OK well the voice of experience. I will defer to you then. :)

I am sure in other parts of the country like Texas, the weather is certainly different during the basketball season.

Peace

I like the look of the jackets during pregame. When starting out, I couldn't wait to get to the varsity level so I could wear the jacket.

I always keep a needle in the pocket although rarely used.

Certainly, but it still gets cold here. Not dig your car out of a snowbank to get to work kind of cold, but cold. :)

Rarely used? I think we took air out of 50 of the 60 balls we used last season. Basketballs, in general, are horribly over-inflated.

Unless Texas spends a great deal of the winter months below 30 degrees, I would not call 50s and 60s to be cold. Then again a laugh at my relatives in Florida and Texas when they claim they are cold and it is in the low 60s. ;)

Peace

Yes, I'm trying to understand this concept of needing jackets in a gym...

I like wearing a jacket during warmups. I'd hate to carry a needle in my pants pocket, first of all, and I'm actually cold in many of our HS gyms before a game starts.

Then again, in a perfect world, we wouldn't have to stand there for 20 minutes (that's what it is in our state) watching teams warm up. We'd come out at about 12 minutes, do a captain's meeting, check the book, and go back in until the clock was at 2 minutes.

And I'd leave my jacket in the locker room -- which is what we do sometimes when both teams go in.

Our state wants us to come out when the team enters the floor. That could be 20 minutes, 15 minutes or 10 minutes based on when the prelim game gets over with.

And I get cold too. Not all gyms are heated or well heated.

Peace

Our state always gives 20 minutes for warmups -- even if the preliminary game runs long. That's when we come out. Horn, teams come out, we come out with them. I guess the AD and coaches aren't enough adults to properly supervise players. I wonder how they ever get through practice!

I wish they'd put an elliptical machine or a treadmill at halfcourt, so I could keep the blood flowing.

I actually prefer the cold gyms once the game starts -- but until then I freeze.

I run a lot more in my college games so my body temp is up there; I often put on the jacket in the locker room because I get cold.

The Three Amigos ...
 

You guys must not leave your jackets in the locker room at halftime?

The Needle And The Damage Done (Neil Young) ...
 

We're in the process of getting new jackets, local logo instead of the IAABO logo (due to licensing restrictions). We were given about three seasons to change over. I used the new jacket last season. The pockets are so shallow that I lost, and had to buy, and replace, several needles that were lost, until I eventually figured out to duct tape the needle into the pocket. I used the same needle for over twenty-five years with my old jacket with the deep pockets, the needle was so old that it was tarnished and wasn't shiny any more. The new jacket also has a satin finish that makes us look like disco roller skaters. What was the executive committee thinking when they selected this model?

I like the jacket for traditional reasons as well as the ritual that goes with it...

i.e. the whole crew taking off the jackets at the same time after the national anthem...handing the jackets to table personnel for them to carefully place them in a secure location...going to the table at the end of the 2nd Qrt. only to awkwardly get each others jacket, sometimes handing off the correct jackets to each other as we make our way to the halftime locker room, sometimes one official grabs all jackets...

speaking of jackets...why do some officials wear their college jackets to a H.S. game?

To cheap to buy 2 jackets?

Showing off the not so neat college jacket?

Also, we aim for going on the court 15 minutes prior to 0:00. Captains at 12:00 and Books at 10:00.

Dunks acceptable (or at least we don't care) untill we get on the court...

I agree, I think they look professional.

In my state we come out 15 minutes before regardless if teams are on the court already. I wish we only had to do the meetings and book check, we are there to officiate the game not the warm-ups.

Don't ask...