evolving with the game

[crew]

evolving with the game!
the game of basketball changes almost every year. as with the game we as officials must change as well. in the eighties the game was a slow down game, hence the invent of the shot clock. players now are much faster, jump higher, and are more athletic, therefore the officials must adjust in the same way. every yr. rule changes are made to eliminate advantages from either team. philosophies change as well. such as tempo setters, i worked with an official the other day who retired from the SEC in the mid eighties. he was assigned as ref on the crew and in pregame he talked about players setting the tempo for the game and we would adjust to them. long ago that was the philosophy. change is hard especially when we are used to doing things the same way for years. try to take advice from the young guy's who have learned the new philosophy, dont beat them down for knowing something you dont. BE A GOOD PARTNER on the court and off the court!

[BktBallRef]

crew, I've read each of your posts over the past few days. You seem bright and very dedicated to the avocation. But you also seem to be of the opinion that the rules are just guidelines and that we can use them if we need to. I may be wrong but that's the impression that I get. If that's a "young guy's philosophy," then you can have it. I guess you think the rest of us are a bunch of old fogies. Well, that's not the case. There are many officials here who are highly educated, very experienced, attend camps every year, and conduct clinics in their local areas.

Many of the problems with the game today have been created by some new philosophies. Ignoring the rules that apply to such things as palming, hand checking, disconcertion, or closely guarded situations have created problems in the game. Allowing poor bench decorum and rough post play have turned the game ugly. We still allow the players to dictate the tempo oif the game. That doesn't mean we have to change the way we officiate. You might do well to listen to that gentleman who previously worked SEC ball. Or, you can choose to be a street ball official.

It's up to you.

[crew]

handchecking, postplay, 3 sec, closely guarded, etc. these are the tempo setters that we set early in the game, to let the players know it will not be allowed. and should be called consistently throughout the game, and season.

this is a pregame check list that leon wood uses.

leon wood-officiated in the sec and umbrella system and is currently staffed with the nba.
1. ref the defense.
2. ref from the inside out/outside in (depending on situation.
3. ref in your primary. if you stay in your primary there is no need for secondary.
4. know your team fouls/personal fouls/score
5. know clock status. game clock/shot clock
6. we set the tempo of the game. (hand checks, trveling, 3 sec.,illegal screens, post up play, off ball coverage)
7. professionalism
8. do not guess
9. concentration (when you lose it go back to the basics)
10. do not compete with your partners!
11. call the obvious
12. be a good partner.

if it is good for him it is good for me

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally posted by crew
handchecking, postplay, 3 sec, closely guarded, etc. these are the tempo setters that we set early in the game, to let the players know it will not be allowed. and should be called consistently throughout the game, and season.

this is a pregame check list that leon wood uses.

leon wood-officiated in the sec and umbrella system and is currently staffed with the nba.
1. ref the defense.
2. ref from the inside out/outside in (depending on situation.
3. ref in your primary. if you stay in your primary there is no need for secondary.
4. know your team fouls/personal fouls/score
5. know clock status. game clock/shot clock
6. we set the tempo of the game. (hand checks, trveling, 3 sec.,illegal screens, post up play, off ball coverage)
7. professionalism
8. do not guess
9. concentration (when you lose it go back to the basics)
10. do not compete with your partners!
11. call the obvious
12. be a good partner.

if it is good for him it is good for me

Crew,Leon Wood and BBRef basically gave you the same advice.All the SEC official was trying to tell you was "let the game come to YOU and let what they do dictate what you are going to call".That concept hasn't changed at all. The players set the tempo of the game.We THEN have to react to the way they are playing by imposing our own standards,as per BBRef and Leon Wood.Re-read BBRef's post.There's a lot of good advice there.It might help you as an official to spend a little bit more time listening than talking.

[Edited by Jurassic Referee on Dec 6th, 2001 at 04:22 AM]

[BktBallRef]

Leon is one of a few former collegiate players to become a successful NBA and NCAA official. He played on the 1984 US Olympic team, the last US collegiate team to win the gold medal, with Michael Jordan.

I have followed his career as an offical and seen him work. I agree with you. If that's the philosophy that he uses, he must work very well. My guess is that he's had some pretty good mentors along the way.

I'm glad to see that you agree with this philosphy. Perhaps I judged you too harshly. In any case, I'm always willing to offer what ever help I can. I also need a little help from time to time.

If I haven't already said it, welcome to the board.

Tony

[Dan_ref]

This is a great discussion. One of the great refs I have
the pleasure to know is very much a "loosy goosy"
type of guy. At his camps he'll proudly tell you not
to ask him about rules or mechanics because he don't
know sh1t about either. Another great ref I know is a
rules & mechanics guru (I'm certain Mark D knows him well).
He'll give you hell for even the slightest f*ck up (his
words, not mine) and his camps are great for learning a
system. Having said all that I would have to say that
mechanics & rules knowledge are what is required today.
These days "seat of the pants" refereeing is not the easiest
way to break in, but rules & mechanics are not what will
keep you moving up once you are in.

[ChuckElias]

Originally posted by Dan_ref
Mechanics & rules knowledge are what is required today.
These days "seat of the pants" refereeing is not the easiest
way to break in, but rules & mechanics are not what will
keep you moving up once you are in.

Dan, this is a great insight and terrific advice for newer refs. A supervisor won't look twice at a new guy who has bad mechanics. If you have not established yourself with a particular assignor, then you have to catch his eye. You do that with mechanics. If you look sharp, then somebody will say, "Hey, that guy may have potential". If your mechanics and signals suck, then you are immediately discounted as a serious official.

Once you've caught somebody's eye, tho, you better call a damn good game. Because good mechanics and bad calls get you nowhere. That's why so many of the officials you see on TV who have been doing it for years and years have lousy mechanics. They're not trying to catch anybody's eye, but man, can they call a game!

Chuck

[eroe39]

Crew, I agree that officials set the tempo of the game and that this is the philosophy of today's game whereby the "old school" philosophy was to let the players set the tempo. In my opinion we call hand checking, post play, chucking cutters, 3 seconds, and illegal screens tightly in the beginning of the game to let the players know what to expect and to keep the game in check. I might call a borderline post foul in the 1st period to keep the post players in check for the rest of the game that I would not call in the 3rd period. It is dangerous to say to let the players set the tempo and wait until the game gets too rough and then have to reel it back in, which is very tough to do. It is much easier to keep it from getting to that point. I am not trying to offend "old school" philosophies as they were what worked during that time, but in my opinion that philosophy is not what works best in today's game.