Final 4 Officials
 

Who will it be this year in the annual thread?

Eades
Hightower
Higgins

I would put $ on Shaw after the Stanford game.

How about

Packer
Vitale
Bilas

Might as well be. They think they know how to call the game anyway.

How about Ted Hilary, Ed Hightower, and Curtis Shaw!

He won't be there. He is working the NIT game between Ole Miss and VA Tech right now.

The Dieblers. With Bhuck in reserve.

I would think Hilary really won't be there. He can't get up and down the court!

What's that got to do with it? :confused:

I tracked it for the past four years and no official has worked an NCAA tournament game after working an NIT contest.

Plenty of officials have worked the first two rounds of the NCAAs and then switched over to the NIT.

Doesn't mean that this will for sure continue, but that has been the case in the past.

My money's on TheOracal, Old School!!! ;) Not sure on the third.

Are there one or two sets of officials for the final four?
If it is two then we need to come up with another set of three!

Paparo
Wirtz
Garibaldi

10 officials get selected.

lpbreeze

A total of 10 are chosen.
Three for each of the three games and one alternate for the whole weekend. Each official will only work once.

I hope Jamie Luckie makes it to the Final Four. IMO, he is one of the best officials in the country. Unfortunately for him he doesn't have any goofy mechanics or habits to get him noticed - he gets up and down the court, in good position and does it all without jumping around like a clown.

And the semi-final officials don't get to hang around either. They have to leave after working their games.

Oh really.

Brian Kersey worked the NIT first round Alabama State - Arizona State game last Tuesday.

He worked both UCLA games this past weekend, his 103rd and 104th games of the season.


<TABLE style="MARGIN-TOP: 12px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: lightsteelblue; TEXT-ALIGN: center" vAlign=top width=20>102</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 6px" vAlign=top width=60>Tue 3/18</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=40>http://www.bbstate.com/img/teamlogos20/ALAST.jpg http://www.bbstate.com/img/teamlogos20/ASU.jpg</TD><TD class=darkgrey10 vAlign=top width=220>Alabama State 53 Arizona State 64</SPAN> </TD><TD style="COLOR: #333333" vAlign=top width=85>Final <TD vAlign=top width=210>NIT First Round Tempe, AZ <TD class=grey9 vAlign=top width=136 colSpan=2>ALAST PF:18 ASU PF:13</TD></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top></TD></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cdcdcd><TD vAlign=top colSpan=12>http://www.bbstate.com/img/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: lightsteelblue; TEXT-ALIGN: center" vAlign=top width=20>103</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 6px" vAlign=top width=60>Thu 3/20</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=40>http://www.bbstate.com/img/teamlogos20/UCLA.jpg http://www.bbstate.com/img/teamlogos20/MVSU.jpg</TD><TD class=darkgrey10 vAlign=top width=220>UCLA 70 Mississippi Valley State 29</SPAN> </TD><TD style="COLOR: #333333" vAlign=top width=85>Final | GameFlo <TD vAlign=top width=210>NCAA Round of 64 Anaheim, CA <TD class=grey9 vAlign=top width=136 colSpan=2>UCLA PF:9 MVSU PF:9</TD></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top></TD></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cdcdcd><TD vAlign=top colSpan=12>http://www.bbstate.com/img/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: lightsteelblue; TEXT-ALIGN: center" vAlign=top width=20>104</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 6px" vAlign=top width=60>Sat 3/22</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=40>http://www.bbstate.com/img/teamlogos20/UCLA.jpg http://www.bbstate.com/img/teamlogos20/TAM.jpg</TD><TD class=darkgrey10 vAlign=top width=220>UCLA 51 Texas A&M 49</SPAN> </TD><TD style="COLOR: #333333" vAlign=top width=85>Final | GameFlo <TD vAlign=top width=210>NCAA Round 0f 32 Anaheim, CA <TD class=grey9 vAlign=top width=136 colSpan=2>UCLA PF: TAM PF:</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Guess that blows the hell out of that theory!

Go Hoyas! :D

Whoever the third is, I'll bet they are from or were trained in California?

To be fair to Nevada that game was played before the NCAA tourney started. I think he is saying that once the NCAA tourney starts no one has worked an NIT game then come back and did a NCAA tourney game.

But I don't want to get in the middle of y'alls :) fun.

A nice article on Eades......... sorry for the length

Princeton man is one of basketball's best referees

By Dave Morrison
Register-Herald sports editor

Nobody grows up with the goal of becoming a basketball official. Princeton’s Mike Eades was no different.

