How to do your best with new/sub-par officials?

[Junker]

I make an effort to not extend my primary when working with newbies (luckily it doesn't happen often). The need to learn to call their area and if they blow something, they need to learn how to deal with the coach as well.

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by jdw3018

Whenever needed, and a lot more than some. Love to get on the same page as much as possible.
Unfortunately, the "standard practice" in this area is to arrive sometime within 5 minutes of tip at all scrimmages and JV games. Ugh...

I appreciate all the posts on this subject. I love the opportunity to help younger/new officials, and definitely did all I could last night to ask lots of questions. The new official I was working with wants to do well, learn, and I think has the potential to be very good, so I'm hopeful he'll keep working at it, and I offered to help all I could.

I'm kinda caught in that middle ground right now - I'm still young/new enough that I've got to be more careful than some in offering unsolicited advice, but experienced enough that I think I can really help. I'm also having to "prove" myself to the folks around here since I'm new, so it's an added challenge.

All-in-all, I'm loving being back on the court again. I kind of forget how much fun it is during the summer when I'm not doing any officiating. I've got another scrimmage tonight and the same crew is going, so I'll have more of the same - we've got a ride tonight so hopefully we can pregame!

I emailed a Fly Boy ahead of my first game with him last season. Told him I wanted him there a half hour before the game to pre-game and that we would go out to courtside at 15 minutes, do the conference at 12 & then do the book. I was pleasantly surprised when the guy was there and dressed when I got there 40 minutes before tipoff. You never know....

[icallfouls]

Originally Posted by jdw3018

Whenever needed, and a lot more than some. Love to get on the same page as much as possible.
Unfortunately, the "standard practice" in this area is to arrive sometime within 5 minutes of tip at all scrimmages and JV games. Ugh...

I remember a few years ago when I was starting to get games when I was expected to be the crew chief with officials that are the "top guns" and then getting games when I was supposed to be the lead official.

The mix of officials that I worked with was wide ranging. But for that year and the following, I would tell my partners that I would like to meet them no later than 45 minutes before tipoff for any varsity game and 30 minutes for everything else. I explained to them that in order for me to officiate my best I needed to start the game with a pre-game.

It was a great technique that got my partners to arrive early and I never had someone say no and most were very receptive to my request.