2019-20 NFHS: Rumors/Desires?

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

The IHSA makes a training tape every few years and they use the State Finals as examples of good and bad things. The things they will highlight the most are things like positioning at the C or Trail for example. They might talk about how to rotate or when not to rotate. I am convinced they have bigger things they want us to do at least here in this state.

IAABO International weekly emails us a Play of the Week during the season. They always ask three questions. Was the call correct? Were the officials in the proper position to make the call? Were the signals correct?

These three questions seem to asked (and later answered) in priority order. Proper signals are important, but not as important as making the correct call and being in the right position to make a correct call.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

IAABO International weekly emails us a Play of the Week during the season. They always ask three questions. Was the call correct? Were the officials in the proper position to make the call? Were the signals correct?

These three questions seem to asked (and later answered) in priority order. Proper signals are important, but not as important as making the correct call and being in the right position to make a correct call.

OK, just like I do not work for IAABO you do not work for the IHSA which is not an IAABO state or has no significance to what we might individually. Just pointing out again that in my world people do not care about those minor details and I do not go around making that the most important issue when I am working a camp or running a class. Bigger fish to fry if you ask me.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Bigger fish to fry if you ask me.

My post was actually agreeing with you, making the correct call and being in the right position to make a correct call are much more important than signals.

I believe that, on that, we can agree.

It's the degree of importance that we differ on.

You believe that proper signals are less important than what I believe, and that's alright, when in Rome, or Illinois, or Connecticut ...

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

My post was actually agreeing with you, making the correct call and being in the right position to make a correct call are much more important than signals.

I believe that, on that, we can agree.

It's the degree of importance that we differ on.

You believe that proper signals are less important than what I believe, and that's alright, when in Rome, or Illinois, or Connecticut ...

That is actually not what I said. I said that it is less important to be perfect with the diagram or what the book describes in the picture. I believe that signals are important when they are giving proper information. Whether someone has their fingers in the perfect place. If you are giving the same information with a signal and no one is utterly confused, which I doubt anyone would be on a directional signal most of the time, then who cares if your fingers are not in the perfect place when giving the signal.

It has nothing to do with where I live either. No one makes that big of a deal about certain things and certainly, I have personally not be hurt by such things done as well.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

It has nothing to do with where I live either. No one makes that big of a deal about certain things ...

Yes it does have to do with where you officiate, but not for you personally because with your accomplished resume I doubt that anybody, officiating anywhere, Illinois, Connecticut, Rome, etc., would criticize you for something so minor (I'm still surprised that you were criticized for it in your state final, but there's at least one person in your area who thinks it's a "deal", not a big deal, but a "deal, not minor enough to ignore, but enough of a "deal" to make a constructive comment).

But if you were a young official, especially one who seems to have an aptitude for officiating, is off to a good start, and might have a bright future, here in my little corner of Connecticut, you would eventually bump into someone, one of our interpreters, a mentor, a mechanics training committee member, or a member of our evaluation committee, who would point out the minor issue, during either an official, or an unofficial, evaluation observation.

Probably not me, similar to you, I tend to concentrate other things. I would rarely, if at all, point out this minor flaw (I have my own signal problems).

Here in my little corner of Connecticut, this minor issue would probably be ignored if done by a struggling, deer in the headlights, young official, who barely knows if the basketball is stuffed, or inflated. There are bigger fish to fry, and more important things to critique if we are ever to turn this young person into a competent basketball official.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Yes it does have to do with where you officiate, but not for you personally because with your accomplished resume I doubt that anybody, officiating anywhere, Illinois, Connecticut, Rome, etc., would criticize you for something so minor (I'm still surprised that you were criticized for it in your state final, but there's at least one person in your area who thinks it's a "deal", not a big deal, but a "deal, not minor enough to ignore, but enough of a "deal" to make a constructive comment).

But if you were a young official, especially one who seems to have an aptitude for officiating, is off to a good start, and might have a bright future, here in my little corner of Connecticut, you would eventually bump into someone, one of our interpreters, a mentor, a mechanics training committee member, or a member of our evaluation committee, who would point out the minor issue, during either an official, or an unofficial, evaluation observation. Probably not me, similar to you, I tend to concentrate other things. I would rarely, if at all, point out this minor flaw.

Just so you know, there are people that make issues out of those things here, but if the assignor you work for does not care (many don't) or the clinicians at the camp you attend do not care then it does not matter. All that matters is what the people you work for and if they give you games or do not give you games based off of their narrow position. Most assignors that I have worked with are going to tweak things you do, but they are not going to stop giving you games because something in the book is not "perfect."

For the record, the State Tournament Officials are giving games by people that never give games during the regular season. The State Administrator in that particular sport makes all the postseason assignments. One of his mandates is to use officials that have worked enough games, have certain ratings and have certain levels of experience. I do not think he is holding people back from an assignment just because they do not give a perfect signal. He would be in trouble if that is the only reason you do not work or do not work a certain level in the tournament. And to get to the State Finals takes a lot of steps. You do not just one year go from a Regional to a Super-Sectional for the most part. You have to climb that latter and then you get that shot at the State Finals at some point. Even to work a championship game usually does not come to someone working their first State Final assignment. This was my third State Final assignment and I did not work a title game in my first year and I did not even think I was going to work a title game in my third year because on my second trip I worked the 3A game. Trust me we have a meeting before the tournament starts where we discuss many things that we are expected to do. Mechanics is something heavily talked about but no one discusses hand position of a signal. Even if we give preliminary signals which are "required" by the state and there usually is a little bet we have with the head official about giving the proper sequence for a team control foul, which most of us never do properly. We bet that we give the head official a beer every time we do it wrong. I and another good friend just got him beers anyway because we could never do it "perfect."

I am sure that is not that much different in other places. It might be mentioned, but that is not going to stop a good official from getting certain places. If it does, shame on those people in power that have no perspective. The goal should be to put out the best officials you can at the time that are avaialble to you, not to nitpick the little things they do that do not affect their job performance.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

... holding people back from an assignment just because they do not give a perfect signal ... It might be mentioned, but that is not going to stop a good official from getting certain places ... The goal should be to put out the best officials you can at the time that are available to you, not to nitpick the little things they do that do not affect their job performance.

Agree. Perfect signals should be way, way, down on the priority list for tough assignments, if on the list at all.

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” (Vince Lombardi)