OT: Who is the best player you ever officiated?
 

Has anyone officiated games with future NBA or NCAA stars? Did you know they were great at the time?

Officiated a men's league tournament, player 'michael watson' from univ missouri-in kans city, more of a point guard scorer type. Drafted and Played for Celtics ~1998 2000 maybe not an Nba allstar but he competes in the local men's league, you could tel he was 15 yrs from prime but still play in a way 'above' the normal players--as expected a professional vs. amateur player would though. I called a travel on him in the game, to his astonishment.

HS basketball had Marcus Monk several times. He went on to play football at Arkansas. Drafted by the Bears, played a little for the Giants and last I knew he was playing pro basketball in Germany.

Off topic, but I was behind the dish for a HS no hitter pitched by Adam LaRoche.

Bradley Beal. Also worked a men's league that Nelly played in.

So far Kevin Pangos and Brady Haslip.

Tierra Ruffin-Pratt.

She went on to play for UNC and now is in the WNBA.

Silky-smooth talent in HS. Very unselfish, team player.

When He Was In Junior High School ...
 

George Mikan Stop

After the game I sent the NFHS a telegram suggesting that they widen the lane Stop

Apex Academy...
 

Did a couple games with the Morris Twins now in the NBA... They came up to Edison NJ, to play at the Edison Job Corps....Manute Bol's son was on Job Corps team at the time...Lots of alley oops, etc...Respectful young men at the time.. Peace

Didn't referee him, but I went to HS with Zac Randolph, now of Memphis. Lots of fun to watch him in HS.

Kelly Olynyk of the Celtics. I worked a couple of games when he was with BC at a national tournament in Canada.

His mother Arlene was a top notch college official in Ontario at one point. She was once my supervisor at another national tournament.

Kobe Bryant Lower Merion HS. Had to call a technical foul on him due to dead ball contact.

Didn't work his game, but worked at a tournament where Anthony Bennett was playing as a 16 year old.

Ironically enough most people seem to consider him to have a university ready body but be overrated as a player in general.

Also worked as a table official in a tournament where Rob Sacre played. Watched him take over a game when his teammates were playing awful and decide he wasn't going to lose. Scored of assisted on every hoop in the 4th quarter had a double double (almost had a triple double that quarter).

Basketball: Dorial Green-Beckham. Just an unreal physical specimen. Hopefully he keeps his nose clean after getting drafted, because he has talent that the rest of us can only dream of. He could have been a D1 basketball player too.

http://nflmocks.com/2015/02/21/wr-do...outing-report/

Baseball: Mike Trout

God Shamgod when he was playing in the CBA in La Crosse, Wisconsin. They trained in my town when Dennis Johnson was the coach and we would work the intersquad games for them.

Xavier Carter. Went on to fame and fortune for football and track, though.

Jadeveon Clowney at South Point High School tremendous physical speciman and decent basketball player.

Raymond Felton Latta High School

Kevin Garnett at Mauldin High School.

Skip Wise. Quickest hands.

Khalil Greene Clemson tremendous bat speed.

Adam Woodbury playing basketball for Iowa. First time was as a Freshman and my thought was (good gosh is he tall). Listed as 7ft 1 now.

I reffed David Lucas for many years in our local kids rec league. He's Maurice Lucas' son and was all Pac-10 twice at Oregon State. He's now the very successful owner of a basketball camp.

Also, although they weren't future players but former players, I once reffed a "charity" game between the Portland Trailblazer "Alumni Team" and a bunch of P.E. teachers from my local HS to raise money for the sports programs at the HS. The Blazers provided a team of former players to play games to raise funds for charities and non-profits. So, that afternoon in the HS gym, I officiated Bob Gross, Larry Steele, Kevin Kunnert and Kenny Carr, among some others I don't remember. It was a blast. I already knew Kunnert because he coached his daughters in our local kids rec program. He gave me a hard time just for the fun of it and we both laughed.

Oh yeah - I worked the game by myself! And yes, I donated my time.

Steve Nash.

Leon Powe

Boys
Brad Beal
Tyler Hansbrough
Otto Porter

Girls
Napheesa Collier-Senior this year at Incarnate Word in STL. UCONN next year.

This is a fun thread.

I haven't reffed for anyone famous, but I was at a youth tournament last weekend featuring a 6'8 8th grader named Nobal Days out of the Kenosha/Racine, Wisconsin area. I'm sure he's already gotten dozens of college recruiting letters, if not scholarship offers.

