First playoff assignment

[ODog]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Connecticut. 99% of our regular season games are two person games. Three person crews are used only for the state tournament.

Same in Mass. Some reg. season matchups ask for (and pay for -- you get $68 instead of $77 ... I think) three-man.

But then the entire state tourney is three-man. That's a tough spot for most non-college guys, imo.

[Rich]

Based on a quick count, I have about 16 3-person games out of the 50 regular season games that I'm working. I'm willing to guess that in my immediate area, few are working more high school games 3-person unless they are working in conferences that allow 3-for-2 and then take 3 to those games.

(I work in a couple of conferences that allow 3-for-2 checks and we don't take 3 out of general principles. I don't do this for the money, but I'm not going to let conferences get 3 working officials for the cost of 2 -- they need to have SOME skin in it.)

We still do the first two rounds 2-person and then the rest of the tourney is 3-person. Too bad the state won't make the full commitment to 3-person in the post-season -- I know at least one conference who has put off moving to 3 in the regular season because the state still plays some post-season 2-person.

[Terrapins Fan]

We have used 3 man for about 12 years or so here. It increases the number of assignments, which means you need more officials and better officials.

But you miss fewer fouls. I did a game with 2 man the other night ( JV level ) and we had 2 players hit the ground, I was trail and had the ball, lead had the lane, if there were a C, he would have had it, as it was, everyone scream, coaches, fans and players, but we had no idea what happened.

It's time for everyone to be using 3 man crews for, at the very least, all varsity games.

Anyone read the article in Referee Magazine?

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Terrapins Fan

We have used 3 man for about 12 years or so here. It increases the number of assignments, which means you need more officials and better officials.

But you miss fewer fouls. I did a game with 2 man the other night ( JV level ) and we had 2 players hit the ground, I was trail and had the ball, lead had the lane, if there were a C, he would have had it, as it was, everyone scream, coaches, fans and players, but we had no idea what happened.

It's time for everyone to be using 3 man crews for, at the very least, all varsity games.

Anyone read the article in Referee Magazine?

I did. I forwarded it to a local assignor of about 20 schools who quickly responded that a majority of his coaches prefer 2-official crews, ending the conversation.

[Rich]

I worked my first 3-person game in 1993. My third 3-person game was a postseason HS game in 1996. We had no training whatsoever and there was no such thing as a rotation during live ball play (which, to me, makes a 3-person crew only marginally better than a 2-person crew).

Hard to believe that was so long ago.

I guarantee you that there will be some people where I live who work their first 3-person game this year during the HS postseason. 3 years ago, I worked a regional final (3rd round) with 2 officials who hadn't worked a 3-person game all year. It was a *long* *long* game.

It would take about 5 years for us to forget that 2-person ever existed. That would require the state do more than "allow" 3-person crews.