Shoes

[Kansas Ref]

patent leather basketball officiating shoes put out by ump-attire.com; very comfy however they are now 3 yrs old---a few scuff marks on them that I need to buff out tho before the thanksgiving tournament.

[JRutledge]

Just purchased the Asics Men's Gel Quantum 360. I have not worn them yet in a game, but they feel good and I have heard great things about them. They will be my college shoe for now. I have liked Asics in the past for normal shoes, so I know they feel good on my feet normally. Never saw a basketball shoe I felt worth wearing. We will see how they work out in a few weeks.

Peace

[bas2456]

I've sworn by Zigs for a long time, but thinking about making a switch. I'd be interested to hear mid-season reviews from those of you who are trying new shoes this season.

[swkansasref33]

Brooks Adrenaline for me.

[ilyazhito]

I have 2 pairs of Nike Air Monarchs in all black. They look good and are comfortable. They aren't marketed as court shoes, but they are good as court shoes and as running shoes.

[Kansas Ref]

I've taken a google-look at those various types/styles of "exercise/fitness shoes" and they are quite sporty looking; however, aren't they "fitness" shoes?
I guess in this "post-modern era" there's no need to stick with traditional types of officiating shoes---strive for comfort, style, and availability right?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Kansas Ref

I've taken a google-look at those various types/styles of "exercise/fitness shoes" and they are quite sporty looking; however, aren't they "fitness" shoes?
I guess in this "post-modern era" there's no need to stick with traditional types of officiating shoes---strive for comfort, style, and availability right?

I guess that depends on what you consider traditional type officiating shoes to be. Shoe companies are no longer making all leather, black shoes across the board that we can shine. So we have to find whatever fits and often some standards have been relaxed as a result. Also, all leather shoes are heavier and do not breathe very well. So that is why I stopped using Zigs and other similar types of shoes that were "traditional."

Peace

[RefsNCoaches]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

I have 2 pairs of Nike Air Monarchs in all black. They look good and are comfortable. They aren't marketed as court shoes, but they are good as court shoes and as running shoes.

LOL! I work in the automotive industry...we attend a lot of shows that involve Corvettes....The Air Monarch is the official shoe of Corvette owners.

[RefRich]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Just purchased the Asics Men's Gel Quantum 360. I have not worn them yet in a game, but they feel good and I have heard great things about them. They will be my college shoe for now. I have liked Asics in the past for normal shoes, so I know they feel good on my feet normally. Never saw a basketball shoe I felt worth wearing. We will see how they work out in a few weeks.

Peace

Does this shoe have a narrow toe box? That typically is the problem for me.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by RefRich

Does this shoe have a narrow toe box? That typically is the problem for me.

Not sure what you mean, but there seems to be plenty of room in the toe area. I used them last night for the first time and love them. Great shoe so far. They were really comfortable and it was the first time wearing them for a game.

Peace

[LRZ]

Since I don't wear them, I don't know about prices of these shoes generally, but Officially Sports currently has the Asics Gel Quantum 90 and the Asics Jolt 2 on sale:

https://officiallysports.com//index....78&page=detail
https://officiallysports.com//index....76&page=detail

[RefRich]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Not sure what you mean, but there seems to be plenty of room in the toe area. I used them last night for the first time and love them. Great shoe so far. They were really comfortable and it was the first time wearing them for a game.

Peace

I purchase a lot of running shoes and many reference the toe box in the shoe. This is just as you assume, the fore part of the foot, including the toes. I have a pretty narrow foot from the front of the arch back but my fore foot is wider. Nike, Brooks and Hoka tend to be more narrow in this area.

Thanks for your initial review.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by RefRich

I purchase a lot of running shoes and many reference the toe box in the shoe. This is just as you assume, the fore part of the foot, including the toes. I have a pretty narrow foot from the front of the arch back but my fore foot is wider. Nike, Brooks and Hoka tend to be more narrow in this area.

Thanks for your initial review.

I hear what you are saying. That area on my Nike Flynits is rather narrow. If there is anything I do not like about that shoe is how narrow that part of the shoe is, otherwise a very good shoe. I had to do a lot to make sure that the area was not tight. The Asics shoe is so much better in that area. And right now this is the main college shoe that I will be using this season. I might use them for all my games, but I will see and determine that for sure later.

Peace

[Texas Aggie]

One thing I forgot to mention earlier is to look into 3rd party insoles. Not necessarily custom ones but Super Feet and Sole (the ones I wear) make quality products. And they last a LONG time (many times longer than a single pair of shoes. The insoles that come with the shoes are marginal and don't support your feet very well.

There's a good chance that if you don't like your shoes as much as you thought you would, it isn't a shoe issue -- it is an insole issue. In my case, my arches are so high, you can drive a truck under them. Had I been alive when they built it, they would have modeled the St. Louis arch after one of mine. The problem I had for years without knowing it was that when I ran, my feet moved a lot in the shoe causing callouses and blisters because there wasn't enough arch support in the shoe. Insoles solved about 90 percent of those problems. Many (including me before I got them) think insoles provide cushioning, but they don't, at least not very much. Mine are actually very rigid and I don't miss the cushioning. Good insoles provide support while the shoe provides the cushioning. Just get the right ones -- it may be a trial and error thing.