here are the final 4 officials

[refTN]

Originally Posted by jeffpea

I thought the NBA Officials Development Program was put in place to use the NBDL and the summer leagues (Utah, Vegas, Boston, etc) as evaluation/training grounds for potential candidates. Are you sure that your info. is correct? They can certainly hire whomever they want; I just thought they brought you up thru their system before you're hired into the league.

By the way, isn't he a little small for what they are looking for? Usually you've got to be 6'4" 220lbs+. As a smaller official, I hate that supervisors do that, but they do - because they can.

You're right they do get picked up. Eli had been the NBA D-League(what it is called now) for 4 years and in the WNBA for about the same time before he got the call.

Tony has been in the D-League for a little while as well and I do hope he gets picked up because he does seem to do a real good job.

[Jay R]

Olandis Poole went straight from NCAA to the NBA. Last year, I am pretty sure he did the Final Four. This year, he is a rookie on the NBA staff.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by jeffpea

I thought the NBA Officials Development Program was put in place to use the NBDL and the summer leagues (Utah, Vegas, Boston, etc) as evaluation/training grounds for potential candidates. Are you sure that your info. is correct? They can certainly hire whomever they want; I just thought they brought you up thru their system before you're hired into the league.

Some refs work both the NBDL and college ball. You saw that a lot with the Mr. Guthrie's SEC guys.

Originally Posted by jeffpea

By the way, isn't he a little small for what they are looking for? Usually you've got to be 6'4" 220lbs+. As a smaller official, I hate that supervisors do that, but they do - because they can.

David Guthrie (rookie) and Eric Lewis (2nd year) are both products of that system and neither exactly falls in the 6'4" 220lbs category.

Originally Posted by refTN

If you will check olandis if I am not mistaken worked in the WBA and I would also have to guess he worked in the D-League for at least a year. Some guys you see working big games could possibly be working in the D-League. These guys are not contracted exclusively to the NBA until they are in the League itself. The men and women who work the D-League and the WNBA very well work in D-I basketball somewhere.

OP is another product of that system. This is his 2nd season in the NBA. He worked the 2004 UConn/Duke FF semi. He does fall into the 6'4" 220lbs category. He, along with Dwayne Gladden (East Coast D1 official), and Dave Draucker (MVC, other midwest conferences) are big guys I try to steal from.

[AZ_REF]

Tommy Nunez Jr. went from the Pac-10 to the NBA. I personally know of at least 5 people working the D League, or WNBA and multiple college confrences.

And on the size issue Billy Kennedy is like five foot nothing and he's been in for 8 or 9 years. However his arms are about as big around as my thigh. And he could break me in half by just looking at me. So I think size matters, just the direction the size is in doesn't. But whats his face from Phoenix has been in a long time and his small, really small. I'm sure somebody remembers his name, I'm drawing a blank.