You Don't Say ...

[Dexter555]

Billy, I think it's a great piece, and I'm a big fan of you on this forum.

Two thoughts: First, you intro with references to what shouldn't be said and the virtue of silence, but in most of your cases, something should be said, just said differently. But I like the intro a lot, so it's just a thought.

My second suggestion is to conclude each topic with your recommendation. I left a few of the paragraphs with "I know what he's recommending I not do, but I'm not sure how to do it better." You do make a recommendation on most, but not all. You could even structure each as a "Not this:" and conclude with "This:"

I think the content is great. Clearly the list could go on and on, but I think you hit all the right ones. If we could improve on these, basketball--not just officiating--would be better. Well said!

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Dexter555

My second suggestion is to conclude each topic with your recommendation. I left a few of the paragraphs with "I know what he's recommending I not do, but I'm not sure how to do it better." You do make a recommendation on most, but not all.

The ones where I made suggestions are, pretty much, universal recommendations, used by lots of officials, so I included them (no shot, designated spot).

The others have too many suggestions, all of them pretty good, to include.

I was tempted to suggest, "Let it hit.", in place of, "Let it hit the rim", but decided not to (shooter hitting only the backboard can present problems). I worked with partner last week who said, "Don't violate". Sounds pretty good, but I haven't heard this from any other officials.

Like I said, "Silence can’t be quoted". I wish I knew who said that first so I could give credit where credit is due. I actually first heard that statement here on the Forum.