College Officials

[CDurham]

Besides the differences in rules, what makes a college official different than a high school official?
- Look, presence, mechanics, ect.?

I have always wondered what makes an assignor at the college level bring up a high school official and what they look for.

[Jeremy Hohn]

Quite a bit matters whether you want to work women's or men's.

Know your CCA mechanics book in and out.

Rule Knowledge and what applies to each situation.

Physical appearance.

Court presence (professionalism)

Mechanics. (doing it the way the assignor wants it done)

Work the court whether women's or men's correctly according to coverage resposibilities.

yes, they have a "look" they are going for. don't kid yourself. They want someone fit, fast, and that can keep up with the game. And yes, they want to reflect the "racial makeup" of the dominant race on the floor. i will let you guys put 2 and 2 together on that one.

Go to camp, and shine!

[JRutledge]

The main thing is that you got hired to work a college game and a high school official might not.

The main thing is that college officials tend to think in very specific issues when it comes to officiating plays rather than just blowing the whistle to call a foul. They tend to know why they are calling a foul and why they should not call a foul. Part of that is the exposure to camps and having been evaluated on many plays down to the minute it took place in the game. But there are always exceptions, just some things I have noticed.

Peace

[dahoopref]

Besides what the others have said, the one item that worked for me is to have a mentor that works the conferences you want to work. When I went to camps, there were other officials who ran well, looked athletic, and were very solid in their play calling and mechanics; however the assignors/evaluators had no idea who they were. They had very little credibility to other officials established in the conference. In every conference I work, I had a mentor "vouch" for my officiating ability to the assignor and thus had an upper hand on getting hired.

Now that I'm an established "veteran", newer officials (usually from the HS association) who are eager to learn and get better, have asked for me to mentor them. If they indeed have the talent, I have often passed a good word to the assignor who in turn hired them. It is a cycle/tradition that was passed down to me and I hope to continue.

[truerookie]

Originally Posted by dahoopref

Besides what the others have said, the one item that worked for me is to have a mentor that works the conferences you want to work. When I went to camps, there were other officials who ran well, looked athletic, and were very solid in their play calling and mechanics; however the assignors/evaluators had no idea who they were. They had very little credibility to other officials established in the conference. In every conference I work, I had a mentor "vouch" for my officiating ability to the assignor and thus had an upper hand on getting hired.

Now that I'm an established "veteran", newer officials (usually from the HS association) who are eager to learn and get better, have asked for me to mentor them. If they indeed have the talent, I have often passed a good word to the assignor who in turn hired them. It is a cycle/tradition that was passed down to me and I hope to continue.

IMO. If this is true, the assignors/evaluators should just have camps where people are just invited based off of who can vouch for them. I am aware this is the nature of the beast.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Hohn

They want to reflect the "racial makeup" of the dominant race on the floor.

I've heard this a few times over many years. Is it true, or is it a myth? If true, does this also apply to gender?

[ref2coach]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I've heard this a few times over many years. Is it true, or is it a myth? If true, does this also apply to gender?

Yes, indirect knowledge in Basketball. Direct from the mouth of multiple conference assignors in Soccer. In fact in College Soccer, NISOA is the main national training and referee certification organization. They have a program to specifically recruit and advance Female and non-Anglo-Saxon males. Not very PC but it is what it is.

[jeffpea]

what is difference between a hs player and a college player? talent!

the talent they are looking for is: judgement - you HAVE to know what contact is a foul and what isn't. too many hs officials blow the whistle very quickly when contact occurs rather than seeing the play start, develop, and finish.

your rules knowledge is assumed.

you need to be able to move and run in order to see the plays (too many hs officials not only look like they can't run...but they can't actually run - the game is too fast for them).

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by CDurham

Besides the differences in rules, what makes a college official different than a high school official?
- Look, presence, mechanics, ect.?

Grammar is the key difference.

Well, that and consistency, call quality, effective game management and communication with the coaches (and others).

[doubleringer]

Size.....of the paycheck.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by CDurham

Different than.

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Grammar is the key difference.

"From" is most certainly correct, while "than" is not uncommon in the "Colonies".

The Collins Cobuild Bank of English shows choice of preposition after "different" to be distributed (%) as follows:

"from" "to" "than"
----- ---- ------
U.K. writing 87.6 10.8 1.5
U.K. speech 68.8 27.3 3.9
U.S. writing 92.7 0.3 7.0
U.S. speech 69.3 0.6 30.1

[TheOracle]

Originally Posted by CDurham

Besides the differences in rules, what makes a college official different than a high school official?
- Look, presence, mechanics, ect.?

I have always wondered what makes an assignor at the college level bring up a high school official and what they look for.

Judgment is of paramount importance. The way you look and comport yourself on the floor can and will get you noticed, including positioning, mechanics, and confidence.

Once you get there, people skills (a.k.a game management) will separate those who have great judgment from the rest of the pack. The ability to effectively manage the game (rules/judgment) along with negative emotions from coaches and players will lead to high ratings from both peers and coaches. In the end, that is what differentiates all officials as they ascend.

Veterans and older college officials eventually get dropped based on coaches' feedback. That's why you still see pretty old guys still working TV games past their due date: their people skills allow their peers and coaches to still want them around.

[Jeremy Hohn]

Originally Posted by TheOracle

That's why you still see pretty old guys still working TV games past their due date: their people skills allow their peers and coaches to still want them around.

See Steve Welmer and Jim Burr for examples of above....