Worked two Summer - or Spring, I guess - League games on Saturday...both boys HS Varsity...both absolute blow-outs (40 points or more)...first game was with a guy I had never seen before and he informed me before hand that he ONLY works these AAU/Premier Hoops leagues (yikes)...was interesting watching him switch sides of the court as Trail while the ball was in the half-court offensive set...trying to figure out where he was looking was also a test in itself...oh well...second game was with a local guy who thinks he should be working Varsity during the season...he came absolutelu unglued at half-time because I "stole his call"...I was T (2 person) and ball was on wing on my side of court...A2 drives to hoop and goes up to throw one down and gets clobbered...since the drive started in my primary (and ended on my side of rim to boot) I call it...I see his fist up and call to him "I've got white 52, hit - same thing partner?" He says "Yes" so I turn around and report it...at half-time he is furious and wants to know why I stole his call - after all, the play was coming to him....I just apologized, promised I wouldn't steal any more calls, patted him on the back, finished the game and got the h*** out of there! Summer ball is so much fun!!!

I routinely do many spring and summer leagues but around here, many experienced officials do these leagues, so usually there isn't much problem.

This weekend, I was doing a game and I was able to watch some of the game on the next court. It was a game for 8th grade boys who will be entering HS in the fall.

The final score was 78-21. The team that won took off their press after they scored the first 12 points of the game, but they are just that good.

Here's the scary part. That group of boys, who have been together with the same coach since 5th grade and have always been the best team around here at their level, will all be going to the high school that won our state 4A title this season.

That's all that school needs - more outstanding players.

YIKES!

I worked an Under-17 AAU game this weekend with a fellow college official. One team was clearly better than the other. The better team had two very tall kids, and the losing team was not skilled enough to play any kind of effective defense and ended up fouling the big kids the whole game. Understandably, the big kids on the winning team started taking umbrage to some of the treatment they were receiving. It was getting a little heated.

Both teams were in the "double bonus" in the first half. And in the last couple of minutes of the first half, my partner called a double foul in the post. As soon as the horn sounded to end the half, I went to him and said "I don't know what you had on that double foul, but I love the call". I thought it sent a good signal that we were not going to allow the crap to continue.

About a minute before the second half was to start, he comes to me and says, "Let's not call the bulls*** fouls this half, ok?" I laughed b/c I thought he was kidding. He says, "I'm serious. Nothing we're going to do is going to make this game better, so let's call less [sic] fouls".

I couldn't believe it, to be honest. If we'd laid off the whistles in that second half, there would've been a fight, no question in my mind. I am still kind of stunned that he thought we should treat that particular game that way. But I called what needed to be called and just got through it. I think he just had other things on his mind.

Chuck

Maybe he had a church committee meeting that he was anxious to get to on time.