http://espn.go.com/ncb/columns/bilas_jay/1510733.html

Back off the Refs

Speaking of tough calls, can we officially get off of the officials, already?

Referees have the toughest job in basketball, and all they get is grief over the job they do. The vast majority of officials I know are hard working, honest, and take their work seriously. They are fair-minded, and would like nothing more than to go unnoticed by the masses, and especially talking heads like me. Of the officials I know, they want one thing above all else, to get it right. Every time.

Here is the rub. The powers that be in the game want the game to be more finesse than power, and to take the weight room out of contention as being the primary place that games are won or lost. The elimination of rough play, especially in the post area, has been a major point of emphasis for officials. That is a noble goal, and it is one that is worthy of being pursued. However, many officials are stuck between being able to administer a game according to their own judgment, and doing it the way they are being told by their superiors.

Referees get evaluated by their superiors just like the rest of us, and assignments and tournament slots depend upon how they ply their trade. Meanwhile, coaches are yelling at officials at the top of their lungs for an entire 40 minutes, announcers are second-guessing them with super slo-mo on every play, and studio shows are dissecting plays like it's the Zapruder film.

Referees are professionals, and need to be able to use their own judgment in game situations. There is a difference between rough play and touch fouls, and between contact and improper contact. Not every play can be boxed into some neat little rule. Let the officials use their judgment, and let the players play. If there is rough play, call the rough play. If there is a touch foul that gives no advantage or disadvantage, let the referees let it go.

Here is what I think should happen. Coaches should sit down and coach their teams. There is no reason for a head coach to be up and out of the coaching box as often as coaches currently are. That rule should be enforced, even though it seems rigid and silly. It is a violation for a player to step out of bounds, it should be a violation for a coach to do so as well. Assistant coaches should stay seated and silent toward officials during all game action. Coach your own team and pipe down. If a trainer spouts off at a referee, his yap should be taped shut.

Coaches need to quit moaning about officials in public. If you have evidence that an official is incompetent, bring it forward to your conference office, and handle it the right way. This public *****ing and moaning is unseemly, and it needs to stop. And quit complaining about late whistles. A late whistle is more likely to be right than the anticipatory whistle we so often hear.

Players need to pipe down. Players have no business talking back at an official. The referees are the law on the court, and no amount of yapping is going to get an official to change a call. Shut up and play. You actually will play better by concentrating on your own job rather than the job of the officials.

Fans need to cheer for their teams instead of against the referees. A little good-natured ribbing is OK with the refs, but some of the venom that is spewed their way is uncalled for. That is where school administrators need to step in and demand decorum from their fans. This is college basketball, not World Wide Wrestling, for crying out loud.

Lastly, those in charge of officials need to let the officials do their jobs without constant interference. Referees should be evaluated, sure. But there are not as many absolutes in officiating as people are led to believe. I think the officials do a damn good job. Are there some bad ones? Sure. Are some arrogant? You bet. I would guess that there are just as many, if not more, bad and arrogant coaches and players out there as there are bad and arrogant officials.

Lighten up and play.

good article. thanks.

Wow! Pretty refreshing, huh?

Anyone have the email address of the idiot that wrote the article about the Wake Forest/Duke game last week?

Wow...ref's getting some good press for a change.

Thanks for the read.

Which article?
 

With a little investigation (net searching), we should be able to find it.

Trainers
 

I removed a trainer from a team bench the other day with 18.8 to go in a 5-point ball game. He was yapping the whole game, but I was ignoring it for the most part. At one point in the game (Sophomore Boys prelim befeor Varsity) the band was playing during a live ball, next dead ball I made the mistake of going directly to the table instead of the AD and asking them to ask the band to not play during a live ball. The announcement went something like this, "The referee has asked that the band stop playing." The trainer starts chirpping about me making that request and I just inform him that it is a rule. He continues to ramble on and starts to get worse and makes some sort of comment about me not being able to remove him so I go to the assistant coach and ask them to remove the guy at the end of the bench before he casues them to receive something they don't want in these last 18.8 seconds. He tells me that he is their trainer and tell him that he can stay in the gym but he cannot be on the bench right now. They remove him. The home team makes up the five point deficit only to lose in OT.

Sidenote: A SOPHOMORE kid got fouled and one-hand dunked from about two or three steps inside the freethrow line to score the first points of OT. I blew my whistle for the foul and stood there in awe a little before I realized what I was doing. Never thought I would see that in a sophomore game...

Re: Trainers
 

I did an 8th grade tourney last weekend that hosted teams from throughout the state. There were several players who jammed it home... I was in awe (and envy).

I did an 8th grade tourney last weekend that hosted teams from throughout the state. There were several players who jammed it home... I was in awe (and envy).
[/B][/QUOTE]What's the big deal,Willie? The kids were probably 17/18 years old!

This was in Wisconsin,wasn't it? :D

Is this the same Jay Bilas that played at Duke back a ways - with Mark Alarie and Johnny Dawkins??? What a great article...on the same vein, anyone read Barry Mano's opinion in the latest Referee magazine - it's his response to the Sports Illustrated idiot writer who roasted the football official who threw the pass interference flag against U of Miami in the last seconds...pretty good article also!

Yep, that's him. Not bad for a Dookie! :)