Official's Choice - to my knowledge, they are no longer in production. I believe they were on the front end of the patent leather fashion (behind Converse, of course).

Uh boy, Billy Mac is going to love this. Bringing up a 3 year old shoe thread....

Any Old Threads From Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. On Officiating Sandals ...
 

Someone has way too much time on their hands to search the Forum for a three year old thread on shoes and resurrect it.

Maybe, eventually, we'll actually get Dr. Naismith's original post on proper shoes to wear while officiating.

Which reminds me. I need some new shoes. Anybody tried any of the new NB shoes yet?

I went to my local NB store to order a new pair. The 888's were about $40 more so I stayed with my old standard 610's which have never given me any trouble.

I have a pair of 888's. I dislike them very much. But you like the 610's? I need to find somewhere to try them.

Yes, I do like them very much. They do require some polishing to look good, but one can get by without a lot of elbow grease. So, try this link - Find A Store

I stared this thread back in 2005. How the heck did this one get reopened?:confused:

"We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction" ...
 

Old shoe threads never die. They just fade away, and come back, and fade away again, and come back again, etc.

Highly fashionable for referees in California?:)

I was about to get the 888's. Why do you dislike them?

All of you need to go to a running store and get your foot evaluated as to what type of shoe you need. I say running shoe store because these are the only stores I'm aware of where the sales people actually know more than where the shoes are located in the back.

Many of you have foot problems because your shoe is all wrong. When we were all 23, the shoe choice didn't matter a great deal. When you get older, it does. This doesn't mean necessarily you need a running shoe, but if you don't know what you need, you are shooting in the dark on any shoe.

brooksrunning.com is a good website to learn the different types of foot. They have a shoe evaluator there, though, they don't help much in terms of basketball because only a few of their choices are in black. However, you'll get a good idea where you stand (pardon the pun).

First, your pronation factor: most people over-pronate. That means their foot rolls inward as they walk. It may range from slight to moderate to heavy. These people need a stability shoe to keep the foot from rolling inward too much. They also don't need much cushioning because the way the foot rolls in. Most cross training type shoes work fine for these folks since cushioning isn't an issue. I am an under-pronator or supinator. My foot actually rolls out, but I am in the vast minority. Those who's foot doesn't do much of anything, in or out, are called neutral runners. Like me, neutral runners need good support. Cross trainers are usually bad for these folks since there is too little cushioning. I have gone to neutral cushioning running shoes for basketball and if your foot is similar to mine, I highly recommend you do as well. I wear one of the black Saucony shoes and it works well. I'm hoping Brooks will make their neutral shoe in black soon.

Second, evaluate your arch. Many think over-pronators all have flat feet and neutral runners have high arches. This MAY be true -- for me it is as you can drive a truck under my arch. But there are those with moderate arches that need stability shoes. Here's where you may have to get insoles for whatever shoes you end up with. If you are neutral or supinate, arch support is more for comfort than for anything else. If you have any over pronation, you need good arch support unless you are flat footed.

Finally, the myth that you need strong leather for lateral support is bunk. Unless you have gimpy ankles, running shoes provide all the support you need. If you aren't sure, just wear the neoprene ankle wraps like I do -- I wear them for Achilles tendinitis. I've been wearing running shoes for all games for the last 2 years. I've had no more ankle issues than I did before that.

Anyway, at least go to the brooks site or better, get your foot evaluated before you buy any more shoes. Like I said, for many of you guys, the standard offerings at Honigs and elsewhere work fine, but if you've had trouble with them in the past, this is probably the reason why.

To each his/her own, but I prefer basketball shoes on a basketball court. I think they look better and I also like how mid or high tops allow my pants to fall over the shoe - at least more than low tops.

There are also a lot of shoes that have a loop or something on the back to help put the shoes on. I always cut this off so the pants will not get hung up. This is probably a small thing, but it annoys me.

They don't have the same kind of cushioning that other NB shoes I've used have had. They also didn't fit as snugly. I felt like had thrown away the shoes and was wearing the box.

I put in some spenco inserts, and that has helped. But I had to put the sock liner back into the shoes on top of the inserts, because the shoe was so large that there were gaps between the inserts and the side if the shoes. I also wear two pairs of socks. That has helped.

So, unless you can try them on first, and like the feel of them, I'd give them a pass.

Note that they have a different last from the 608s (which, iirc, is the same as the 610s). In NB (as well as other manufacturers, I assume), you need to find the last that works for you