Actually, I was hoping you would forget about it. :) If you notice, I didn't bring up any officials name first. I thought it would be obvious for us basketball (official) junkies which official is always on TV but doesn't do anything to really fit the "big-time official" label.

Where do you live?

NY.

Or can't you tell? ;)

I had no idea you lived in NY. NYNY or NY the state?

Born & grew up NYC.

Live in the suburbs now.

Do you know Terry G (all day) or Johnny Etheridge?

Being in the midwest, I can only assume you're talking about Steve Welmer.

The sports section of our local paper does a full feature every year after the basketball season where they poll all the players at the Big Ten schools. They ask things from the serious ("Who is the player of the year?") all the way to the sublime ("Which player does the most trash talking?", or "What's your favorite Play-Station game?"). One of the questions they always ask is, "Who is your favorite ref?". The answer has been the same for the last couple of years in a row - Steve Welmer, by a wide percentage. The comments that go with it include things like he will always talk to you; let's you know what you did wrong, etc. That tells me he has the respect of the players, as well as coaches and supervisors.

I've noticed over the years that he's not the greatest from a mechanics standpoint, and sometimes I don't agree with his calls. And I sure do wish he would use one of those flex-belts to keep his pants up. :D But I'm always wondering what keeps officials like him, Hightower, Burr, Valentine, and so on at the highest levels, when if I were to emulate their movements at a camp I would be laughed right out. So, maybe there's more to their games than what's on tape, so to speak. There's obviously something about their personalities and communication skills that keep them there, not just their mechanics and body shapes. Maybe they missed a call, but they also do little things throughout the game that helped prevent 3 other calls. I think we all know that there's a lot more to officiating than just making the right calls on the court. So I'm always looking to pick up those kind of pointers - how to communicate, when to be the hard-a$$ and when to sit back and just listen, what rules to nit-pick and what to ignore and when. That's what I'm hoping to learn from these guys.

There may be some officials that are better than the ones currently working, but things like job and family commitments keep them from being available for those higher levels. But, I'll guarantee of the ones available, the best of that bunch are the ones now working.