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

[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.