Hey all, I didn't want to post this because I'm going to be saying some negative things about some partners I've had recently but I'd like your thoughts.
I recently moved and changed assignors. I'm in my 5th year and got my first varsity games last year. I've been to camps the last 2 years, more than one this summer and have heard good things from all my evaluators. I think and have been told that I'm a pretty solid official. Anyway, between the preseason games I've done and the first game of the season, I've had some pretty suspect partners. In all but one of the preseason games (tournaments and leagues) my partners have called my line multiple times. Last night my parnter made about 6 calls in my area of which 2 were right as well as double whistles since I was coming with it also. The worst was a double whistle we had where I was T, he was L. Ball was near side to me and we both come up with a travel at the same time (not that he's watching the ball or anthing). The frustrating part is this is my first time in a lot of these schools and they already know the other officials. I'm sure some will percieve the wrong calls out of my parnter's area as me not doing the job in my area. Any advice on how to handle these situations. Sorry this is so long, but I'm also venting a little. Thanks.

I hear, and have shared, your frustration. As difficult as it is, my suggestion is just to keep doing the best job you can. Although at first people may perceive your ability in relationship to your partners, as you stay around the area more they will begin to know *you* as an official.

One other suggestion might be to, as much as you can, cover things like what you describe during pre-games.

With all the positive feedback you are receiving, be confident in your ability as an official, keep working hard, and you will get noticed for the right reasons. My $.02.

It's a tough situation to be in, especially if you are working with a veteran official who is perceived by others to be better than you. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and get the game over with, knowing that you have done the best you can. However, I generally don't have a problem telling my partner at halftime that I am fully capable of covering my area and would appreciate it if he would let me do it. Or, you could take the passive aggressive approach and start taking calls that take place five feet away from him in his area.:)

Do you have an association? This is a great place to talk about issues. Be patient, as you grow in stature, you will be able to start to turn things around. This may take several years. You will need other officials, that see things the way you do to help. Also, you need to communicate with you supervisor, but not until you gain his respect.

That is frustrating
 

Its hard if you are not having group meetings etc., and then you might have a lot of the officals not in attendance.

If I have never worked with a partner though, I make certain that we have a very very thorough pregame.

Talk about court areas, talk about double whistles, encourage them to watch their area etc.,

It might not help an official who doesn't know what you are talking about, but it will probably help solve some of the issues.

If it continues, talk about it at halftime. Bring up a call, "what did you see on that play?" etc.,

Good luck

thanks
David

IMO it could be any of these:

1. You moved to an area with very untrained officials

2. Being the new guy the officials you are working with don't trust you and feel the need to take your calls

3. Being the new guy the officials you are working with think the coaches won't trust you and feel the need to take your calls

4. These guys are knocking off some early season rust.

You can usually get these guys to back off by talking to them about taking your calls early on. If you're the type that enjoys a good confrontation tell them to stay the hell out of your area. If you're the peace keeping type tell them you had it all the way and they called it the wrong way. In any event now that you're getting a taste of what things are like where you are you should emphasise primary areas in your pregame.

BTW, for a seasoned guy to call your line *twice* is insulting, imo - doing it once is bad enough. I wouldn't put up with it very long, I might even be tempted to reverse his call if it was close.

Ouch! Shame on you D_R. By rule, you do not have any authority to "reverse" any call. A short huddle to make sure the covering official saw the entire play may be appropriate but no one can reverse another referee's call.

This was my first thought.

Possible, but even at my rustiest, I don't blow the wrong sideline.

But "the covering official" did not make the call, so there's no call to reverse.

My line, my call.

Your line, your call.

Last night I had a situation as lead where I am off ball with two post players jockeying for position the defensive player very briefly held the offense player I'm passing on this because the player quickly released ( no advatage IMO)and the ball was nowhere near my area. The offense player now gives the defensive player a little shove (Not violent nothing bad rather "gentle" no one should have seen this except for me) in retaliation I'm passing again except my partner who should be on ball calls a foul. When I had a chance I talked to him about this I agreed that it was a foul but since the play was 10 feet from me on my side of the basket I asked him why he was on ball when he should have been off ball. I explained what happened and why I was passing. He understood and the rest of the game went well.

