SEC officials

[Brian Watson]

Reffing is the easiest thing in the world to do....from the stands.

Hogfan, you need to grow some onions, take a class, then come run with us. I will put a dollar on the fact that the first time you work a game where there is an ignorant dad yelling 3 seconds on an inbound play, a coach wanting an "over-the-back (whatever the hell that is), or a player giving you attitude when you call a foul on him after he has chucked a player into the third row, you would not even be posting this garbage.

As an honest question, do you even know what is involved in being an official? Do you even have a concept of the time and effort we put in? I know, you think we probably just show up, collect our check and go home. You are dead wrong. We work out in the summer just like players. We attend camps to better ourselves. We take tests on a regular basis, attend (depending on your area) upwards of 6-10 or more meetings a year to cover rules, situations, and interpretations. We review tapes of ourselves, and in certain areas, others. We have evaluation done on us by the state or assignors. And this is just for MS and HS ball, the college guys can double or triple that effort. We don't do this for money, it is just for the love of the game.

It is easy to lob bombs at the SEC guys from your keyboard. But, I don't care how many of your fellow fans agree with you, you are wrong. I don't care if it is the saint mary's of the woods league, if it is college ball the officials are top notch, SEC included.

Sack up, take the challenge, earn your stripes, then come back and tell us how bad the SEC guys are. There is a huge shortage of officials because of people like you. Instead of contributing to the problem, be a solution. I am sure your local Middle Schools and rec leagues would love an extra hand to help out.

PS - After you tell us how bad SEC officials are then, we would also like to know exactly what your fellow fans think of your performance.

[JAdams]

Mr. HogFan: if you're as knowledgeable as you think you are, then what are the four criteria to have an over-and-back (i.e. backcourt) violation? Please add a post with your answer.

Don't know? Then there are lots of other rules and interpretations that you probably don't know, either.

[rainmaker]

Originally posted by JAdams
Mr. HogFan: if you're as knowledgeable as you think you are, then what are the four criteria to have an over-and-back (i.e. backcourt) violation? Please add a post with your answer.

Don't know? Then there are lots of other rules and interpretations that you probably don't know, either.

Great Post of the Week, Adams!! And I would add that if he DOES by some weird quirk of fate get this correct, he could earn bonus points by describing the circumstances when the 3-second count is suspended, or ended.

Mr. HogFan, if you can get these two questions answered correctly, even if you use a book or a personal conversation with a ref, you will be listened to with much more credibility by all of us. That's a promise!

[Hawks Coach]

Hog Fan
Take it from a coach who does not ref if you do not believe these guys. I can tell you that if you come to this board with an open mind and read what these officials have to say on all topics, you will see the kind of detail that goes into the reffing of a mere HS JV game - and that refs work to get just to that level. Step up to varsity, you need to be a whole lot better. Do any college, it's going to be easier to get D3 or D2 than D1 (on which you comment). And if you do D1, they are looking at every game, and especially in the major conferences. I know a couple of D1 officials personally and they go through a lot to get there alone, and to get the good games requires that they really have a good game themselves.

I can also say that my rules knowledge is better by far since joining this forum. Trying to argue with these refs has forced me into my rule book on more occasions than I can possibly remember. Before I got in there, I don't think i won too many because I sorta knew it, but didn't have the true facts. And I can say that what I have learned here (backed by rule and case) has shown me how little most announcers, fans, coaches and players know about the rules. I hear former coaches and players that now announce give some explanations that just make me cringe. And if these announcers are on 3-5 nights a week, we get that explanation 3-5 nights a week. Repeat a falsehood enough times with confidence and it becomes true. And the officials just get worse and worse the more we hear.

I still notice a few "botched" calls, but much fewer in the ACC/SEC/Big 10 games than in the lesser conferences. Not necessarily in every game though, and no pattern of botches (like your comment that they don't know how to call block/charge - never seen that to be true). And far more botched plays than botched calls! Far fewer botched calls since I learned the rules and official interpretations. And overall, I see a very high quality of officiating in the college ranks, and a poor quality of rules knowledge among those that comment on the game.

[crew]

hawks coach,

you have just raised the integrity of officials singlehandly, you have earned the respect(tremendous) i give to you.

crew

[Mark Dexter]

Originally posted by rainmaker
Mr. HogFan, if you can get these two questions answered correctly, even if you use a book or a personal conversation with a ref, you will be listened to with much more credibility by all of us. That's a promise!

Shouldn't be too tough. The questions come up and are answered here on roughly a weekly basis.

[JAdams]

Looks like he didn't accept our offer to discuss the rules pertaining to backcourt violations and three-second calls. I'm sure he still considers himself to be an expert on both, however.