Lacedarius Dunn. He went on to Baylor and became the all
time leading scorer in the Big 12. Plays in Europe now, I think.

During the course of my career, and thanks to some friends, I have had some great opportunities to referee at least 3 of the best 100 NBA players ever while they were in the league or starting in the league and A couple of WNBA stars.

Now With our summer pro league and a couple of national tournaments... a whole bunch of other future or current/former NBA, European, South American, or d-1 players...

When my wife and I lived in Glendale, California (1982-84) I did not have the chance to officiate and UCLA and USC women's games but I did officiate a USC scrimmage both years when Cheryl Miller was playing for USC then.

MTD, Sr.

Otis Smith during a summer semi-pro league in Orlando in the mid 90's.

I joined the local HS association in Daytona one year after Vince Carter left for UNC. LaDarius Halton (UF) followed him at a rival school and was as good a HS player as I've seen.

About 15 years ago, Portland had a WNBA team, the "Fire". They would hold practices at a gym on the west side that had about 10 basketball floors, only two of which were near full size. One day, a buddy and I were working a men's rec game there while the Fire was having a practice. Right after our game ended, the Fire coach came over to us and asked us if we could wait around and work a scrimmage they were going to have against a bunch of guy gym rats. They said the scrimmage was going to last 20 minutes with a short halftime and they would pay us each $40 in cash. We both said we would.

We tried to let a lot of contact go but made sure we called anything obvious and/or hard. Within a few minutes, it became apparent the gals were not anywhere able to play well against the guys due to the difference in size, speed and strength. I think the final score was something like 44-8. It just got to me that a "major league professional team" couldn't play well against a "pickup" team, even if there was a gender difference. It really put the WNBA into perspective for me.

The Fire coach came over and thanked us and paid us our money. We told her we'd be glad to do it any time.

BTW - for you Portland area guys, my partner that night was the late, great Jeff Strothers.

Kirk Hinrick - his dad was coaching and got a T
Cole Aldrich before his HS senior year at a camp
But my all time highlight - accessing a Technical Foul to US Senator John Thune (while he was a Senator and a decent player in a tournament).

Earl Boykins (Cleveland Central Catholic) a scintillating player. So quick and unbelievable ball-handling skills. Kosta Koufos (Canton Glen Oak) Ran the floor so well for a big man. Would block lay up attempts but instead of slapping the ball out of bounds, would just tap it, get it before it landed, outlet pass then run the floor and eventually get a return pass for a dunk. Never had LeBron; but he was in a tournament game right before my game. We kidded the officials when they came in after their game that they had the JV's, we had the Varsity game.
Also had Clark Kellogg's two sons when they played at Columbus DeSales in a state tournament game. MTD, you might have been at a regional game I worked at BGSU involving DeSales back in 2009. Seems I remember an official and his son stopping by the locker room to chat with us after the game. Possible?

Michael Gbinije of Syracuse formerly of Duke. He was on the varsity as a freshman, and they blew out some other small local parochial school by 60.

[QUOTE=Mark Padgett;956333].

We tried to let a lot of contact go but made sure we called anything obvious and/or hard. Within a few minutes, it became apparent the gals were not anywhere able to play well against the guys due to the difference in size, speed and strength. I think the final score was something like 44-8. It just got to me that a "major league professional team" couldn't play well against a "pickup" team, even if there was a gender difference. It really put the WNBA into perspective for me.

QUOTE]

*I am surprised that a pro team--albeit women--could not match up with a group of rec players who are not professionally trained nor conditioned!
Could this translate into perhaps thinking that even the UCONN women's team could not beat a bunch of rec ballers? amazing.

That comparison (higher level women's team scrimmages with lower level men's team) has played out on several levels several times. The results have been consistent every time I've heard about it.

I'm pretty sure that group of rec players wasn't just a bunch of desk jockey's that were at the gym to get their weekly workout. I'd guess, knowing that location, that they probably had some former small college players and/or former better HS varsity players or other similarly skilled players.

The women probably would have been outmatched physically at every single position in just about every measurement: height, weight, reach, strength, speed, etc.

I would bet money that even the UCONN women's team would get beat pretty badly by an average high school varsity team.

Camron - it was the old Hoop in Beaverton, (which is now closed) and I think you're probably right about the makeup of the guy's team that night.

Kevin Love in high school summer league.

Also did a couple Trailblazer alumni games....