If this happens again I would ask for example I was on ball and you were on ball who should been watching the off ball action? I'm kind of new and if I was wrong help me out. If what he/she says makes sense use it. If it's totally wrong trash can it. Asking the question in those terms might help you gain credibility. Keep in mind just because they are "veteran officials" doesn't mean that they are right and you are wrong.

Above all else trust your partner, trust your partner.....

Pregame.
 

What are you guys discussing during the pregame? I think at the very least you will get on the same page with understanding where each official is coming from. If officials are calling your line, it usually is because someone is either does not trust you, or does not realize that kind of thing would upset you. I would make a point to point out the things that have been happening over and over again with my partners.

I would also make a point to discuss these things at a meeting or with a more veteran official that you respect. You might find out that the individuals that you are working with are not very well respected. You would be surprised what your fellow officials have to say about these officials you have worked with.

I still think that your pregame conference can set a tone that will benefit your game. At least you can figure out you are dealing with a "not so good" official right off the bat, then you can adjust.

I would not worry about what coaches are going to think about you when you are new to them. That happens all over and is very typical when you work with guys that have been around.

Peace

Thanks for the thoughts everyone. As far as pregame, so far I've only had JV and freshman games from this assignor. I try to be at the gym even for lower level games at least 20 minutes before tipoff, ready to go. In most of my games so far this year, pregame has consisted of meeting each other and shaking hands as that was about all we had time for. I hate to say anything about staying in your own area and such because I don't want to be the annoying new guy that thinks he knows everything.
The comments about them not knowing or trusting me got me thinking. What do you look for when working with someone for the first time? I know last night when my partner walked in just before tip off, grabbed the ball and left his watch on, I thought I might be in for a long night. Next I look for mechanics on the first couple of calls. I guess the most important to me is that they make eye contact with me as soon as there is any whistle. What do you all look for?

Make time for the pregame
 

If he's getting there last minute I would ask him about that. Hey I'm new to this area, is showing up at the last minute standard procedure here?

Well we need to go over a few things etc., So while you're waiting for them to warm up talk about it.

Checking the book takes about a minute, same with the coaches conference (we have one mandated by the state) and the captains mtgs. about 30 seconds.

So that gives you several minutes to talk.

The other option would be take the halftime and do it.

No matter what I would get on the same page. And as Dan mentioned it might take stepping on his toes with a few calls etc.,

Thanks
David

This explains a lot. There is a reason that many officials are working this level. If they did everything the way they were supposed to, they would be working varsity ball on a consistent basis. Now please no one tell me that "I work lower level games all the time." I do work those games as well from time to time, but I most of my schedule is not lower level games. Many of the guys you will come in contact either do not know any better and are younger officials. Or you have veterans that cannot get past that level for things they have not shown they can consistently do. Unfortunately that is the nature of many lower level games. That is never going to completely change no matter how experience of an official you become.

I really am not sure I understand your question. The reason I stated having a pregame is very important is because it can set the tone for the game. You are not always going to have a 15-30 minute pregame. Many times it will be 2-5 minutes at that level. But you cover the major points that you will deal with like coverage area. Try to make sure both of you not watching the ball. Double whistles. Coverage of lines according to the mechanics. Eye contact and anything else that might be important to you. You cannot worry about how you are going to be perceived when a partner just shows up before tip-off. You have to cover what you can before the game and if you have to come together during timeouts and between quarters, you do that. Never be afraid to take charge. Maybe the assignor put you on the game with that partner so you could be the strong official. Do not just get frustrated. Take it as a challenge and a badge of honor.

Peace

Rut, thanks for the thoughts. My question was about specific things you look for with new partners once the game has begun. My big one is making eye contact at every whistle. When I see my partner making eye contact with me at all the early whistles, I know that it's going to be somewhat easy to get on the same page because there will be pretty good communication between us.

Here is a line you might want to use, "I know I'm new and you are more experienced, but if you want to help me get better and earn your trust and the trust of the coaches, you need to let me call my own primaries."

If they don't respond positively to that, tell them to stay the hell out of your area.;)

I can tell a lot about an official in the first few minutes of a game.

1. If his pants are faded and too short (like he's expecting a flood) I'm half expecting a rough game.

2. If he/she is not hustling I'm pretty sure it's going to be a rough game.

3. Poor mechanics, not wanting to switch on fouls etc. I know I'm going to have a rough game.

When this happens I call my primary and if I happen to see an obvious foul in my partners primary I'll call that as well. Unfortunately you will be judged by the company you keep.

