Ever? I, like Rich, am not going to make this a boys/girls thing either especially since I officiate both at the HS level. If the officials on this crew have ever worked a basketball game with good teams - and I'm assuming they have to have been assigned a championship of any kind - then this game and this situation shouldn't have been a problem.

As I understand it, the UIL assigns a chapter to a regional tournament site before the season starts. It's up to the chapter to decide who the actual officials will be.

I should have been more clear and not used the "girls" qualifier. I meant in the sense of it being a very intense game - very significant, and a packed house like this. I don't know - maybe they have been there before. If they hadn't, this is a tough way to be tossed into the fire.

One would hope.

Personally, I love this time of the season. I wish we could skip from February 1 right to the playoffs. :D

But I was recently reminded of how I felt during my first postseason game (even if I can't remember where and when it was) -- one of our 3 on Tuesday was working his first and he seemed pretty nervous beforehand.

I'm well aware of something else, too: Anyone is just one situation or play away from having a video plastered all over ESPN or YouTube.

Something about the playoffs really ups my own focus and I have always had my best games of the season during the playoffs. I need to try and find a way to capture that focus during the regular season - it comes and goes. That's my own issue.

I am not allowed to really talk about the OP scenario in public - we've all been told as much in our chapter.

Yabut that hoses us scrubs who sit on the sidelines for the playoffs. ;)

Or one bad partner....

I see what you're saying there.

Fortunately most that see a video like that realize who the smart one is.

No. Each chapter submits a list of 10 - 15 refs that are their top ranked during the season. Each region and the UIL work together to select which chapters will get that region and then the uil chooses 4-6 refs from the list to work semis and finals in various combinations. Therefs for the state tournament comes from the same names.

However, if this is before the regional tournament level then the two schools mutually agree on a chapter (or uil picks if they can't) and the chapter selects the refs. But, I don't know of a chapter that doesn't send their best because a lot is on the line for the chapters as well.

For the most part, the more.professional and highly regarded your chapter is for officiating the more post season asdignments you get. While the UIL will give at least one game go every chapter for the state tourney, some get more games as well as games of more importance (championships or higher classes).