HS Associations - Training Programs

[tomegun]

I didn't read every post in this thread, but I wanted to respond because I have knowledge of several things mentioned.

First of all, I was part of the IAABO board in DC and I saw Scott Foster one time while I lived there. Unless things have changed drastically over the last three years I doubt that board resembles a NBA staff, especially since he has moved up among NBA officials.

Rut, I was an official who moved from a non-IAABO state to an IAABO state. I want to say right off the bat that I think IAABO is just a middle man and most associations worth anything have training. When I moved to Maryland things went like this:

• I went to a camp before I moved to possibly get hired in a JC conference. I was hired.
• When I moved I worked a few games for the IAABO "recreation" assigner for my area before the season started.
• I worked 1 JV game for the regular assigner and had no other games scheduled. Someone was watching me.
• I wasn't used to not working during that time of year so I contacted the assigner for the DC IAABO chapter and he told me he wanted to see me work.
• I drove an hour across town to work 6 minutes of a 12-year old game. He said thanks and I will be in touch. At the time I was kind of pissed because I drove so far, in bad weather, for such a short time on the court. My car was still warm when I got back in it!
• The next day the assigner from DC called me and loaded me up with a bunch of schools I had never heard of. Literally 5 minutes later the IAABO assigner from Maryland called me to give me Varsity games.
• I was honest with both and ended up working for both boards for the next 3 seasons - I probably did less than 5 games during that time that were not varsity although the few times I did I was glad to get home earlier. As far as I know I'm still the only person to do that since then.

The original assigner was replaced by the "recreation" assigner after my first season there and he is still a friend. Oh, those schools I had never heard of were schools from the Catholic league - one of the best leagues in the country.

I think we need to worry more about the product we put on the floor instead of the amount of years an official has been part of an association. I would think an official like Rut would be OK regardless of where he moved. I know you can come out to Vegas and be OOOOOOKKKKKKK.