Rich's area - Is it time to drop the 3-man officiating crew?

[Rich]

Originally Posted by SC Official

https://www.gazettextra.com/sports/h...cGEyDJKr9VKY5E



My goodness, sometimes the amount of stupidity even from fanboys like this writer astounds me.

I'm amazed that I saw the article before I saw this thread.

I've posted my comments there. I tried copying here, but copy and paste on this iPad isn't acting right.


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[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Rich

I've posted my comments there. I tried copying here, but copy and paste on this iPad isn't acting right.

Like any good partner, I've got your back:

Rich:

I assign for 24 high schools. I can tell you what would happen if we went back to 2-person crews.

(1) I would immediately lose all the better officials. They would work for conferences who hired 3-person crews.

(2) Physical play would increase and off-ball contact would lose the set of eyes a third official provides.

(3) You'd lose a lot of experienced people. I know a lot of experienced officials with good resumes who would retire before going back to 2-person mechanics.

I am old enough now to say I've officiated the Big 8 when 2-person crews were hired. In fast paced games, especially boys games, officiating was mostly running up and down the floor trying to keep up with play. Plays were missed, officials would have to guess occasionally rather than see and know what happened, and if there was physical or off-ball play? Good luck. Rebounds on a jump shot? One official with the shooter and defender and the other with 8 players to watch.

The game has changed in the last decade and even moreso over the 32 years I've been officiating.

Finally, counting the number of whistles each official blows shows that the writer has no concept of primary areas of coverage and what it means to not reach all over the floor to blow the whistle. I have gone entire halves not calling a single foul. It is a sign of a disciplined official to not feel he or she needs to reach just because the previous X whistles came from crewmates. We have primary and secondary areas of coverage and analysis has proved that officials get plays wrong when reaching out of those areas.

Finally, how are younger and newer officials supposed to learn how to work 3-person or even break into the varsity level if they don't get opportunities? Sadly, the coach quoted in the article seems to care only about his games, this year. Those of us who assign are seeing our officiating pools shrink and age. And in response, we see commentary that older officials who may have lost a step should be weeded out - and many of these people are the ones who have a ton of experience who can help mentor and teach the next generation of officials.

The solution to our shortages is not going backwards. The solution is to figure out why a majority of officials quit after 2-3 years and make it so they dont.

[BillyMac]

Another comment from the article:

The only varsity coaches that prefer 2-person crews are the ones who want to be able to get away with fouls that are tougher to see without a third official. The coaches whose styles don't rely on getting away with illegal tactics have no reason to abandon 3-person.

Along with financial issues, this is the main reason why we don't use much three person in Connecticut. These coaches win, and are very influential in The Connecticut High School Coaches Association (I'm a former member), and The Connecticut High School Coaches Association has great influence on the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Association (our state sports governing body).

If the coaches, both individually, and collectively, really wanted three person, they could eventually persuade their principals (who run the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Association) to spend a little extra, and make the switch to three person.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Another comment from the article:



The only varsity coaches that prefer 2-person crews are the ones who want to be able to get away with fouls that are tougher to see without a third official. The coaches whose styles don't rely on getting away with illegal tactics have no reason to abandon 3-person.



Along with financial issues, this is the main reason why we don't use much three person in Connecticut. These coaches win, and are very influential in The Connecticut High School Coaches Association (I'm a former member), and The Connecticut High School Coaches Association has great influence on the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Association (our state sports governing body).



If the coaches, both individually, and collectively, really wanted three person, they coulld eventually persuade their principals (who run the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Association) to spend a little extra, and make the switch to three person.

The dirty secret nobody talks about is the amount of educated guessing that happens in a fast, physical 2-person varsity contest. People will deny it, but they're just fooling themselves.


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[JRutledge]

What I will never understand. You complain about 3 person and want to go back to 2 person, while advocating that the reason 3 person is bad, the officials are out of shape, not in position or guessing on plays. So the solution to this is to reduce the number of officials while expecting the same out of shape, not getting in position officials will be working with one less official.

Yeah, well thought out kid.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Rich

The dirty secret nobody talks about is the amount of educated guessing that happens in a fast, physical 2-person varsity contest. People will deny it, but they're just fooling themselves.

It's not a secret anymore. In this modern information age, nobody can continue to deny it. Nobody is fooling anybody.

IAABO International taped many of our state tournament games last year and made educational videos of such. Videos were presented at out last local meeting. It was tough to watch our best officials "educationally guessing" wrong, especially on fouls. I felt bad watching the video with them in attendance, but none of us would be able to do any better than them, and most of us, including me, would probably do much worse.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

IAABO International taped many of our state tournament games last year and made educational videos of such.

Quarterfinals on up are three person, but due to our inexperience they're officiated like a two person game with an extra guy in the middle (lead never rotates). Guys often pay more attention to where their primary is, and where they're supposed to switch to (lots of pointing by partners, go there) than watching the action in front of them. Had a friend make the tournament for the first time last year (much deserved) and made it to the quarterfinals where he worked his first ever three person game, no regular season games, no camps, no clinics, no scrimmages, just some speed reading in the mechanics manual.

To say that Connecticut is "backward" or "behind the times" is a major understatement.

[SC Official]

Adding a third official for just the postseason when the entire regular season is 2-p is just nonsensical. Just goes to show you that the ones making those decisions aren't officials.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Rich

The dirty secret nobody talks about is the amount of educated guessing that happens in a fast, physical 2-person varsity contest. People will deny it, but they're just fooling themselves.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

It's not a secret to anybody who knows anything about officiating. There most definitely is guessing going on, especially after we realize we probably missed something earlier.

