Anybody ever worked NBA Hoop-it-Up?

They're coming to Chicago in July and I have contacted them twice about working games. Haven't heard anything.

Just curious if anyone knows if it's worthwhile.

Find somebody local, there, who has worked it before. Management varies from place to place and it may not be the best situation to get into un-warned.

I worked if for 3 years when it came to Toronto.

I won't do it ever again. Just a bunch of whiney players trying to re-live what glory days they had.

Without a doubt the worst experience I ever had officiating.

It's possible that the experience varies from city to city, but my experience was similar to Mike and blindzebra. It was not a very good experience. It was well-run, well-organized. But the basketball was not that great and there were a lot of cry-babies to deal with.

I think it has a lot to do with working two and sometimes three games in an hour. Doing that for several hours. Doing that outside, in the summer, where it's 90+ degrees and in most places humid to boot.

All on top of the bad basketball and the wannabe/neverwas prima donnas that are playing.

You'll regret it.

i've also been contemplating doing the 3 on 3 this year. If i do, it'll most surely be for the money. I've heard that it sucks, and the players and parents whine, but at $10 a game, and 2-3 games per hour over 2 days, i think i oculd make a good deal of cash.

Three of our older officials go to the "Hoop It Up" in Spokane, WA every year. They absolutely love it. They just go to have some fun, get some sunshine, and call a few games without taking it too seriously. They keep bugging me to go with them and one of these years I probably will.

Z

Hoop it up!
 

It depends on who is running the show. When you have people who have your back and the players and teams know that the police will escort them off the site you can relax, have fun and call a few games. You still can't get away from the wanna b's , use 2 b's and a few never will b's. U B the Judge, give it try. Peace.

Who plays in the Hoop It Up? Surely they don't cry more than NBA players. In my experience, the better the players, the more the crying.

Have you ever worked any adult rec leagues? Those folks whine more than anyone. That goes for both men and women, about equally and double for mixed.

The Hoop It Up here in Portland last summer wasn't too bad, but I guess it can be pretty un-pleasant in some areas. We have a pretty good adult league system with a lot of control over the attitude, so adults here are less likely to have tantrums.

Played in the London, Ontario, Canada Tournament a few years back Adult, Competitive, Coed. Had Fun but the volunteers who were scoring and reffing weren't making many calls. We ended up calling our own fouls in the rest of our games, the teams we were up against did the same.

From my experience I would say go - they need us there to ref.

As for the whiners - what would you do in a varsity/high school game if a player got in your face and griped about a call.... T em. That usually takes care of any other whiny complaints players may have.

Go for it, have fun, call what you see. Hopefully you can get a level of play where the players know (not think they know) what they are doing.

If you don't like it you don't have to return next year.

Actually, the really good players don't whine, they know better, they will ask questions and they will accept your answers. They want the call NEXT time, they don't care about the last play.

This has not been my experience.

Well, the stop is in Chicago this weekend and despite three efforts to contact them, they didn't contact me back, so to heck with them. I'm actually glad it didn't work out, based on what y'all were saying.

I recently registered to ref the tournament when it stops in Toronto. After chatting with the organizer, I think it will be a worthwhile experience, and it should re-enforce my bank account until my next refereeing check comes in.

Let us know how it goes! Thanks, Stan

I just finished the second day of the contest today. It was extremely interesting, I was a bit unprepared for it, as I never expected to be doing a game with people who were older than I was. (a bit of backround, a 17 year old ref who stands 5'7 is officiating a game with 25 year old players who stand at least 6'3) It was very intimidating, I was expecting to do the younger kids. But I believe that it helped me learn a bit about my limits and I think that that's invaluable.

Overall it was a bit nervewrecking being the lone official on a court where everything needs to be called, because when working alone calls are going to be missed and that just pisses off the participants.

I would like to do it again, but I'm not sure whether or not to wait until I'm at least in the same age category as the players that I'll be officiating.

In the DC area, the lone official does everything from keeping score, time, track of fouls. You are the table. Too much for one person. IMHO Its not worth it!

Up here, each court had a volunteer to keep track of everything. The officials only have to referee the game, and keep time.

How did it go J?

Most satisfying if you keep it in perspective
 

While working the local 3-on-3 tourney here in Portland this summer (called Blazer's Street Jam here, but the same as Hoop It Up) I had my most satisfying experience in all my 12 years of officiating. The officiating was all volunteer - no pay, so there was some leeway as far as formality. I was working an adult competitive game and was dealing with the typical crap from one of the players - whining about me not calling enough. Then later in the game he gets free for a clear uncontested layup and misses badly. So I catch his eye and yell out "Make a layup! Make a layup! What's wrong with you?". He pretty much goes speechless and the folks watching the game behind me start to laugh. There was no sweeter feeling than being free to yell something back, for all those years when I couldn't. He and I had a good laugh about it after the game.

Re: Most satisfying if you keep it in perspective
 

I had a similar experience at a summer camp a while ago.

A1 thought he was fouled on his shot, as we go down the other way he's quietly asking how that's a no-call, finishes by saying it's horrible.

Short while later he's at the FT line, misses everything on the first, as I bounce the ball to him I winked and said "how could you miss like that, that was horrible".

He laughed.