what level are three officials not needed to properly officiate the game?

At what level are three officials needed to get enough three person subvarsity games under their black belts to be ready for a three person varsity schedule?

I observed an official work his first State tournament games last year. He made it to the quarterfinals, where three person crews are mandatory. He looked great. After the game I asked him how many three person games he had worked previous to that night's game. None. That was his first. No scrimmages. No camps. No regular season games. None.

That's not the way to do business.

It is not unreasonable to expect officials to attend some sort of teaching camp in the off-season to familiarize themselves with 3-man, then work 2-3 scrimmages in the preseason so you can show your proficiency.

I have more heartburn with brand new officials working 3-man in a preseason training environment when all they will be working is 2-man in their first season.

Supply And Demand ...
 

Agree. That's why there's not a lot of impetus for guys here in Connecticut to go to three person camps (unless they moving up to NCAA). Why bother when one might not get a three person game until the quarterfinals of the State tournament, if one makes it that far.

It's supply and demand. Coaches, athletic directors, and principals don't want, or don't want to pay for, three person crews. Why train, or get trained, in three person mechanics? We've only had one voluntary local clinic for three person, only a few showed up. Our statewide summer camp is a two person camp.

And yet, our state interscholastic sports governing body wants three person crews for the State quarterfinals on up. So we've got guys working three person games in really important tournament games that may have little or no three person experience.

I observe quarterfinal guys pointing to their partners all the time, meaning go there, rotate there, switch here. Once observed a guy move through all three positions during a dead ball after a foul. His partner just kept pointing and he kept moving. Eventually he traced the path of a giant circle around the court, ending up at his original position.

Reminded me of Billy from Family Circus.

https://safr.kingfeatures.com/idn/cn...I3XzkwMC5naWY=

That's not the way to do business.

My post wasn't meant to say that YOU don't work harder. Just reminded of people that say they have to work harder in 2 man. I have no doubt that you are working hard. I probably misinterpreted your post and went off on an unnecessary rant :)

In what was the second varsity game of my career (a game where I was called late in the afternoon to be a sub), I noticed in Arbiter that I was slotted as the R. Naturally, the most veteran official in the crew had some fun with this, but I took the ribbing in stride. It also helped that I had time to do some quick research on both teams in the game to offer meaningful talking points to start the discussion.



In my varsity debut, one of my partners told the other, "You arrived last, so you're the R tonight."

From VB it's not worth the traffic headache to work HS ball on the Peninsula, plus the a-holes in BD94 won't "let" you work for my assignor also. It would be good to participate in one of my assignor's ODU camps and work some off-season stuff for him, and maybe get some college assignments (He assigns men's and women's for 2 USCAA schools). If you lived on the Monitor-Merrimac side of the Southside, then working HS ball on the Peninsula would be a good choice.

Shoot me a PM for specifics and names.