Do you belive that basketball refree must/should be tall?
my high is 1.74cm and many people told me that i'm not tall
ENOUGH !! what do you think about that?are all the officials in this forum 1.85cm?please tell me what you are thinking about the high of the official?
thanks..

ROMANO...Convert your metric system to Feet and inches...you might get a better response. Remember, most of us are in the "backward" United States. ;)

I don't think it really matters how tall you are...it's how you call the game.
Having said that, there probably are some biases out there concerning ones looks and height...but isn't that true in all walks of life?

6'2" Dude w/ dark wavy hair :D

I agree with you RookieDude
i know one thing :most of the best refrees are short..
p.s
6'2"=?(cm)

Romano,I think that you meant 1.74m(metres),not 1.74cm.(centimeters). If you were 1.74 cm.high,you would be Chuck's height and you would have to live under a bridge somewhere.:D

Height certainly isn't a relevant requirement to be a good official,as far as I'm concerned.However,I have heard that the NBA is now looking for certain physical requirements for new officials,which I personally think is dumb.If a guy can do the job,he can flat out do the job.If he/she can get in position,make the calls and keep the game moving and under control,it shouldn't matter if he/she looks like ET.Some of the best college and pro officials that I have seen have been short,skinny or slightly overweight,rumpled-looking,etc.Didn't stop them from doing a great job.

1.88m :)

Doing some quick and dirty conversion math this comes out as 5ft 6in.

Are you too short???? We have an old saying here is States, “He rides tall in the saddle.” Meaning that what whatever he is doing, he does it very very well. Don’t worry about your height. Know the game, know your rules, know your mechanics, and sell your calls in a professional manner. In the end these are the things that count.

Jurassic Referee
yes you right! i meant 1.74metres..

I don't know what this is in meters, but I am 6'5", movie star handsome, and rich as Bill Gates.

dblref
Do you belive that some day you will be a good refree ??....

Our friend Romano is 5'8" or 5'9"- not sure what the average pro ref height in the US is, but I would guess it is over 6'0" - about 3-4 inches (7.5-10 CM) taller than Romano. Anybody out there know?

And what about NCAA - isn't there a bias toward height in officials?

Hawks Coach
What do you think (as a coach)about the ref height ?

There is a D3 college official from Lufkin, TX that I know of that does men's basketball and his height is 5'6" or there abouts. Couldn't tell you his name but the game I saw him do was very well officiated.

It is unfortunate that some leagues are pushing a certain "look" for officials, and associate certain characteristics (especially height and build) with the "presence" we all try to attain. It's a superficial extension of our society's pre-occupation with appearance (but that's another discussion). Officials should do their best to look presentable, maintain a decent weight and be in shape, but otherwise looks should be way down the list.

One of the best officials I know is only about 5'7". But he is confident, has a great voice, excellent demeanor, and laser-sharp mechanics/signals. And he calls a great game. That's what it's all about.

There's an NBA ref, don't know his name, older guy, bald, with an athletic but modest build. And he doesn't look that tall compared to the other refs. But whenever the big games come around, he is there. He always seems to work a game or two in the finals. They mic'd him up one game for TV and it was very instructive, watching and listening to the respect he commanded from everyone.

BTW, I'm 6'0" (about 1.82m)

SO we all agree that the official should be good,and the height isn't a problem and certainly isn't a relevant requirement to be a good official.

I would like to get a copy of that transcript. Do you have an idea where I could find one?

I agree with you canuckrefguy.
in FIBA is the same about the certain "look" for officials.
but i think that if you are not so tall like myself(1.74m)but you are a good refree you can be a professional refree.

p.s
now,when someone will ask me :"Hi what is you'r hight?
i will say :"5ft 6in"...
it's sound taller than 1.74m...
i think i will try to Convert our metric system to Feet and inches...

Wow, Canuckref, I didn't realize we knew each other :D That's a joke. But I'm also 5'7" (roughly 1m 70cm). Maybe the similarity stops there. . .

I posted this story once, but I'll mention it again. When I went to camp this summer, Mickey Crowley was just talking to a bunch of us informally. He was saying that he hoped the camp would tell us what we need to do to "move up" to our desired level. So he looks right at me and says, "You? You need to grow about 6 inches!" It was obviously a joke, everybody laughed. We moved on.

But I'm not a real tall person, and I do have D1 aspirations. So on the last day of camp, I sought out Mickey and I asked him seriously how much my height would hold me back. His reply was close to the following:

"If you'd asked me 4 or 5 years ago, I'd have told you that you didn't have much of a chance. They were looking for guys with a very specific look. They wanted tall, athletic refs. They wanted the refs to resemble the players. But they came to realize that calling the game is much much more important than how the crew looks.

