Best Game Ever?

[tmp44]

First District Playoff game I ever worked. AAAA (largest classification in PA) girls, 1st round, 4 seed vs. 13 seed. No bigger than a 3 point lead either way the entire game. Game goes into overtime. In the first OT, tie game, girl from the 13 seed steals the ball with less than 5 seconds to go, breakaway to the basket, defense girl fouls her on the way up to prevent the lay-up, and I have the foul; 0.5 seconds left in the game . Everyone at the table knows it's my first playoff game, and the official scorekeeper can't help but crack a smile at me as I'm reporting the foul, and I can't help but crack one back because it's such a great game. Girl misses both FTs, go to double OT, and the 4 seed ends up winning by 2. An experience I'll never forget....

[Corndog89]

This past Friday night I worked the 5th place game in the Hawaii girls HS DII state championships. Yet another great thing about Hawaii, the boys HS season runs from mid-December to the end of February and the girls season from March through mid-May...6 months of HS hoops!

Anyway, it was my 3rd game of the week, I ran R working with one partner for the first time ever and the other for only the second. Our communication, teamwork, and chemistry was among the best I've ever experienced. The game went double OT...a most improbable 3-pointer with 3 seconds left in the 1st OT sent us to the second. It was a terrific, very well-played game...you would have thought they were playing for the state championship, not 5th place. The players were pumped, the coaches focused on the game, and the crowd was small but loud and raucous.

The irony is that this came just 1 week after probably two of the worst HS games I've ever called, a pair of foulfests in the league tournament, working with partners I've worked many, many good games with. I was embarrassed working in front of my peers who were waiting for their games. It was so bad I told my assignor, only half jokingly, that he should pull me from the state the following week because I was so bad. He basically told me to get my head out of my a$$ and just officiate the way I'm capable of. I love that guy!

The topper, my older brother who has called basketball, football, baseball, and softball for many years flew in from the mainland, getting here just a couple hours before tipoff. It was the first (and still only) game he has ever seen me call. He said we did good. All-in-all, a satisfying end to a long season.

[Corndog89]

A funny moment I forget to add from the 5th place game I previously posted. About 30 seconds into the 2nd OT the best player on the eventual losing team was fouled, two shots. As they lined up for the 1st shot, one of the players on the other team in a bit of a panic asked "Does the first basket win?" I told her no, we'd keep playing full overtimes until we had a winner. She was happy after that.

[crazy voyager]

lucky her. I have played a game in sudden death (no I'm not kidding)

there's a cup that has quite, "special" *coughs* rules. They make own adjustments, one is that you play sudden death insted of full OT. I have once (as a player) ended up in a SD game, god

we both had team fouls, started with a jump ball (not the AP as usuall) and we got the ball. Our PG goes for a drive, foul, two shots, he misses both. The other team comes back, they take a quite bad shot (their coach weren't happy) and we rebound it. Goes up again and the same thing happens, PG drives, gets fouled. Two ft's, misses both again, C grabs the offensive board and puts it in. That must've been the longest 1½ minute in my life

and this were a few years ago, actually 3, we were 12 when playing this, and our PG is one year younger (playing with elders) so he was 11. I don't think he would miss thos FT's today, but god that was a nerve breaker game (it was fun though)

as for good ref excperiences I'll come back with a story later

[Raymond]

My best game ever is always the same. Multiple games in an evening where the last game is a forfeit.

[IREFU2]

When I went to Las Vegas for the Reebock Big Time Classic last year, all of the games were great! I felt like I was officiating on cloud 9! I had partners that I could trust and felt great the whole time!

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by IREFU2

When I went to Las Vegas for the Reebock Big Time Classic last year, all of the games were great! I felt like I was officiating on cloud 9! I had partners that I could trust and felt great the whole time!

Implying that you can't trust your partners back home?

[IREFU2]

Not at all; but its good to know you can trust your partners on the west coast as well.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by IREFU2

Not at all; but its good to know you can trust your partners on the west coast as well.

Just making sure. Don't want any of your colleagues back home to think you are big-timing them.

[rockyroad]

Originally Posted by IREFU2

Not at all; but its good to know you can trust your partners on the west coast as well.

Las Vegas is on the west coast? Not yet...need that pesky California to go away before LV is on the west coast...

[IREFU2]

At least it near the west coast. Let me clarify, its good to know that there are quality officials everywhere!

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

Las Vegas is on the west coast? Not yet...need that pesky California to go away before LV is on the west coast...

Rocky, east of the Mississippi Las Vegas is considered the West Coast. You know, like Albany and Binghamton are considered Upstate New York. Or like Pennsylvania is on the East Coast, which would only be true if you consider the West Bank of the Delaware River a "coast". I'm willing to wager more people associate Las Vegas as West Coast than Oregon and Washington. You guys get tagged Northwest or more than likely as "Out West Somewhere".

I live in Virginia and tell people I live in the South and some people respond "that's not the South". Still trying to figure out how Kentucky is considered the Southeast but the states that border them to the north are called Midwest states.