A former basketball player in high school and college, Eades thought he would be content doing something in the teaching field. His basketball would be limited to rec league games.

Things didn’t quite work out that way.

Eades, 44, is a basketball official in the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences. In other words, the big time of college basketball.

He also does games in the Colonial, Southern, Atlantic 10 and Big Sky conferences.

“Never, at any point, did I think I would be doing this,” Eades said recently. “But you know what? It’s a great situation. I’ve had a lot of lucky breaks and I’ve been fortunate. It just kind of worked out this way.”

Eades played high school basketball at Princeton, and came within an upset loss to Wheeling Park as a junior from winning three straight Class AAA state titles. That was during the Allen Williams/Jimmy Miller era.

After that, he went to Lees-McRae for two years before heading to Division II (at the time) UNC-Greensboro.

The coach left after his first year and Eades returned home, finished school and continued his career in rec leagues. And that was where, as it turned out, a career was born.

------

Like most officials, Eades started out close to home.

“I started off refereeing games at the rec center in Princeton, probably 16 or 17 years ago,” he said. “From there it progressed up to junior varsity and then to high school games.”

Back then, the ACC and the SEC were the furthest thing from Eades’ mind.

“”My first goal, when I started out, was high school games,” he said. “Then my ultimate goal became getting in the West Virginia Conference. Sounds funny now, but the WVC seemed like the top of the officiating world.”

Eades did that.

“I did women’s games the first two years,” he said. “John Holt, the supervisor for officials in the conference, thought I would be better suited for the women’s game. But I really didn’t like that game. Nothing against the women’s game, I just didn’t like the pace. I begged John for a chance to do men’s games.”

Eades got his break when an official headed to Concord for a game was involved in an auto accident.

He had just done a women’s game in Athens, right up the road from his home, when he got the call.

It went well and he stayed, doing WVC, ODAC and even NAIA games at Mountain State in Beckley. Holt also assigns the officials for MSU games.

In fact, Eades, who has done several NCAA Tournament games but just one championship (Division II in 2000), had a chance to do the NAIA national title game in 2003.

MSU spoiled those plans.

He did several games in the tournament and the first game of the Final Four. MSU was playing in the second Final Four contest and Eades, a West Virginian, was obviously not getting that gig.

“They told me if Mountain State lost, I’d be doing the championship game,” Eades said. “If they won, I’d be going home. You know what. I went out and rooted for MSU to win. I wanted to see (coach) Bob (Bolen) and those guys do well.”

Still, it hasn’t stopped Eades, a hard-line referee known for not taking a lot of garbage from players and coaches, from calling it even when he has done Mountain State games.

“He’s one of the best friends I have,” Eades said, “but when I do their games, I call it even. I guess I have teed him up a couple of times. I reffed the only game they lost in 2004 when they won the title. I still tell Bob they wouldn’t have won the title that year if they’d won that game.”

n n n

Eades is quick to dispel several officiating myths.

One, that referees will give make-up calls when they miss a call earlier.

“I’ve never done that, and honestly, I don’t know of any referee who would do that,” Eades said. “That’s not going to happen with me.”

What about officials trying to even up calls? Often, coaches will let an official know when the foul totals are, in their opinion, skewed.

“You start doing things like that, you don’t last long,” Eades said. “You have to make the correct call.”

Officials don’t hear things coming from the stands.

“I hear it all,” Eades said. “Some of it is pretty funny. A lot of it is X-rated. Mostly, if you turn and laugh, they’ll leave you alone after that.”

And just what is it that elicits a technical foul?

“If they are cursing in conversation, that’s one thing,” Eades said. “But if they are cursing at you, that’s a different thing. I’m not afraid to jump in there and tee a coach up. You can’t be passive. You have to make the call.”

Eades said he is fully aware of the score, the players on the court, everything, even late in the game, despite some officials saying they try not to look at things like scores and situations.

“I’ve always been aware of what the score is; I try to be aware of time, score, fouls, timeouts, the possession arrow,” Eades said. “The more court awareness you have, the better off you’ll be.”

Not that every call is perfect, even by Eades, a self-proclaimed perfectionist.

“Usually, you’ll know right away if you miss a call,” Eades said. “If a coach questions me on a call and I missed it, I’ll tell them that. Most of the time, they’re OK. But if you go over there and lie to them, you’re hung.”

Like players, he studies.

A lot.

“I watch a lot of tape,” Eades said. “And when I do it, I look more for mistakes. I want to be the best I can be.”

All signs point to Eades being just that.

He was voted the ACC Commissioner’s Award as 2006 ref of the year, as voted on by his fellow officials.

