This is not a fair statement. Many officials who work this level are working their butts off so they can advance. Middle school ball in these parts can be tough to call and are very competitive. We use these games to train younger officials so they CAN move to the next level.

I don't agree with this at all. If you didn't have a stepping system then where would the training of officials occur?

Middle School games are the training ground for high school games, high school games prepare you for college, college prepares you for NBA D-League or NBA.

As a second year official, I have learned a lot in Middle School games, is the quality of play good? Sometimes no, sometimes it's pretty good but at that level I've learned what's a rules violation, what's a foul, how to signal and where to stand.

Having just started working JV games this year I would be no where near ready to step on the floor for one of them if I had not had middle school games under my belt.

I personally would prefer to pay my dues and work my way up the ladder than start at the JV level because that really says to some officials, ok, I'm at the JV level to start, I must be good, where's my varsity schedule?

Once again, maybe where you are. MS games absolutely can help a newer official better their mechanics and rules knowledge so that they can move up. And not all areas have freshman ball ... we certainly don't here.

I worked 4 years in Las Vegas and MS ball there is actually quite good and competitive...even the girls (oddly much, much better than JV girls). And its a great training ground if you put a conscientious, experienced guy with a newbie to train and mentor. And best of all is the environment. MS hoops is a social event, the first time many of these kids have attended a school event where they're not under constant parent or teacher supervision. There is a lot of noise, enthusiasm, and emotion from the crowd. MS coaches are generally not very proficient but act as though they're Bobby Knight. And MS parents are, well, MS parents. MS basketball is a challenge to officiate correctly and a hoot all at the same time. Pairing Joe Paycheck with a newbie or two newbies together is a bad formula for MS ball.