Your 1st TV game

[rockyroad]

Like everyone else said - it's not that big of a deal. Once the game starts, you don't even know they are there. If you let it become the focus of your game prep, you are going to be in serious trouble.

[fullor30]

With eyes glazed over. I didn't deserve the game, I was only in my second year and thought every time the phone rang prior to the game, it was my assignor deciding I wasn't ready. He called a few days before the game and I saw his name on caller ID and my heart sank. I had my speech prepared how I was ready and up for it. As it turned out, he asked me to do the soph game as the school didn't want a certain official. In retrospect, doing the sophomore game loosened me up.

The game was a breeze, I was in Cadillac most of the time and looking at the tape , I did fine. Mechanics were good, no questionable calls, not a peep from either coach(one of them had a reputation for being pretty dramatic and a screamer).

I had a very basic over and back call the first minute of the game and the announcer was drooling " This is a veteran crew, and it shows, with a great call early in this contest". The only thing 'veteran' about me was my grey hair.

In my area, Chicago, they now have a cable game of the week, so they are fairly commonplace. This was about 6 years ago and the PBS station did the broadcast of which they only did four or five all year . It was a big deal.

I'm sure plenty of officials were watching and said how the heck did he get this game. Two top ten teams in the state. In my little world, it's been the highlight of my career.

Just call your game, don't change anything, stay loose and have fun!

[Kelvin green]

Here are my thoughts

Use as many unauthorized mechanics as possible.
Be a histrionic as possible
Showboat
Upstage your partner
Make a lot of calls you have to sell
Call a lot of them out of your area
Wave at the camera when it is on you
Smile
Make sure you are on the pre game and post game interviews
Stop by at half and see if the announcing crew has any questyions about the rules or calls you made. Sell out your partner on the ones he made.
Remember they showed up to watch you ref!

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

I remember my first men's college basketball game; it was fifteen years ago: The Polish National Men's Team versus Cleveland (Ohio) State University at CSU. It was not a TV game, but it was the first game I had officiated where the electronic broadcast rules pertaining to timeouts were in effect. I knew the rules so I wasn't concerned about that but five days later I had a women's Div. III game where the electronic broadcast rules were not in effect BUT I sure missed those dang electronic broadcast timeouts, .

I do have one bit of advise though that I heard given at at men's officiating camp years ago (and yes we had color TV by then): Once the reporting (foul) official comes to a complete stop facing the Table: The official should hold his upper arm (the arm he is going to use to signal the fouler's number) out (parallel with a line that goes his shoulders) from his body with his lower arm raised at a 90 degree angle (perpendicular to the floor). This allows a TV camera behind him to see the number of the fouler as the official announces the foul to the Table.

MTD, Sr.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

We had color TV by then.

Yeah. Two colors. Black, and white.

[LSams]

set the DVR -- and go have fun!

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Yeah. Two colors. Black, and white.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Yeah. Two colors. Black, and white.

Billy:

Have you been getting information from my sons, .

MTD, Sr.

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

Billy:

Have you been getting information from my sons, .

MTD, Sr.

Your Three Sons?

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by Kelvin green

Here are my thoughts

Use as many unauthorized mechanics as possible.
Be a histrionic as possible
Showboat
Upstage your partner
Make a lot of calls you have to sell
Call a lot of them out of your area
Wave at the camera when it is on you
Smile
Make sure you are on the pre game and post game interviews
Stop by at half and see if the announcing crew has any questyions about the rules or calls you made. Sell out your partner on the ones he made.
Remember they showed up to watch you ref!

You're pure evil.

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

You're pure evil.

Oh is that what it's called

[stripes]

The only real difference to me is the TV timeouts. As the R, I found out when the TV TO's were to occur and let my crew know. We also identified who the "red hat" (the guy who tells you to play after the commercials) was and we took our cues to start play from him.

At half, we asked the red hat how we could get a copy of the game.

During play, it was a basketbal game and we just reffed it.

Don't make it bigger than it is.

[26 Year Gap]

I suppose one advantage is you can ask a coach if he wants to watch the rest of the game on TV.