How long did it take...?

[BigT]

Before you got your first Juco contract how many scrimmages and jamboree games did you volunteer and do before you were picked up? I assume you attended college camps.

Was it zero? 1-20? 21-50? 50-99? 100+ or more.

Or was it that you did a HS championship before you got your Juco chance or at least 5 years of HS playoffs?

I am curious of the road of experience or per-requisites it took for your shot at entry level college officiating.

Thanks in advance,

[Scuba_ref]

I got picked up for JUCO after my 4th year of officiating. I did go to a camp, but it was as a high school official looking to get better (I got picked up after that camp and it was a complete surprise to me, had done zero scrimmages or Jamborees).

Where I officiate there are two factors that contributed directly to my getting a contract: first, I was willing to work women's ball and second, we are geographically isolated from the larger metropolitan areas creating a local need for officials.

When you live and work in a larger area with more aspiring officials the first rung and subsiquent climb up the ladder will be much more difficult in my opinion. On the flip side though, my ladder won't reach as high as others.

[Raymond]

I got picked up in a JuCo conference after 2 years of officiating. I had accomplished nothing of note in the HS as I had obviously worked mostly JV games up to that point. I had the endorsement of a big-time local college official who liked my potential and I attended the JuCo camp.

I did not do any jamborees or scrimmages beforehand.

[BigT]

Interesting experiences. Anyone else?

[Nevadaref]

I did three years of HS in the DC area, then moved right when I was about to start working college there.
NV has far fewer opportunities basketball-wise for advancement, so I did another 3 or 4 years of HS and attended a JUCO camp for a weekend each summer. After the 3rd time, I was offered a contract and have been extended one every year since.
Tried D2 camp twice and was told that I had the ability, but lived in the wrong area. The conference admins and coordinator were not interested in picking up people who needed to travel to games with the economic downturn.
My experience has been that it has FAR more to do with where you are, how old you are (the younger the better), and who you know, than how good you are as an official.
Since you asked, I worked two HS State Championships before my first college game. I've worked another half dozen since.
Been told by some who work D1 out here that my only route to that level is to first break in with the Big Sky or Big West and then advance to WAC/MTN West/WCC/PAC12 from there. Geography and travel plays a HUGE role in the West.

[JRutledge]

My first college game was a D3 game. And I did not have to work any scrimmages to get that opportunity, even though I was given a scrimmage in the first year I worked a game. With that being said, working JUCO in my area has nothing to do with being assigned college. Assignors are different and use their own discretion as to who they hire. And just because you work one level, does not mean you will work for someone else. Same goes for NAIA, D2 and D3.

Peace

[Toren]

3 years of varsity ball for me and then I got picked up for some JUCO ball. I got picked up by 2 conferences.

I was told in one conference that the jamboree was a must. The other conference said it was a great opportunity but wasn't a must.

The 1st conference didn't assign any games til you paid your dues and attended the jamboree. The 2nd conference assigned a number of games without a committment either way on the jamboree.

The moral of the story, assignors are all different and you will run into all kinds of different "right" ways to do it.

[HawkeyeCubP]

Did 6 years of HS, and got hired my first year at juco camp in northern California. Just had a decent camp, and went into it pretty well prepared. Then moved up from there a year later.

Moved to Colorado a little while back, and probably similarly to Nevada's experience and avocational career path, the opportunities are fewer and farther between, and the suitors are more fickle, so to speak, compared to where I got my college start, at the juco and above levels. In this new juco environment, it seems that scrimmages and jamborees may be slightly more important than they were for me previously.