First playoff assignment
 

I just got my first playoff assignment! I'm both excited and nervous. It's a three-person game and I haven't done many of those. Quite a few in the summer but not much this season. Any advice from the vets?

I Might Have to Get Out More . . .
 

Congratulations. I think.

I want to be supportive of all fellow officials, and I'm sure that the posters on this forum will give you some great advice, and I certainly do wish you all the best. In fact, I especially hope the John Wooden quote in your thread signature works out that way for you. But I gotta ask . . .

:confused: Is it common in your area for officials to be put in situations such as this? :eek:

All our post-season games our three-person. Regular season is up to the schools, and only a handful use it, some for all games and some for select games. So there is almost no way to avoid it.

Congratulations!

Just concentrate on having a good game in your area. Since you've done 3 before at least it's not completely foreign. Again, handle what's yours and you should do fine.

One way to practice: when you watch games on TV - or in person if you see one on a night you're not working - look in the three-person PCAs during each possession to remind yourself what you should be watching. I've found it's a good way to train yourself not to watch the ball when it's outside your area.

We are very fortunate around here to be able to work 3-person crews for all levels of H.S. ball. We even do 3-person crews for some M.S. games...but only pay for 2 officials. (The third person rotates in from a group of newer officials that show up and want to learn the mechanics of 3-person)
this is strickly voluntary for the newer officials

I work with a guy that officiates in Oregon. He tells me they do 2-person all year long...and then when the playoffs come, they go to 3-person.

I would think that would be tough to do. Especially since I believe he even said it was 3-person ONLY for the State Playoffs. :eek:

Maybe Camron, or other Oregon officials, can shed some light on this?

Advice- While I am in pre game warm ups, I move from Center to trail and say to myself, "When I am on C this is my area, when I am on trail, this is my area. I remind myself that on lead, I don't look outside the 3 point line and don't give a 3 point signal.

On the jump, I remind myself of where I am going base on where the ball goes. So if I don't toss the ball, I am lead or center

As for the game, I don't find it any different than a regular game. Relax and have fun.

Congrats and let us know how it goes.

Connecticut, The Land That Time Forgot ...
 

Very common here in my little corner of Connecticut. 99% of our regular season games are two person games. Only one of the leagues that we service uses three person crews, and only for the semifinal, and finals, of the boys (not the girls) league playoffs. Three person crews are used only for the state tournament in the quarterfinals through the championship games.

I worked a game last week with one of the top officials on our local board. Although he will certainly get to work a three man game in a few weeks during the league and state tournament, he hasn't worked a three person game yet this season. There are a few college officials on our local board who are very familiar with the three person game, but the majority of our local officials have very little experience with a three person game.

Why? Although money does play an important role here, it's actually the coaches who don't want a three person game. They're afraid that it would lead to extra whistles in the game and slow down the game. The coaches that play the most aggressive defense, are the most vocal, and since they have had a history of being the most successful, they seem to have a greater "say" in the matter.

Congrats on the playoff assignment! I would try to get in contact with your partners and talk to them before hand and get some help from them. Even reach out to a veteran official who is a good friend/colleague that might be able to help answer any questions you might have with 3 man!

Once again congratulations!

Oregon works 2-person crews all year long, including all state playoff games. I agree that it would be difficult to work 3-person crews for playoff games when many officials here aren't well versed with 3-person rotations, primaries, etc.

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.

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.

Time for 3 man crews
 

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.

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.

I thought the State Finals games were 3-person in OR.