What is everyone's opinion about a 2 yr High School official trying to make it to the JC Level?

Nothing.
 

Maybe that individual is just that good. I think I would need to know more about the situation to really have a judgement. Some officials are just more talented, years of experience is not everything.

Peace

very possible
 

There is a female out of Phoenix that was D1 in her second year.

She worked the state tourney at America West in her first year as an official.

If you got it you got it. What is the difference of having natural talent as a official or natural talent as a player. If you can make it in two years great! Obviously someone sees potential.

AK ref SE

I think it is great if they can do that.... but I have seen many times a ref who has talent moved up too quickly and not had the time to acquire the judgement about when to blow a whistle or not. Sometimes they see something goofy and just plain dont know how to handle it...

Then when they mess up they get chewed on or have a bad game because of the lack of experience and it destroys them or marks them... Personally I'd like to see somebody have a little more experience, but if they did evety basketball game known to man the first year and officiated a couple hundred games they'd be ok, but not if they only reffed 15-20 hs games then moved up... they would have to do more than that.

I second Kevin. While it may be great to try out for JUCO as a second year official. I wouldn't get in too big of a hurry to move up. If you move up and screw up, it will take you longer to get to the top then if you come along at a slower rate. Get the confidence of 100 games a year for three to five years and you will have no problem with moving up to JUCO.

Is years overrated?
 

I only want to make this point. Years of experience alone I think are very overrated. I think you need to have more game experience than the amount of years you have been working. I know younger officials that only do 10-15 games a year total. You cannot learn a hell of a lot during that short period of time. I personally think you need to do close to 100 or more to really get your feet wet and learn all kinds of reason why you make calls and what not to call. You also learn much better what the game is all about, and that is very important to be an official. But then again you need "like" game experience too. Not to knock the rec. league or AAU games, but if the attitude is to not switch or not to rotate or just operate proper mechanics, then I think you do not learn a lot from those games. But if you have partners or leagues that demand that kind of operation or behavior as an official, you can and will grow much faster than if you are just winging it.

This is why I go to several camps a year. You get the opportunity to work a game and have someone demanding that you do the mechanics and call the game relatively correctly. I probably do about 40 games during the summer that are all camp games. It is like another half of season to get further experience at the game I am always trying to get better at.

Peace

Whether I work rec ball or AAU, I tell all my partners that I want to do it the right way (i.e., switches). Sometimes you get a partner that simply doesn't want to do this and rather that have a big "argument" about it, I will "force" a switch if necessary. This type of attitude doesn't happen that often but it does happen more in rec ball than AAU, for some reason.

If two years is to short to do college ball, then what about someone who has been doing ball for say 20 years and is not doing college ball, is that to long.
My Opinion is when the chance comes take it! Whether it is your 2 year or 20th year the right person has to see ya to get your chance.

Re: Is years overrated?
 

Jeff makes a great point here. I know too many guys who have worked for 5 or 10 years, but all the experience that they have is really one year 5 or 10 times. They haven't learned the things that an official needs to control the game and get respect. They work games, but they don't learn from them. I see them make the same mistakes that they have made for several years--even after they have been told what they do is wrong.

I personally know an official that was working JUCO his 3rd year and D1 his 4th. He is very good. If you think you are ready--GO FOR IT!!

too long?
 

Two things about too long. If you have been doing 10 to 15 games a year for 18 years and then get serious. Do 100 games/year for two years and you are ready. If you have been doing 100 games/year for 20 years and you are just now getting around to getting serious about officiating college. Unless you are 38 and you are just now maturing, you are probably washed up and shouldn't be trying. In otherwords, your maturity level will have a lot to do with when you should try.

The other thing I just thought of is your job and family situation. If you don't have your family or job in order and after twenty years are just now getting so that you are free to do the kind of travel college requires, then you are now free to try out for college.

Hard to say....

Everyone has raised good points about experience and readiness and even talent. Another thing that comes into play is what part of the country you are in. Where I am, JC ball is the elite level. In my state, we have a 10 team JC league, one D2 program in the whole state, then up to D1. In a part of the country where there was a lot of D3, D2, NAIA college ball, being a JC official may be normal for a second year official. Where I'm at, it's rare to get to JC ball before your fifth year.