Now I understand.
 

I look to see what my partner shows up in.

I look for how my partner's uniform looks?

Are they in the proper uniform?

Are their shoes shined?

Now everything I just stated does not mean automatically what kind of official you are. You could be in the improper uniform and still be a very good official. I just think it does not look good and usually tells me (and everyone else) that you are do not pay attention to detail and might cut corners in you calls or your officiating philosophy. Or you are not as knowledgeable about the rules and mechanics. And no, the same does not always apply to a grizzled veteran that has worked a lot of high level ball.

I know when I come to games. I want to give all the great impressions I can when I walk into that gym. I want to set the right tone as much as possible.

Peace

Walk the walk......

I cannot stress the importance (especially for the newer officials) of having a proper appearance.

You will be judged (fairly or not) by how you "look" as an official the moment you enter the locker room (by your partner) and the moment you hit the floor (by the coaches, players, and fans).

Make the effort to keep your gear updated and in good condition (shine your shoes, no wrinkles in clothes, good personal grooming and hygiene). Some may scoff at the idea of trying to impress but, why not put forth the effort?

Yes, you will ultimately be judged by your performance on the floor but that is only one aspect of being a good official.

IMO, confidence in one's appearance is as important in confidence in one's performance.

I know your feeling because it makes you feel people are saying to themselves "is he watching the game?" As far as your area, don't worry about the fans thinking you're not doing your job because of your area, they probably don't even know we have a certain spot on the court to watch. But then again, if an assignor is watching you that's a different story. Basically just like everyone else said, talk to him/her at half and see what they saw that you didn't. Happy Thanksgiving!

T Jones

Frustrated Already
 

First time poster-a newbie official.. Speaking from the perspective of long time HS basketball fan, most people only have a vague idea of the ref under the basket should call those fouls and the guy outside should call those. mostfans have never even heard of primary coverage areas, etc....

I agree with most of the sentiment expressed so far, but there are always ways to make a game run more smoothly even with a bad partner.

-Before the game, presuming you have the assignment in advance, make a phone call to touch base with the other official, confirm time and place and when you'll arrive. At that point you might be able to have some sort of pregame, or at the least, the other official knows you're serious. Also, set the tone by not cutting corners with the pregame procedure.

-During the game, if my partner calls in my area several times (which annoys me a lot), I will generally meet him during a TO and mention something for him to watch for off ball. For instance, team A's using a lot of off ball screens and basket cuts, keep an eye on #12, make sure his screens are legal, make sure D's not bumping cutters. That way, you give your partner something to watch for, when a lot of times at this level, they don't know what to watch for. Generally, this works, when it doesn't it makes for a long day. I've never had a guy keep blowing my sideline, but if it happened, I'd remind him of the proper coverage areas at my next chance.

Junker,

I feel your pain. I have just moved and I am the new guy here. For the most part I just keep my mouth shut and officiate my game. If they come in my area and we have a double whistle I take it to the table... if it wasn't a foul I let them live or die with it. Remember when the evaluator is looking at the tape or at the game they know who had a whistle and who didn't.

Keep doing those things that help you rise to the top. Same advice as everyone here has been giving...

As far as how to not step on toes in the pregame ask questions or give game situations you want their opinion on :) works great! And of course adapt to how they do it as long as you aren't picking up bad habits.

Junker,
You didn't happen to move to my neck of the woods, did you? (Des Moines)

Adam

I had a partner like about last year. When I mentioned during a timeout that we should stay in our coverage areas to make sure the off-ball action was being watched, too, he gave me a puzzled look. "Coverage areas? What's that?" Fortunately, haven't worked with him since.

Adam, I am going through Des Moines so far. How has your luck been with random partners? Email me separately and maybe we can get together for a game somewhere. My schedule isn't all the way full yet.
On a good note, I had a very good partner last night and a pretty decent game. Afterwards my partner and I talked about doing some 3 man with his regular Varsity partner and maybe getting some contracts together next year. It was a much needed breath of fresh air.

When you have a good pregame you can set boundries,let your partner's know what you expect and what they expect from you.From reading your thread is too many ball watcher's and not enough off ball calls.