When is it too late to turnback a game ???????
 

I jusr received a small college basketball game for wednesday evening and called my h.s. assigner. He whined about me turning the game and how i was being unprofessional.

My response was that it was a win win for everyone. Now a jv guy gets a varsity game and a guy sittin home gets a jv game. The assigner and I have a good relationship and I told him that doing things for officials will make our
board better in the long run.

Do you guys think that 48 hrs in enough time and how do your assigners
where you live handle this issue?????

If your assignor uses a computer-based assigning system like the Arbiter or RefTown, then it's very easy to re-assign the game. If your assignor is a dinosaur who still uses pencil and paper, then it's a bigger pain because he will have to get on the phone and call people.

There are two questions here. Is it unprofessional to turn back the game and when is too late to turn back a game. There's no right or wrong answer to either question. The answer for each varies by assignor.

Agreed -- it might also depend on the particular night. Maybe this Wed is one of those nights when "everyone" is playing, and the assignor is already short of officials. Or, maybe this is the only game and referees have been calling the assigner begging for games.

Maybe the game you were on was the big rivalry game, so it's not as simple as moving up a JV ref. The assignor might need to move another V ref to your game and then re-assign that "lesser" V game.

I think the professional way to handle this is to tell the small college guy you'll get back to him after you communicate with your HS assignor. Then call the HS assignor and see if he's OK with the switch.

My attitude has always been that my HS game is no less important than a small college date and my contract for the HS game is binding unless the HS assignor agrees to let me out of it. I don't work a lot of college basketball, but I worked a pretty full D3 baseball schedule up until I quit a few years ago and the college assignor hated that I wouldn't just dump HS commitments at the drop of a hat for him and it's one reason I just decided to not work those games anymore.

It is best to have these situations resolved before they come up...because they will come up. When I was hired for college this season, I asked each of my high school assignors how late they would take back a game if I got a college game...and each said that 24 hours is fine. Same-day turnbacks are not OK, especially on Tuesdays and Fridays...which is when every high school plays.

I told my college assignor and he said that if he knows I have a HS game, he will give me 30 minutes to get off the high school game before he offers the game to another official.

High school starts next week..so I have not yet had to test this.

It ain't that easy. It depends on # of games to be covered plus availability on that particular night. We might also have to match partners depending on the game. We don't want 2 fairly inexperienced guys on a big game and we don't want new officials taking varsity games they aren't ready for yet either. We also try to keep people away from going to the same location too many times.

If someone tells me they're available and I assign them based on that availability...and they then come back to me to say they've accepted another game that they thought was better than the game I gave them...you can take it to the bank I will remember that. Their next game from me will be only when I absolutely have to use them. And I can tell you that most assignors feel the same way. We treat officials the way thery treat us. Fair's fair.

We like guys like you. :)

If we can work something out, fine. But if you just tell me you're dumping your assigned game, well, you reap what you sow.

When it comes down to that plum playoff assignment at the end of the year....and I have my choice of 2 officials with fairly equal ability....and one official was dumping games on me during the year...guess who I'm giving the playoff game to. Yup...the RichMSN's of the world.

I wish our state office saw it that way.

And that is the real answer.

Here, it is accepted practice to turn back a HS game for a college game. I've done it but not same day. Not sure how late would really be OK.

No matter how busy of a day it is, with enough notice, there is at least someone who can double up.

The only people that can answer are the people you are working for on a particular game that you plan to give back. To some 48 hours is enough, to others that would be too soon. To some a week is too soon based on the reason you are giving back the game. I know an assignor (who has since passed) that did not like anyone to give back high school games in his conference for college assignments. He would scratch you or pull you immediately. That was just his thing and his right as he was assigning the games.

Peace

Exactly. Some people wonder why other people seem to be getting the better assignments when their abilities are similar (maybe even a little better). You would think they would figure it out. You take care of your assignor when they're in a spot and they'll remember it. You cause them grief, they're remember it. Guess who is most likely to get that call when a good opportunity comes up.

I think it really depends on the relationship you have with your assignor. I had a JVB upgraded to a VB yesterday by my secondary assignor. My primary assignor called about 10:30 last night to see what I had that night. He thanked me and then about half an hour ago, he called wondering if I could do a DH tonight as he had someone back out. I will leave earlier and know that I am with a rookie, but I don't mind giving back as I had received earlier in my career. This assignor has been very good to me and the only turn backs I have had were due to a death in the family and leaving for a business trip early in the morning. That was a 10 pm game, so he understood.

I have had other situations when an opportunity to get a VB game and turning back a JV game was met with vitriol. But, if you have a good relationship built up with the assignor, you can work through things.

When in Rome..............
 

This year we were told anything inside 24 hrs (unless under exigent circumstances) you get "fined" your game check.

Since 1988...

I have NEVER turned a game back in.

I have NEVER refused an assignment.

I have NEVER refused a game as a fill-in.

:D

I had to do two of those for yesterday when one of my assignors did not realize he had me scheduled for two games at two different levels. ;)

Peace