Hello everyone,

I am looking to purchase new gear for this year’s season.

What do you guys think about...:
the new mesh referee shirts?
pleated or non pleated pants?
belt or belt less?
Fox40 Classic, Pearl, Mini?

Suppliers?

Also... What do you carry onto the court for AP arrow? Bands? Extra Whistle?

Any tidbits can help and will be appreciated...


Thanks
Pat

Where's an FAQ when you need it?

Also... What do you carry onto the court for AP arrow? Bands? Extra Whistle?

I switch my chapstick in my pocket.

Well..... I just wanted to get everyone’s opinion on the uniform thing... and suppliers that wont charge lots for shipping ( :) ) and suppliers that are reliable...

Honigs is good. http://www.honigs.com

Honig's or Between the Lines

Bottom line: It all comes down to personal preference and what your conference/assignor/association say you should wear. I've seen good officials wearing a mesh shirt, non pleated pants with a belt and a pea whistle and I've also seen bad officials with a polyester shirt, pleated pants and $6 whistle.

Thanks... I just was shopping today at my local *(very expensive) sporting goods store (mom&pop)...

And the micromesh shirt looked very dull in color....

Is that just me?

Is micromesh better or poly? (I have poly and I know its bright) But is micromesh the way to go?

Micromesh certainly "breathes" better than poly. You may be able to achieve the same result with an UnderArmor type undershirt and a poly shirt.

the wider holed mesh shirts are not as good as the double mesh shirts (micro) or (ultra) almost look like polyester until you are actually calling in it, then you can't even tell you have them on... :) and +POS is a good place to buy or "purchase officials supplies" 18006867670 (scott johnson)

Mesh shirts are certainly cool, but it's whatever you prefer. Same goes with pants.
I say no belt and either the classic or the mini but not the pearl.

AP arrow: I simply use the one on the scorer's table. I make sure it's set correctly and switched correctly. I always carry an extra whistle (and lanyard) onto the court, it's always in my left pocket but it never related to the AP arrow.

Honig's
+POS
Gerry Davis
Between the Lines

I saw up close the Cliff Keen ultramesh shirt this past weekend, and its likely the one I will get and be wearing. The mesh is even smaller than Honigs micromesh that I wear in football and like, but I do think the smallest mesh possible is what you want in hoops. The Dalco mesh I've seen is NOT what you want in basketball, as gyms are tight and you will be seen up close and far away, and the Dalco is too big, in my view.

Pants: unless its a comfort thing, beltless is really the only choice. I just think belts detract from the overall look.

Other on-court accessories: I'd carry 2 things. First, an extra whistle, and second, an under-armour sweat band in a back pocket for use during timeouts and such. Don't wear it! I've seen guys with hankerchiefs (sp???) but I wouldn't recommend those. I've NEVER, in several hundred basketball games worked, needed a spare whistle, but its always a good idea to be safe as a trip to the locker room wastes too much time.

Finally, as far as whistles, you just have to buy the various fox flavors and choose the one you like the best. The only rule is don't use a pea whistle as its not loud enough (can't speak to the non-fox pealess ones). I don't like the mini. I used the regular one from my first year on in basketball and have liked it. However, in football, I like the cushioned mouth whistle, but wouldn't use it in basketball. Why? I don't feel like it blows as loud as the regular one, but that could me just me. At any rate, I'm comfortable with the regular one on the court. In terms of suppliers, I'd recommend you find the equipment you want and buy from whoever sells it. You should be able to limit it to 2-3 suppliers at most. Honigs has excellent shipping, but my experience with them is from Texas to Texas.

<b>What do you guys think about...:
the new mesh referee shirts?</b>

I do not like the look of them. Maybe that will change, but right now I like the poly shirts the best. They look a lot better.

<b>pleated or non pleated pants?</b>

I like the pleated pants. This again is a personal preference. I hear the guys that are a little heavier (they say this not me) do not like the pleated pants. They feel it makes them look bigger. I am a slim guy, so I like the way pleated looks on me (not sure it would matter to me personally). I have both but I prefer to wear the pleated every single time.

<b>belt or belt less?</b>

If feel more strongly about this topic. I think belted pants look silly. All the higher levels wear the beltless pants. I only see HS officials (and usually not very good ones) wear the belted pants. Now I am not suggesting that you cannot be a good official by wearing only belted pants, but times have changed. Fashions have changed and it shows to me that at the very least you look like someone that knows what you are doing.

<b>Fox40 Classic, Pearl, Mini?</b>

Until everyone changes their whistles, the Classic is the only way to go. I worked a big varsity game with a guy that only had a Mini whistle. I offered to give him one of my extra, non-used Classics and he insisted on using his Mini whistle. Well it (Mini) sounded terrible and completely different. We could hardly hear his whistle and there was confusion a couple of times during the game because of not being able to hear his whistle. This was a pretty packed and very loud gym. His whistle sounded terrible and many of his calls were questioned which I think was largely because the whistle he was using did not sound very strong. Stick with only the Fox40 Classic. It is the only whistle most basketball officials I know use as a basketball official. I have also worked with officials from other states and I have never seen another whistle used.

<b>Suppliers?</b>

Basketball you can buy stuff from any place. It comes down to personal preference and specific brands you like to wear. I like Gerry Davis because they have most of the stuff I wear. Honigs is great for football (the owner was a Big Ten Football crew chief), but I can get better basketball product at other outlets. Many things can be bought anywhere like shirts and shoes. Things like pants might be sold at very specific suppliers and even socks can vary drastically from one place to another. It really comes down to who you like and how quick they can get it to you after that.

<b>Also... What do you carry onto the court for AP arrow? Bands? Extra Whistle? </b>

I carry and extra whistle but it is not for AP situations. I feel if you are tune to the game you will not need an "helper" for the AP arrow. This is no different than having an idea of what the foul situation is. I think it looks silly to have to constantly change the whistle so you can know something that is really not that hard to know. I think officials use the whistle as a crutch. I also know officials that forget to move the whistle and they are flat out wrong when issues of the AP arrow come up.

<b>Any tidbits can help and will be appreciated...</b>

I have talked enough. ;)

Peace

<b>Also... What do you carry onto the court for AP arrow? Bands? Extra Whistle? </b>

I carry and extra whistle but it is not for AP situations. I feel if you are tune to the game you will not need an "helper" for the AP arrow. This is no different than having an idea of what the foul situation is. I think it looks silly to have to constantly change the whistle so you can know something that is really not that hard to know. I think officials use the whistle as a crutch. I also know officials that forget to move the whistle and they are flat out wrong when issues of the AP arrow come up.

I too think this is foolish. I have seen guys digging in their pockets to change it over to the other one. As far as the AP arrow goes, after the in-bounds on one just glance at the table to make sure it has changed. In my years of officiating I have never seen one magically change back.

speaking of shirts....
 

....where can you get those shirts with the black underarms?