Vote of Confidence?

[just another ref]

Yesterday, I got a call from my assignor to double check that I had my assignment for tonight. (I didn't) It seems I am to go to the only 4A school that we have. Okay.

"Who's with me, chief?"

"Oh, yeah. Glad you asked. It's (the older guy who has been around for several years but never gets varsity games unless we're REALLY busy) and (the young guy that started officiating last year). You'll be in charge. Handle it now."

I'm not sure if either of these guys has ever done three man.

[grunewar]

JAR - and as always, we anxiously await your game report!

[Loudwhistle]

Originally Posted by just another ref

Yesterday, I got a call from my assignor to double check that I had my assignment for tonight. (I didn't) It seems I am to go to the only 4A school that we have. Okay.

"Who's with me, chief?"

"Oh, yeah. Glad you asked. It's (the older guy who has been around for several years but never gets varsity games unless we're REALLY busy) and (the young guy that started officiating last year). You'll be in charge. Handle it now."

I'm not sure if either of these guys has ever done three man.

Well its pretty well spelled out, you are going to be "the man" tonight! Good Luck, don't let your guard down for a second.

[just another ref]

Let's just say it was an experience. Girls game was a blowout, very easy. Boys game was hotly contested the whole way, biggest lead was 10. Home trailed the whole game, cut it to 2, but couldn't pull it out. Early in the second half, after a couple of trips which resembled a pinball machine, I realized that I was going to have to expand my coverage area somewhat. After that, we (mostly I) regained what I considered an acceptable level of control. Home coach is, uh, quite excitable even when he's ahead, and tonight he was over the edge a bit. Whacked him late third quarter. Lots of fouls down the stretch. I'm guessing I called roughly 75% of them, one partner 18%, the other guy..............didn't call very many. In retrospect, I feel like I did what I had to do, but one always wonders if it was too much when forced out of the ordinary.

As if all that wasn't enough, we had (you're not gonna believe this) an inexperienced timekeeper tonight, who stopped and started the clock incorrectly several times, further complicated by one time when the clock "stuck" and simply wouldn't work until it was reset.

When we ran off at the end, some of the fans threw money at us. I got all excited and gathered some up, but it turned out to be counterfeit. Thirteen dollar bills with Mark Padgett's picture on them.

Okay, I made that last part up, but the rest is true, to the best of my recollection.

Finally, I talked to another of our association guys on the way home, and it turns out that he and his partner heard the 4th quarter of our game on the radio. Announcers apparently made repeated reference to "one official making all the calls" and at one point said "he called that foul from seventy feet away." But I was pleased to hear that one of these home town guys said that the officiating did not affect the game and that the visitors simply outplayed the home team, executed a better game plan, and seemed to want it more.

THE END

until tomorrow when the home coach calls the assignor and the assignor calls me (maybe)

[Loudwhistle]

It sounds like you were "the man" hope you're not feeling bad about calling most of the fouls even though some were out of your area, you had to! Imagine the disaster the game would have been without your expanded coverage. My VB game tonight was a blow out. Felt like you said ping pong I had trouble keeping up with the ball since the other team stole the ball about every other time down the court. HOme coach pulled out his starting 5 in the third quarter and put in his JV's. I happen to be by the Hbench about 2 minutes later and hear coach say to his sitting varsity " they (the JVs) look a lot better than you guys did"

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by just another ref

I realized that I was going to have to expand my coverage area somewhat.

Shocker!

[KJUmp]

How did the young official in your crew do?
Any lessons that may useful to us newbies?

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by KJUmp

How did the young official in your crew do?
Any lessons that may useful to us newbies?

Yeah...and I wasn't there.

Primary, primary, primary.

When you are on ball referee your primary hard and call all the obvious fouls and violations.

When you are off-ball, referee your primary hard and get those subtle things that can mess up your game: elbows; displacement in the post (offense & defense); grabbing jerseys; bumping cutters of their course; illegal screens/picks.

If you have to split hairs on a call don't blow your whistle.

Do those things and your more experienced partners will be happy with you.

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by KJUmp

How did the young official in your crew do?
Any lessons that may useful to us newbies?

The young guy was largely invisible. He did make his OOB calls on his lines, quickly and decisively, but he called very little else, especially in the second half.

My advice to him, and you, is to not be intimidated by your surroundings. I had called a two man game with this guy at a smaller school last month and thought he did an excellent job, but I think too much stuff was thrown at him at once, bigger school, bigger crowd, faster pace, three man mechanics. He kind of shrunk from the task.