A little advise please

I know many of you don’t work AAU/wreck AT ALL, but for the few of us that do… how would you handle working with a bad partner? Because a bad partner will make the sharpest official look horrid.

I’m talking about the guy that doesn’t work ANY level of MS or HS ball & doesn’t desire to. You know the church league/wreck in it for a quick buck type of fellows.
ie: waving in subs after a made basket (clock running), administering the ball on the baseline after 2 FTs for a T, reporting your fouls for you, having the GALL to make calls in the lane when they haven’t even crossed half-court in the T position, tossing the jump & sprinting to the L position (2 man), etc.

That being said, I’m not the greatest or even close, that’s why I still do wreck ball, to sharpen my skills & be ready for camps this summer. When working a game my goal is NOT to be noticed on the court (before, during, after games) I don’t even want to hear “you did a great job blue” after my games unless it’s from the losing coach/team/fans IMO that’s the only time it’s really sincere.

NOTE: I don’t care what fans think/say or I would never have picked up a whistle in the 1st place, but I’m just saying…

When you get out there with some yahoo making huge mistakes the typical response is ALWAYS “those refs don’t know what they're doing”.
I hate to have the door opened for those type of statements to start flying around the gym.

It seems as though some assignors just want their games worked, quality or competency aren’t factors in the off season. Besides not working that brand of ball, how would you handle this situation?

[rainmaker]

Find someone who really does care, and then hire on as a team. Lots and lots of assignors would be thrilled to have two refs who will show up together and do a good job. If the assignor won't let you do this, find some other rec ball to do. There must be something else available. Or learn to just really truly ignore the partner and do it for the development.

[Old School]

Don't work with him again, period.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

Find someone who really does care, and then hire on as a team. Lots and lots of assignors would be thrilled to have two refs who will show up together and do a good job.

Good advice.

[rainmaker]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Good advice.

Natcherly!!!

[JRutledge]

First and foremost this comes with the territory. Even at the college level you might work with a guy or two that may not be as polished or you will be with them when they are having a bad night.

I think all you can really do is work hard and call your game. You cannot be so worried about what your partner does at all times. I would not suggest that you go calling all out of your area. I would not suggest trying to save the game with calls your partner cannot make.

If you want to tell your assignor or the tournament director that is completely up to you. I would just only save those complaints for the very worst situations and unprofessional behavior. When you work AAU or any summer, off-season type of games, many times you are working with people that are above their head. And most assignments are not made with reference to ability or type of game. So you will always run into games at this level where you will have to work with the weekend warriors because they were open to work at that time. Work your game and concentrate on things you have to improve on and that is all you really should expect.

Peace

[M&M Guy]

Have you tried talking to him? Pre-game? Halftime? Offer to buy him a beer and talk after the game? There's a chance this guy doesn't really know how bad he looks. Maybe if someone sits him down and explains a few things, he might actually get the bug to do better. Which, in the long run, makes you look better.

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

Natcherly!!!

No! You throw the ball to Who.

(Whoops. Wrong thread.)

Appreciate the responses fellas, I guess I'll just go for mine, focus on what I need to do. That seems to be the popular choice on this topic. It's just hard to play along with something when you know it's not right.

M&M Guy: it's not just one individual, apparently we're in abundance of weekend warriors. You know how we as officials shouldn't offer unwanted advice right? So when working with a guy that's helping me look bad, at the half I'd go "so how long have you been officiating" or "where else do you work". The general response is "I've been doing this for years now" So I leave it at that.

[JRutledge]

I do not like the advice from M&M about talking to the official outside of the court because that will not go over well very often. Even if you are trying to help, there are people that will be very offended by what you tell them. I have found those that really want to get better will either ask about plays and situations on their own in these types of settings. You are not going to change the spots on a leopard anytime soon. So I would think just deal with it when you know who you are working with. Remember not everyone comes to officiating with the passion to get better that many here might have. Just like any profession there are always going to be bottom feeders and that is no different in officiating.

Peace

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I do not like the advice from M&M about talking to the official outside of the court because that will not go over well very often. Even if you are trying to help, there are people that will be very offended by what you tell them. I have found those that really want to get better will either ask about plays and situations on their own in these types of settings. You are not going to change the spots on a leopard anytime soon. So I would think just deal with it when you know who you are working with. Remember not everyone comes to officiating with the passion to get better that many here might have. Just like any profession there are always going to be bottom feeders and that is no different in officiating.

Peace

I did use one important word in my whole premise - "maybe". Maybe no one has told him he's terrible, other than fans and coaches (and who really listens to them anyway, right?). Maybe he doesn't know the right way and wrong way to do things, because, let's face it, most "good" officials avoid those types of games, and his only mentor is Old School.

You are right in saying there are a number of people that really don't care, and they are in it just for the check. But how will you know that for sure until you say something? I guess that's my point - don't automatically assume the guy doesn't care. He may actually be a sponge for information. The problem might be he is soaking up all the other rec-league officials' bad habits.

So, just talk to him. If you get the impression he's not interested in your help, move on. You never know until you try.

[JRutledge]

I have found that the people that do not give a damn about getting better tell on themselves very quickly. When you talk to a guy and they have been around for 10 years and they do not work any HS ball that tells me all I need to know. Of course you can talk to them and I am not suggesting that you never talk to your partner. But I am saying I would be very careful to offer advice to people who just in their resume that they tell you make it clear they could give a damn. If the guy truly is a weekend warrior (does not work HS or any organized ball), then your little conversation is not going to change their mind overnight. You are still going to have to deal with how bad this person is and you will not make the one day experience much better.

Peace

[Adam]

If it's that bad, then you need to evaluate why you're there. If you know why you're there, you'll be able to figure out if you want to go back.
If you are going to work the games in the future, do your thing, call your area (to stay out of the habit of making long distance calls), work on your goals, go home, and kick the cat.

Snaqwells: If it's that bad, then you need to evaluate why you're there.

All of those incidents didn't take place on the same day, just a few examples of "bad partners" I have had since the season ended.

Thanks for the advice! I see you're a CO guy... Board 4 member?
Snowing out that way too

[Adam]

We had our snow this morning; maybe an inch, but nothing stuck. My boss is out playing golf right now. For all its faults, this western slope sure knows how to do winter; nice and easy. A lot easier than Iowa, and even Denver.

Hey, think of it this way: you've got off-season basketball to officiate. That's not really the case out here.