Preparing for partners who are new

[Rich]

I have taken on a new partner who has about 5-6 years under his belt, but has never really had a regular partner, which is crucial for advancement here.

Last year I got him to sub for my then regular partner and my then-partner rolled his eyes. Said the guy wasn't that strong. Said it was up to me. But I like the guy and it was in a small conference, so not much to lose no matter how it went.

So I went out and decided I would pump this guy up at every opportunity. And you know what? He didn't need it. His judgment was outstanding. His mechanics were probably better than mine. What he was lacking is "presence" (and no, I don't want to start a huge discussion on this) and confidence.

We talked after the game and the first thing he said was "I wish I could run a game like you just did." OK, self-awareness. Good. I told him that this is the step he needs to make next (this) season. I gave him examples of strong officiating and good judgment throughout the game. Seriously, he didn't make one call or pass on one call (that I saw, cause, well, I wasn't looking in his primary) that I thought was "off the wall."

And I will do my best to start the season making sure he isn't too vulnerable and pull back as the season goes on. By the end of this season, he will be there. At least that's my personal goal. It all starts tonight.

[fullor30]

BillyMac.............

First of all thanks for all the helpful informational pregames etc that you post here. I know it's a labor of love. That said, you've put alot of time and effort into it and I for one appreciate your passion.

I printed out your long version pregame which I thought was great as I like to cover topics and keep it in a discussion vein rather than just reading off a card.

Do you have this pregame in a 3 whistle form?

Thanks

[OHBBREF]

Originally Posted by fullor30

BillyMac.............

Do you have this pregame in a 3 whistle form?

Thanks

CCA pre game is posted
NCAA pregame

you can get the NCAA pregame at Eofficials.com

[fullor30]

Thanks OBBR........
.
Good stuff, I'm going to marry some of yours with Billy's

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by fullor30

BillyMac. Do you have this pregame in a 3 whistle form?

Remember the early scenes in the movie "Deliverance", with Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox, Jon Voight, and, Ned Beatty. Well, in terms of three-man crews, here in the "Constitution State", we're about as "backwoods" as that movie. Three man crews are only used in state quarterfinals and above, in some big city games in the southern part of the state, in a charity tournament, and in a few league championship games. In twenty-seven years, I've only worked one three-man game, and a few scrimmages.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by fullor30

Good stuff, I'm going to marry some of yours with Billy's

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Well, you did mention Deliverance.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by fullor30

Well, you did mention Deliverance.

I said "early scenes". I love that "Dueling Banjos" song.

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I said "early scenes". I love that "Dueling Banjos" song.

You sure have a pretty whistle.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by fullor30

You sure have a pretty whistle.

Are you refering to my pink whistle from last season's “Coaches vs. Cancer” crusade. IAABO joined with the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society in this crusade. I believe that we donated one quarter of a game fee to get the whistle.

[Back In The Saddle]

When I work with new officials, I try to:

1) Have a good pre-game. We cover just the basics, but thoroughly. I want my partner to know what I expect, what he can expect from me, and to not be surprised by anything we can reasonably anticipate.
2) Handle everything outside the lines: table issues, coaches, everything else. He/she has enough to deal with just calling the game. That's where I want his/her focus.
3) Find reasons to compliment them and build up their confidence.
4) Handle "teaching moments" in a positive way
5) Have as detailed a post-game as my partner wants, and let them lead that discussion wherever he/she needs it to go
6) Do what I can to ensure my partner has a good experience

But that's just me

[fullor30]

"But that's just me"

It should be everybody.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

I have taken on a new partner who has about 5-6 years under his belt, but has never really had a regular partner, which is crucial for advancement here.

Last year I got him to sub for my then regular partner and my then-partner rolled his eyes. Said the guy wasn't that strong. Said it was up to me. But I like the guy and it was in a small conference, so not much to lose no matter how it went.

So I went out and decided I would pump this guy up at every opportunity. And you know what? He didn't need it. His judgment was outstanding. His mechanics were probably better than mine. What he was lacking is "presence" (and no, I don't want to start a huge discussion on this) and confidence.

We talked after the game and the first thing he said was "I wish I could run a game like you just did." OK, self-awareness. Good. I told him that this is the step he needs to make next (this) season. I gave him examples of strong officiating and good judgment throughout the game. Seriously, he didn't make one call or pass on one call (that I saw, cause, well, I wasn't looking in his primary) that I thought was "off the wall."

And I will do my best to start the season making sure he isn't too vulnerable and pull back as the season goes on. By the end of this season, he will be there. At least that's my personal goal. It all starts tonight.

I remembered last night all the little things I heard over and over at every 3-person camp I've attended, especially the comment about remembering to officiate.

Girls varsity. Partners have worked some 3-person, but not nearly as much as I have. For the first half, partners were going opposite when they called a foul tableside -- just feeling they had to go somewhere. That was amusing (and corrected at halftime), but the one thing I noticed was one of the guys forgetting to officiate, especially when the C.

There were a number of drives started from his area where there appeared to be a foul and he called nothing. Now, I only saw this peripherally, it wasn't an elephant so I wasn't about to reach across the lane, but I don't remember him making a single call from the C. And part of this came from the L at the time not recognizing the rotation early enough and not going, which is another whole issue.

Now, the coaches were very well behaved and I don't remember a single moment where they got on any one of us. I did get a bit of grief twice -- once on a play where the visiting coach thought I called a 5-second violation, but I had granted a 60-second timeout to the visiting coach when I was at 4 in my count. Poor communication on my part, I guess, which made me realize how similar a 5-second call is to a timeout when the visiting bench is at the other end of the floor. Of course, I relayed this story to a official friend of mine and he asked "what, did he think they violated and THEN wasted a timeout?" But I do think I could've talked more, both to the coaches and to my partner.

I'm depressed about the future of 3-person here in WI. It's used in the tournament from the regional final level on (the first 2 rounds are still done 2-person) and one local conference is hiring 3 for all varsity games. But last night just reinforced to me that most people are not ready to work these games -- and how could they be? Go to a camp in the summer or, more likely, a weekend clinic in the fall, and then they work 3-person once or twice the entire season. How could you possibly expect those officials to perform well?

And since they don't perform well, the teams and conferences rightly say, "I don't see the advantage to this. The 2-person game is called better." I mean, I worked a game last season 3-person with two very experienced (2-person) guys who rotated (between them) once in the entire game and seemed annoyed I would do so sometimes 2-3 times in a single possession.

Well, it's a pointless rant. I have 35 (maybe 40-ish) varsity games on my schedule and 12 of them are scheduled to be 3-person. I'm betting I am on the high end percentage-wise for people in my area of the state.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Are you refering to my pink whistle from last season's “Coaches vs. Cancer” crusade. IAABO joined with the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society in this crusade. I believe that we donated one quarter of a game fee to get the whistle.

We donated $5 in one conference for the pink whistle last season.

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

And since they don't perform well, the teams and conferences rightly say, "I don't see the advantage to this. The 2-person game is called better." I mean, I worked a game last season 3-person with two very experienced (2-person) guys who rotated (between them) once in the entire game and seemed annoyed I would do so sometimes 2-3 times in a single possession.

You can always tell the pioneers, they are the ones with the arrows in their backs.

You're laying the groundwork for something better to come. Keep the faith. Keep on plugging away at it. Eventually you'll win.