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[Raymond]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I'm not disputed what JRutledge states, he seems confident and seems to know what he's talking about.

I'm just curious as to how someone can be identified as a potential professional basketball official, receive professional training, and then begin to make their way up the professional ladder, with little prior scholastic or collegiate basketball officiating experience.

Perhaps JRutledge is referring to professorial training/evaluation/recruiting camps, just like we have scholastic and collegiate training/evaluation/recruiting camps?

Want to be a professional official? Start by attending so-and-sos professional camp? Little prior scholastic or collegiate basketball officiating experience required? Previous success and accolades at scholastic or collegiate basketball officiating not necessary? We'll teach you the professional way from the get-go? Fastest way up the officiating ladder to an NBA or a WNBA finals? Guaranteed, or your money back?

All the very few guys that I know in the professional ranks were previously outstanding scholastic and collegiate basketball officials.

I wonder how many top notch professional basketball officials started out by working scholastic middle school, freshman, or junior varsity games to begin their climb up the officiating ladder?

The NBA system feels that many officials who have worked extensive HS and college basketball schedules have picked up bad habits that have to be completely undone and/or have been exposed to a lot of bad advice from local veterans. If they see a brand new official working rec leagues or in some sort of camp and they like their look, athleticism, and run, they will snatch them up. They will want them to work games while they are part of the NBA Grassroots program, but they don't care what level they are working, they just want them to work games and see plays. Working NCAA-Women's helps out in that the coverage areas and mechanics are pretty much the same. Working off-season Pro-Am's and adult rec leagues helps them see above-the-rim and athletic plays.

[Raymond]

Also, there are college supervisors out there who don't like "NBA track" refs on their rosters, just like there are HS assignors/commissioners who are inhospitable to college officials.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

The NBA system feels that many officials who have worked extensive HS and college basketball schedules have picked up bad habits that have to be completely undone and/or have been exposed to a lot of bad advice from local veterans. If they see a brand new official working rec leagues or in some sort of camp and they like their look, athleticism, and run, they will snatch them up. They will want them to work games while they are part of the NBA Grassroots program, but they don't care what level they are working, they just want them to work games and see plays ...

Thanks Raymond. Great explanation regarding a topic that I was very unfamiliar with.

I naively believed that outstanding scholastic basketball officials became college basketball officials and that outstanding college basketball officials became professorial basketball officials; using their prior experience and success to move onto the next level.

Maybe that was true decades ago, but is, apparently, no longer true today.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Maybe that was true decades ago, but is no longer true today.

Originally Posted by JRutledge

The days of them giving a D1 college guy an NBA opportunity are basically over just on watching them and giving them a shot ..

Times change. This is not your father's ladder any more.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Thanks Raymond. Great explanation regarding a topic that I was very unfamiliar with.

I naively believed that outstanding scholastic basketball officials became college basketball officials and that outstanding college basketball officials became professorial basketball officials; using their prior experience and success to move onto the next level.

Maybe that was true decades ago, but is no longer true today.

There are officials that worked their first D1 game that never worked a high school varsity game. IJS.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Maybe one can start officiating at the college level with no scholastic experience ...

Originally Posted by JRutledge

There are officials that worked their first D1 game that never worked a high school varsity game.

Thanks for sharing JRutledge.

Reminds me of the first soccer coach at the middle school that I taught at. Back then, not too many of my generation played soccer in high school. He was a baseball guy. The first soccer game he ever coached was, at the same time, the first soccer game he ever watched. Went on to a very successful soccer (and softball) coaching career at the high school.

Similar to some local scholastic basketball officials who added scholastic volleyball officiating to their repertoire and rapidly went on to scholastic volleyball officiating success (state tournament) with never having played a scholastic volleyball game (outside of a high school physical education class), in many cases the first scholastic volleyball game they worked was the first scholastic volleyball game they watched.

When you've got it, you've got it, some are just born with it.

[JRutledge]

It is a little more than that. Officials are being trained for the levels that supervisors or clinicians feel they are able to work. That again is the point I am making. There is a system in place to get officials to higher levels. That system seems to work for some they identify as having the ability. High school associations or assignors spend more time telling officials of a certain age how long they have to wait, while the college and pro levels cultivate that talent and use them.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

Working off-season Pro-Am's ...

A new non-scholastic, non-collegiate, officiating training and assigning organization just started here in Connecticut. Their raison d'être is to train and assign officials for the Greater Hartford Pro-Am Summer Basketball League. They recruited guys from my local scholastic IAABO board, but were not only interested in taking the most experienced, and the best of the best, but are willing to train anybody who wanted to learn NBA rules and mechanics.