------

Eades may be best remembered by West Virginia fans in an infamous way. It came on what many fans perceived as a non-call on a late shot attempt by WVU’s Mike Gansey against Texas in the Guardian’s Classic in Kansas City in 2005. Ironically, that was the same site where he nearly got to call the NAIA national title — Municipal Auditorium.

Gansey was taking the ball to the basket as time was running out with the Mountaineers trailing 76-75. As he drove to the basket there was contact.

“I can still see the play in my head,” Eades said. “It’s a tough play when it happens live. But it was my play. I thought at the time it was not a foul. After the game, we got booed pretty good by the fans. One of the (other refs) asked me if I was sure it was a foul. Then, the head official’s phone rang. It was our supervisor. I still remember the head official’s eyes darting all over the place. Finally, he gave us the thumbs-up.”

WVU coach John Beilein never questioned the call.

Gansey was asked after the game about the play and said he wasn’t fouled and the play wouldn’t have mattered had WVU made its free throws down the stretch.

“I thought that showed a lot of class on his part,” Eades said. “Later, we (the officials) were having dinner at a sports place, and Fran Frachilla (a former Big East coach) was talking about the principle of verticality. Gansey had initiated the contact.”

Yet ...

“I still hear about it,” Eades said. “I go out and golf and there are Mountaineer fans at the course. Sure enough, they mention that call. We usually get a good laugh out of it. Hey, I got that one right.”

------

The best compliment that arbiter Eades can give his craft is this: He wouldn’t mind his son Anthony someday donning a striped shirt.

“We watch a lot of tape together and he can usually see a mistake I make before I do,” Eades said. “He’ll say, ‘Dad, you missed that one.’ I’ll say, ‘No way’ and rewind the tape. Sure enough, I missed it.”

Anthony, like his dad, is an aspiring basketball player.

Having a son who is now old enough to play is one of the drawbacks. He is sometimes on the road and away from wife Gina and Anthony for a week.

He is often up at 4:30 a.m., on a flight by 6 a.m. and headed for his next city.

“Here’s the key,” Eades said. “Learn to sleep on planes. And get to your next destination early enough so that you can sleep in the afternoon.”

Often the officials — who are paid before each game — have dinner after their game and get back to their hotel around midnight. Then it’s back at it again the next day.

------

Eades is the only state native who is currently a Division I referee.

“I think there are some younger guys who are good enough to get into the Big East, SEC or ACC,” Eades said. “Why am I the only one? I can’t answer that.”

He has made the most of the opportunity.

Last year, he called NCAA Tournament games in San Jose, Calif.

He also enjoys giving back and helping fellow officials.

He figures he has tutored nearly 100 referees and helped many move up in levels.

He figures to keep going as long as possible.

“As long as I’m healthy, that is,” Eades said.

His goals are obviously different these days.

“I’d like to call a Final Four; that’s every official’s goal,” Eades said. “But even if I don’t, I’ve still had a great time.”

I believe the rule is that an official cannot take an assignment that is less than 3 days before an assignment in the NCAA tourney. So if Hillary was assigned for a regional final game he could technically take an NIT assignment on a Wednesday.

I was born in San Diego. Am I eligible?

:D

I stand corrected. I looked it up; the rule is that an official may not accept an assignment on the day previous to an NCAA tourney assignment unless it's a Final Four game in which case an official can't take an assignment 5 days or fewer before the National Semifinal game.

Here's a link to the rules:

http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/cham...ies_030408.pdf

Well that all depends sir.
Have you officiated a 100 game varsity schedule out there? You definately have potential being born in Cali & all... I don't know if it's being so close to the ocean or the healthy living lifestyles, but when it comes to officiating Californians have "IT". It's true!! SoCal said so :D

Well, since we're this far into the interview process, it's probably time for full disclosure.
We moved away to Iowa in 1976. Unlike MTD Sr., I was not reffing at that time. I doubt they let two-year-olds officiate, even in SoCal.
I withdraw my name from consideration.

Eades (assuming we're talking about Mike, not Tom) worked the CBI semifinal Bradley@UVA game last night in Charlottesville.

I thought Ted Valentine was also from West Virginia. I went to Mike Eades' camp a couple years ago and Teddy V. was there and Mike was able to scrouge up a photo of Teddy playing baseball in college at a small West Virginia school.

You got me, I'm not up on every D1 guy and when they are mentioned here, I go to google to match the face to the name.

How was the camp??

If that's what he was saying, he's still wrong.

