Getting to know me

[Mark Padgett]

1. How long have you officiated hoops:
24th season

2. Most rewarding experience:
officiating with my son

3. Toughest game: rivalry, state-semi, or loser out:
calling a rec league game when my son was in 8th grade and he was on one of the teams and both teams were 9-0 going into what was their final game of the season

4. A good partner is:
Dave (plus, of course, my son Josh)

5. Worse place to dress is:
on the court

6. Best advice received from coach, player, fan?
it's wrong to use "best advice" and "coach, player, fan" in the same sentence

7. If I could change one basketball rule it would be:
including possession on the penalty for a technical foul

8. Who makes the best shoes, bag, whistle:
shoes - Nike, bag - Wilson, whistle - Fox, of course, is there any other?

9. Least favorite place to officiate:
the old, old, old gym in Banks, Oregon

10. Worse time to kick a call is:
dunno - never kicked one

11. Slowest dresser is:
my wife

12. Fans are:
even dumber than the howler monkeys

13. What is your pregame ritual?
lots of tranquilizers

14. Official scorer's can:
learn better when to buzz

15. Best place to eat after game is:
my house - the price is right

16. Most embarassing moment in a game was:
dunno - I've never been embarrassed in my entire life (true)

17. If I could change the uniform I would:
go to NBA style shirts

18. Most junk in gym bag:
rule book - I really don't need it with me

19. Strangest thing I ever saw on a court was:
Bobby Knight sitting down

20. The toughest call for me in basketball is:
over the back, wait - maybe it's the reach, wait - maybe it's 3 seconds during shots, wait - maybe it's all of the above