Things Officials Should Probably Not Be Saying In A Game ...

[7IronRef]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

If I get my interpreter to approve this article, and I'm pretty sure that he will, I guarantee you that, as the law of the land, these false statements will be banished, and that we won't be hearing these statements from all but just a few officials here in my little corner of Connecticut. I can see this being presented to new officials every year, so that they don't form any bad habits, as some of us old-timers have, unfortunately, already done.

Really? What a waste of time. Time would be better spent elsewhere.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by 7IronRef

Really? What a waste of time. Time would be better spent elsewhere.

As a former member of my local board's training committees (both rules, and mechanics), and a current member of the newsletter committee, I respectfully disagree with you. The time to get rid of bad habits, no matter how minor those bad habits can be, is in the training stage, before these bad habits develop. It's tougher with veteran officials, we tend to be a pretty ornery bunch. Here in my little corner of Connecticut, we are constantly looking to improve our "product". Our board officers, our executive committee, our interpreter, and assistant interpreters, and our various committee chairs, are never content to rest on our laurels. Say what you will about IAABO, and I do have some problems with IAABO (see post #112), but, warts, and all, it's an organization dedicated to the education, and improvement, of basketball officials, and, at least here, on the local level, it does a pretty good job at fulfilling its goals.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I disagree with you that these have no rules basis or that they cannot be used.

We're what you call experts and we should be using the correct terminology. And many of these, with the possible exception of the earrings, are not factually based on the rules.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

We are not giving rules clinics.

With the exception of the earrings statement, I never said what officials should be saying, I just said that we shouldn't be saying these. Sometimes silence may be the best statement.