[#olderthanilook]

How anyone in the non-officiating fraternity actually believes 2 sets of eyes covering 10 players and 2 PCAs is more effective and accurate than 3 sets of eyes covering 10 players and 3 PCAs is beyond me.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by #olderthanilook

How anyone in the non-officiating fraternity actually believes 2 sets of eyes covering 10 players and 2 PCAs is more effective and accurate than 3 sets of eyes covering 10 players and 3 PCAs is beyond me.

I think this guy wanted to sound smart by offering a hot, uncommon take. In reality he just sounded like a buffoon.

[ilyazhito]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Like any good partner, I've got your back:

Rich:

I assign for 24 high schools. I can tell you what would happen if we went back to 2-person crews.

(1) I would immediately lose all the better officials. They would work for conferences who hired 3-person crews.

(2) Physical play would increase and off-ball contact would lose the set of eyes a third official provides.

(3) You'd lose a lot of experienced people. I know a lot of experienced officials with good resumes who would retire before going back to 2-person mechanics.

I am old enough now to say I've officiated the Big 8 when 2-person crews were hired. In fast paced games, especially boys games, officiating was mostly running up and down the floor trying to keep up with play. Plays were missed, officials would have to guess occasionally rather than see and know what happened, and if there was physical or off-ball play? Good luck. Rebounds on a jump shot? One official with the shooter and defender and the other with 8 players to watch.

The game has changed in the last decade and even moreso over the 32 years I've been officiating.

Finally, counting the number of whistles each official blows shows that the writer has no concept of primary areas of coverage and what it means to not reach all over the floor to blow the whistle. I have gone entire halves not calling a single foul. It is a sign of a disciplined official to not feel he or she needs to reach just because the previous X whistles came from crewmates. We have primary and secondary areas of coverage and analysis has proved that officials get plays wrong when reaching out of those areas.

Finally, how are younger and newer officials supposed to learn how to work 3-person or even break into the varsity level if they don't get opportunities? Sadly, the coach quoted in the article seems to care only about his games, this year. Those of us who assign are seeing our officiating pools shrink and age. And in response, we see commentary that older officials who may have lost a step should be weeded out - and many of these people are the ones who have a ton of experience who can help mentor and teach the next generation of officials.

The solution to our shortages is not going backwards. The solution is to figure out why a majority of officials quit after 2-3 years and make it so they dont.

+1! I agree with all these points wholeheartedly. In my experience, 3 person is better for off-ball coverage and dealing with physical play, and overall game management than 2 person. Perhaps men's league games would be a better experience for everyone if they used 3 officials instead of 2. I would add that not only does 3 man need to be preserved in varsity games, it also needs to be expanded to the JV level, for the sake of development of officials.

BillyMac, from reading your posts about CIAC, they seem to have their heads stuck up their posteriors when it comes to officiating. If officials were somehow represented on the CIAC executive board, such as through an officials committee, we wouldn't have the asinine practice of using 2-person the entire regular season, then going to 3 for the playoffs with no additional training for officials assigned to those games. Maybe officials who work 3-person would be able to testify to the advantages of 3-person before such a committee, and the committee could then report on those findings to the CIAC.

Even the AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association), which had 2-person exclusively in basketball games during the regular season up until now, has now (as of the 2018-19 season) allowed 3-person to be used in the regular season and postseason under its new commissioner, Brian Gessner, a former official himself.

If there was an officiating presence in the CIAC, officials might be able to persuade the others that 3 person is necessary for risk minimization and safe play in basketball, and we would start seeing more consistent use of 3-person, with officials not having to (illegally) join Boards in other states or try to jump ahead to college just to work 3-person.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

If there was an officiating presence in the CIAC, officials might be able to persuade the others that 3 person is necessary for risk minimization and safe play in basketball, and we would start seeing more consistent use of 3-person

Officials do have a presence on the CIAC, the CIAC Officials’ Association: Mission Statement: The CIAC Officials’ Association exists to work in concert with school administrators, athletic directors, coaches and the CIAC to advance the best interest of high school athletics, serve the betterment of all member officials and their respective organizations, promote ethical standards, sportsmanship, professionalism, and high quality officiating.

The problem is that the CIAC, as a branch of the Connecticut Association of Schools, is run by principals, and principals listen to coaches, both individually, and collectively (The Connecticut High School Coaches Association), and the most successful and influential basketball coaches don't want three person, and since that keeps costs down, the principals see no need to go three person.

If the coaches wanted it, it wouldn't happen right away (finances), but it would eventually happen, but as of now, they don't want it.

[ilyazhito]

The question is, does CIAC listen to its officials association. If not, I'd say that officials might need to play hardball for the next set of contracts. Since all HS basketball in CT is IAABO, CIAC coaches won't be able to use non-IAABO boards to hold down costs if IAABO boards refuse to provide service without 3-person games.

If not an immediate mandate of all 3 person, at least say to schools "We will provide 3-person crews to you on at least (5) home dates for each gender (5 boys dates and 5 girls dates). You choose the dates. If you don't choose the dates, we will." This is how FL implemented 3-person.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

I'd say that officials might need to play hardball for the next set of contracts.

No fee negotiations, our annual fee increase is the same as the average annual increase in teacher's salaries across the entire state. No more annual negotiations in smoke filled back rooms.

Three man is non issue for most coaches, and, thus, for most principals, and frankly, officials aren't ready to break out their pitchforks and torches regarding such.