Now, if you were a 6'4" black guy who could run, then I'd have a home run. But if you can call a game, and understand what needs to be called, that's more important. I don't think you should worry about your height. If I were you, I wouldn't even think about it."

For what it's worth, I don't think he was just trying to make me feel better, either. Just my two cents.

Chuck

I am 6'4" (dunno the metric conversion).

The reason I add this reply is that although I am fairly tall, I have a relatively thin build. I only go about a buck 85 on the the scales (dunno the metric conversion there either). I do try to use mechanics that will project strength and use good posture to my advantage. However, I have to say that I have the same concerns about a certain "look" when it comes to build as Romano does with height. I guess we all can't look like Ed Hochuli!

Has anyone dealt with this aspect?

Mike Burns
Who is or what is Ed Hochuli?...
enywhy i agree with you

I care about how they handle the game - consistent calls, keeping up with and anticipating the play, good game management, knowing the rules, etc. Doesn't mater how tall you are to do that.

Ed Hochuli is an NFL (American Football) Ref that is in better shape than most of the players on the field. ;)

IMHO
The only true advantage to height is being able to have better vision in the Lead position. That being said, I belive that regardless of how tall an official is, they must work hard when officiating the post to get the right angle or position to officiate the play.

I remember a game that Ed worked earlier this season, where Larry Allen of the Cowboys (350 or so pounds) was bent over backwards and couldn't up/righted himself. Ed pulled him up and Pat Summerall commented that if Ed wasn't a weightlifter, there was not way he could have done that.

OK
NOW now i know Ed Hochuli !!
i can see that he is a good man...

I'd have to agree. Mike Carey is also in great shape. But Ed is very impressive. Both are very good officials as well.

PS - Ed refereed the Oakland-Tennessee game and Mike refereed the Tampa-Philly game.

PSS - Mike's brother, Don, was the back judge in the SB.

So as we all can see the official can be tall or short but he must be very good in the court!i'm not worry about my hight.what's more important is that you can call a game .

One other short official I just thought of. Randy McCall. Calls in the Mountain West Conference and others in that area. He is about 5'7". He has called Div 1 playoffs.

Good thread and I think Chuck is right on here. A few years ago, anybody under 6'2" would not even be considered for D1 Men's ball as a new official coming in. I think the pendulum is swinging back the other way and your officiating ability is the main driver now. I would say that as a "vertically challenged" official, you need to be really good to get past the presence or appearance bias.

Andy
i know it's a Good thread because i have the same "problem"
and i want to talk about that with you (all the others ref's)and see if you (the shorts ref's) have the same "problem" to.and now i know that the others think like myself about the hight of the officials.

[Edited by ROMANO on Jan 31st, 2003 at 12:57 AM]

"Will be"? "Will be"? Whadda you mean "Will be"? :D

the provincial supervisor hear where i work is a short referee, yet the best ref i've ever seen. Also, the president of the provincial association is around 5'2.

DO you know COLINA?
COLINA IS THE BEST FOOTBALL REFREE AND HE IS ALSO VERY TALL but COLINA in this day's is looking for a nice short friends....do you know why??...

http://kuseman.mine.nu/files/funny/swf/finalprison.swf

ROMANO...YOU ARE ONE DIFFERENT, HECK WHY BE POLITE, WEIRD DUDE. (How do ya like my yelling ROMANO!?) Sheeesh

Dude

RookieDude
you told me that when there is smily icon near the message it's a joke ,no?
so my last message was a joke..just kidinig..take it easy!

"The only true advantage to height is being able to have better vision in the Lead position"

Only one person actually adressed this- to me, and I admit I am biased as I am 6'6", this is a huge advantage!

Obviously there are some other reasons why being tall is good, but the main thing is that I can see over many players heads or shoulders.

If we assume that I have worked hard and put myself in the correct spot I am in a stronger position then a shorter ref. I don't see how one can argue this point.

Before anyone goes off on me for arrogance or some such, let me say that I fully understand that there is much, much more to being a good ref then being tall. Experience, courage, judgement, hard work, knowledge, mechanics, foot speed and the intangibles such as presence and the ability to make people (and coaches:))feel comfortable are more important.

I will also add that the experience of having played the post is helpful. I think it helps me understand what is important to the bigger players.

We all have to play the cards we are dealt, I have to haul my big body (230#)up and down the court and I have never been accused of being graceful. My running style is a work in progress. I get where I need to be, but I am trying refine my running to look better. Shorter people are often more graceful.

If only tall people were allowed to officiate, we would have a huge SHORTAGE of officials (pun intended). That being said, I am 6'5". I have always felt that looking like a former ball player gave me a certain credibility. I think that, all else equal, the taller ref has a perceived advantage over the short one. But to me, the take home message is: a good official is a good official regardless of his height.

I agree with you!