Kelly Self worked the Wisconsin-CS-Fullerton game last Thursday.

He worked the CBI game between Tulsa and Utah this past Monday night.

He worked the Xavier-WVU game tonight.

<TABLE style="MARGIN-TOP: 12px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: lightsteelblue; TEXT-ALIGN: center" vAlign=top width=20>67</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 6px" vAlign=top width=60>Thu 3/20</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=40>http://www.bbstate.com/img/teamlogos20/WISC.jpg http://www.bbstate.com/img/teamlogos20/CSF.jpg</TD><TD class=darkgrey10 vAlign=top width=220>Wisconsin 71 Cal State Fullerton 56</SPAN> </TD><TD style="COLOR: #333333" vAlign=top width=85>Final | GameFlo <TD vAlign=top width=210>NCAA Round of 64 Omaha, NE <TD class=grey9 vAlign=top width=136 colSpan=2>WISC PF:11 CSF PF:25</TD></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top></TD></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cdcdcd><TD vAlign=top colSpan=12>http://www.bbstate.com/img/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: lightsteelblue; TEXT-ALIGN: center" vAlign=top width=20>68</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 6px" vAlign=top width=60>Mon 3/24</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle width=40>http://www.bbstate.com/img/teamlogos20/UTAH.jpg http://www.bbstate.com/img/teamlogos20/TULSA.jpg</TD><TD class=darkgrey10 vAlign=top width=220>Utah 60 Tulsa 69</SPAN> </TD><TD style="COLOR: #333333" vAlign=top width=85>Final | GameFlo <TD vAlign=top width=210>CBI Quarterfinals Tulsa, OK <TD class=grey9 vAlign=top width=136 colSpan=2>UTAH PF:24 TULSA PF:16</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Is there anything else I can help you with? :p

I can't argue with those facts, Tony. The way the assignments are handled clearly must be changing.

You win this one.

http://www.runemasterstudios.com/gra.../notworthy.gif

That was too easy...can't you call him a name or something?

Yes, Ted Valentine is from West Virginia. Bill Kennedy, the NCAA official not the NBA official, is also originally from West Virginia. I'm not sure, but I thought Mike Lazo is also from West Virginia. Lazo is the official that was bumped by OJ Mayo when Mayo was in high school.

West Virginia ???
 

Is West Virginia one of those states where, if you divorce your wife, she's still legally your cousin?

http://www.cafegetaway.com/vacation-...ginia-logo.jpg

That's not really California....:p

It may well have been different in the past. But clearly, it's not that way now.

Zelton Steed also worked in one of the other tourneys this week as well as working Thursday night.

So who gets the call?

Are only the dozen guys who worked the regional finals eligible?

Anyone who works the 3rd or 4th round is eligible.

Cartmell, Harris, Hightower.

was it me or didn't ed hightower not work in the Sweet 16? He had UCLA and Xavier in the Elite 8

Nobody works both the Sweet 16 and Elite 8... 40 officials are chosen for the regionals (three 3-man crews for each of three games at each site, plus one alternate for all three games at each site)

Any official that works a Regional Semifinal or Final is eligible to be one of the ten chosen for the Final Four and Title Game.

As a side note, Sweet 16 & Elite 8 officials make $950, Final Four/Championship guys earn $1400. Both totals (not including per diem) are less than some of the big dogs make during the regular season!!!

Any guesses as of yet as to who the NCAA will be sending to San Antonio this weekend?

In some cases a lot less. From what I understand the NCAA does this in other sports as well. The idea being that the conferences are competing for the best officials by offering the best pay, but working the tourney is an honor so they can undercut the top rates in the premier conferences.

A friend of mine who refs college soccer has told me that it's almost not worth the time off of work to work the College Cup (soccer's final four). The key word must be almost because he's worked the last 3.

What conference(s) pays more than a $1400 single game fee?

The Missouri Valley does.

http://forum.officiating.com/showthread.php?t=41311

See post #20. If that poster's info is accurate.

I think Gary Maxwell is due. He was the alternate 2 years ago and has done a great job. No 'on court' time yet in the Final Four. One of the best D1 officials to not get the call.

He normally isn't. I would be stunned if he was on this one. That seems unbelievable for a mid-major conference.

He's certainly eligible as he worked a regional final.

Actually he is pretty close on that one.

The pay scale that Jeff quoted are contained in the 2007MVC Men's Basketball Championship Handbook. The 2008 version does not include the pay scale.

