Teen-age Officials

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Does starting my basketball officiating career just after I turned nineteen qualify me as an official who started out as a teenage official?

MTD, Sr.

[crazy voyager]

I am a teenage ref (15 now, was 13(!) when I called my first game)

I have played the game scince I was 10 and when I got the chance to become a ref I signed up and started holding the whistle in our practises. My coach didn't mind if I blew the whistle insted of sitting on the bench as a sub so I started my first training there. Then I went throught the training and got myself a rulebook. I am a reader (I've read extremly fast and started reading books for adults around the age of 9) and I read my rulebook, I read it firstly cover to cover, then I went throught the most importent parts over and over again (fouls, violations and so on). I just tried to assimilate all the things in it, and it worked pretty well for me.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

Does starting my basketball officiating career just after I turned nineteen qualify me as an official who started out as a teenage official?

MTD, Sr.

Mark, technically it does, but I'm looking more at HS age. My son is only 13. When, or if, he feels the urge to give this a try I will be able to take care of all the mechanics, court coverage, & positioning stuff. But getting him to comprehend, recognize, and then apply the rules seems like the more daunting task.

It's hard enough to get him to read a Social Studies handout then answer 10 fill-in-the-blanks questions.

[smoref]

I started officiating when I was 12 years old. A guy who was a father figure to me ran tournaments and he needed a ref so I was thrown in. I didn't join the high school association until I was 26.

I have always thought back to where I would be if I started doing is seriously while I was in high school, but I am very happy with the progress that I have made in the 6 years that I have been doing it.

I can't wait for the day that my daughter or son come up to me and ask if they can ref, but if they don't it will be okay as well.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

Mark, technically it does, but I'm looking more at HS age. My son is only 13. When, or if, he feels the urge to give this a try I will be able to take care of all the mechanics, court coverage, & positioning stuff. But getting him to comprehend, recognize, and then apply the rules seems like the more daunting task.

It's hard enough to get him to read a Social Studies handout then answer 10 fill-in-the-blanks questions.

Since I am now 54 years old, I guess I was trying to recapture my boyhood and boost my self esteem.

MTD, Sr.

[ref18]

I started officiating at 15, I am now 19. I'm in college now, but was officiating JV basketball and V football while I was still in High School.

[fonzzy07]

Originally Posted by ref18

I started officiating at 15, I am now 19. I'm in college now, but was officiating JV basketball and V football while I was still in High School.

How were u able to do that? are state has a rule that you can't do highschool until you graduate.

[Snake~eyes]

Originally Posted by fonzzy07

How were u able to do that? are state has a rule that you can't do highschool until you graduate.

He's from Canada.

[ref18]

I'm also hoping to be doing college football by the time I'm outta college, although I'm not sure how that's gonna work out.

Also, back in my day, when I started we didn't have the cartoon book. I learned by reading. This was the first year I ever saw the simplified and illustrated book

Moving to a new association will do that to you.