First varsity boys game
 

I started doing varsity girls last year, and had my first varsity boys game last night. A couple notes:

1. I got a call from my primary assignor asking if I would take this game -- 1 h 40 minutes away! Game fee will cover approximately half of my mileage.

2. I think I did OK. I had two great partners and tried to match their game. I might have missed a minor travel and maybe a couple of other things, but I didn't have a "stinker" -- you know, the call that has everyone in the gym either screaming at you or scratching their heads asking "what the heck was that?" I made one or two calls as L on C's side of the lane, but they were double whistles. Still working on the different PCA's for 3-person.

3. Two smallish teams that play basically the same game. We had about 30 fouls in the first half, including a double T that partner called in the 1Q. It was right after a shooting foul where the shooter ended up on the floor. The fouler kinda stood over him in a threatening way (not quite taunting), and the shooter's teammate got up on the fouler's face. One coach said "isn't that a little quick?" Partner replied: "Should I have waited until they threw a punch?" Didn't have any further trouble that night.

4. Second half went much smoother. Oh yeah: to complete my initiation and to make sure I didn't get home quickly, we went to overtime (sorry Padgett).

I didn't tell my partners that it was my first varsity game until afterwards. Didn't want them to worry about me. It was good.

Beautiful response and quite accurate, too.

Hoorah!
 

And even more importantly, they didn't notice! Good job.

You were wise to take the game, even if you had to drive through a blizzard to get there. If you hadn't, you might be doing nothing but junior varsity girls next year.:)

Assignors have a long memory when it comes to the officials that'll go out of their way to help them out when necessary. If they don't, they damnwell should.

Congrats, mbyron! Glad it went well...

Exactly my thinking. I have moved up faster than average, and I attribute that partially to trying to help out.

I also attribute it partially to the gang here. You know who you are. :)

You know, I've noticed that myself. Every association is full of the guys who always complain about their partners, their assignments, locations, the gym the have to ref in, the coaches they have to ref against, how many games they're not getting, etc etc etc.

I decided last year to make a concerted effort not to be "one of those guys" and be the guy in the association that my assignor thinks of when he thinks "now, I need a guy I know I can rely on who's not going to be a whiner." I don't turn games down, even if it means working with a guy I don't especially like or against a coach I've had problems with or in a gym that's a little further than I want to drive that day.

And, just a few weeks ago, during my evaluation, he said pretty much that (that I was a guy he could always rely on), and my name has come up in discussions of which JV officials to put in the "transition pool" next year.

So, I think it helps a LOT to be "low maintenance" and just be the guy that can be relied on.

Not to run this thread off topic, but here is a very good post by BITS about working with assigners http://forum.officiating.com/basketb...tml#post629132

I forgot to add this to the original post (and I apologize in advance for tooting my own horn).

I think my best call of the night was actually a no-call. One partner (very professional, very solid official) was L and I was C. H1 was driving the lane, went up, and crashed into V1, who was set and vertical. H1 crashed to the floor, missing his shot.

We both held our whistles. Then I look at L and he's making this signal that says "straight up and down!" H1 initiated the contact, but V1 was put at no disadvantage (he was big, and didn't budge).

So we head the other way, and I'm thinking, "good patient whistle, good no-call." It was certainly not a perfect game or even my best, but I nailed that one!

Congrats on your first boy's varsity game and from the sound of it, a quite successful one at that!

Out of curiosity, how long have you been officiating basketball?

Atta boy! ;)

I'm curios too. Mbyron's posts have great credibility. Hard to believe it's his first B/V game. Like he's been around forever. Hardly ever disagree with him.

Just goes to show the power of professional writers... :D

I Was Surprised Also ...
 

Agree. It almost knocked my socks off. I did a "Danny Thomas Spit-Take" and then double checked the poster's username.

What were we saying about confidence vs. ego? ;)

+1.
Way to go!

Even more important than not mentioning to your partners about it being your first BV game is to not announce it at the captains & coaches meeting.

I've always thought it would be entertaining to say this to the head coaches right before a game, acting really nervous, and see how the game goes.

I wouldn't do it, but I've thought about it.

First and foremost, congrats! You are capable. Believe in yourself.

Question about the double T decision that your partner made: Did the fouler and the teammate exchange words or pushes? Was he penalizing them for offenses committed against each other? If not, and the fouler was T'd for standing over the shooter while the teammate was T'd for coming to the shooter's aid, then this should NOT have been a double T. It should have been a false double technical foul and the two teams each should have been awarded 2FTs in the order in which the fouls occurred.

PS Do you get paid mileage as well as a game fee?

First and foremost, thanks!

I understand your point about the double T. I did not quite see what either player did. From what the R told me, they "got in each others' faces." From that description, it sounds like the right call.

And no, we don't get mileage. Ordinarily I drive no farther than 35 miles for a game, so 90 was unusual to say the least.

I respectfully beg to differ, Mr. CumquatHead.

Were the techical fouls committed by opponents? Check!!
Did the technical fouls occur at approximately the same time? Check!!
Did the opponents not commit the technical fouls against each other? Check!!(only one of the "T"s was against each other, not both)

Sure sounds to me like it meets the definition of a simultaneous technical foul as per rule 4-19-10.

And there is also nowayinhell it can only be a false double technical foul. Did you forget the original personal foul on the shooter? It's a false double foul comprised of the original personal foul on the shooter followed by the simultaneous technical fouls.

And how do you administer this, you ask? There's no FT's for a simultaneous technical foul and you go to the POI as per rule 10-6PENALTIES SUMMARY 1(d). And in this case the POI is the first FT for the personal foul committed on the shooter as per rule 4-36-2(b). And you shoot the FT's with the players on the lane lines.

Perhaps simultaneous Ts would be appropriate here. It lies in the eye of the beholder. However, if I see a player foul his opponent and then stand over him in a menacing manner, then one of his teammates rushes to his aid and gets in that guy's face, I'm taking those actions in sequence as they very clearly follow one another as cause and effect.

I'll stick with my opinion of the false double Ts, which of course are to be administered after the FTs for the original foul. I didn't forget about that either. I merely went forward with the administration of the Ts in my writing instead of going back and specifying that part as well. I thought that it would be clear from the context.

Can't argue too much with that. Judgment call.

Personally, if the actions are related to each other and the time frame is close, I lump 'em together.

Sure simplifies things and saves administering a bunch of FTs! :)

That's exactly why I recommend it, as long as it can be justified rules-wise.