34. OFFICIALS
A minimum of 12 officials will be assigned to the tournament by Jim Bain, Coordinator of Officials. Officials will be paid the same fl at fee by tier as during the regular season. E-Tier offi cials will get $1600 for a weekday game and $1800 for a weekend game (Saturday or Sunday). Level I will receive a fee of $1200, Level II will receive $1000 and Level III will receive $850 per game.

The MVC has made a concerted effort to attract top officials and their roster bears this out. By my count, 28 of them received NCAA tournament assignments. The roster also includes several others who didn't receive assignments because of the computer snafu: Jim Burr, John Higgins, Steve Olson and Steve Welmer.

Agreed...

Allow me to pass the BBQ sauce. ;)

No need. I simply said I would be stunned if he was correct.

According to my very reliable sources, Welmer not working the NCAA tournament was not a "computer snafu." Welmer turned back his NCAA tournament assignment because he only got assigned 1 game instead of 2 (that the normal big-dogs get) during the first weekend. He saw it as a sign of disrespect.

Eric Curry, the suspended Big Sky official, was originally not assigned a NCAA tournament game but got the call when Welmer turned his back.

If true, that is quite interesting...

and pulled up his pants! ;)

Les Jones is out of the running for this weekend. He had the first semi in the NIT along with John Higgins and Ted Hillary, neither of whom were eligible to work this years Final Four.

I know Hightower & Eads are in, not sure of the rest...

I'm thinking Shaw and Tony Greene for sure....

I heard the same thing about Welmer from a reliable source. Only got one game, so he turned it back. I thought Donato would get in this year but I guess not. I'll say Hightower, Valentine, Thornley, Shaw and Eades as my locks.

It was just announced. Here's the officials for one of the games:

http://s155426766.websitehome.co.uk/.../marx-bros.jpg

Here's the other group:

http://www.tvcrazy.net/tvclassics/ar...ee-stooges.jpg

Here are the alternates:

http://www.corrieblog.tv/laurel%20and%20hardy.jpg

More Alternates...
 

http://www.bookzap.com/photos/ABBOT_COSTELO-2.jpg

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTefO3Gf...wan_martin.jpg

http://lauren.50g.com/boweryboys/pix3/angelsalley2.jpg

http://www.bookzap.com/photos/MARTIN_LEWIS-2.jpg

http://www.vtliving.com/newhart/darryld.GIF

http://re3.yt-thm-a01.yimg.com/image/25/m1/2128192475

I've always wanted to use this when introducing my crew in the captains meeting, "Hi, I'm Larry. This is my brother Daryl. This is my other brother Daryl." :D

http://www.vtliving.com/newhart/darryld.GIF

After introducing myself as Skippy Weaselpants, I always introduce my partner this way: "This is my partner, John Smith, but that's only his motel name."

I'll say Hightower , Thornley, and Valentine for Monday night.

No, Hightower, O'Neill and Valentine. :D

Peace

Scratch O'Neill--He worked the CBI game on Friday night.

I was not serious. ;)

Peace

Oh stop, will you :p

At least if it happen, it would be entertaining.

Peace

Are you the kinda guy who waits at train crossings, hoping for crashes, too?

:D

Was the reasoning for Curry not getting a game due to his suspension?

Hard to believe a guy whose worked 8 straight Big Sky Finals as well as 4 straight years in the tournament would be left out....

I'll take Hightower,Valentine, and Greenwood!

Atom Bomb
 

I can not see the NCAA putting Ted Valentine and Ed Hightower together on the game. Mr. Ed Hightower nor Mr. Tom O'Neill backed Ted Valentine when her threw Bob Knight out of a game many years ago.

At one time those two in a game would have been volatile, but they have worked together at least on a few occasions since then. I know there was a time when Teddy wouldn't have wanted to work with Ed though.

Final's Crew
 

Jamie Luckie, Scott Thornley, Ed Hightower

You stole my answer!

nasdaqref,

Is that your guess or confirmed through sources?

As much as I wanted him to Jamie Luckie is not going to be working the game tonight. I wish he would have though.

My picks for tonight
 

Hightower
Higgins
Thornby

Whoever works tonight, they better be in shape.

Maybe the alternate will get some game time with all of the running that could take place in THAT track meet tonight!

He worked the second NIT semifinal. It would be greatly surprising if he worked the NCAA final tonight, although he has had the required five days off.

I wish Wellmer's grandmother was working the game. I'd pay to see that. ;)

I think I just saw the back of what used to be the balding head of Hightower standing at center court.

Hightower, Corbitt, and Cahill calling the Championship for those of you not in the chat.

Who is/was the final 4 alternate?

Alternate
 

Pat Driscoll