Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball

I had a chance to work a boys & girls varsity basketball double header this weekend.  It was great to get back onto the court for an official game.  I had worked an alumni girls game on Wednesday so I had already started getting back into the flow.  It helped that the alumni game was competitive so I had to stay focused.  With the double header, it was a sign that the high school season was in full swing.

Overall, the double header went well.  Both games were competitive with solid players and coaching on both sides.   However, the one thing that both my partner and I had to adjust to was the difference between the girls and boys game.

It may not be always true.  However, for this past weekend, my partner and I felt the intensity of the game and the overall speed of the girls were a tad lower than the boys.   It felt a little easier to keep up and get into the proper position to officiate the game.

The boys game was intense affair with a lot of man to man defense and uptempo play on both sides.    My partner and I were in pretty good shape so keeping up with the teams wasn't a big problem.  However,  there were a lot of turnovers which sometimes made my partner and I scramble to get into better positions on the court.

Indeed, that is something I want to work on.  I pride myself on keeping up with the teams while they run up and down the court.  However,  I sometimes focus on running too much instead of focusing on the game situations.  I think if I see the play, I can better anticipate whether I should sprint down the court or pace myself in case the play suddenly heads back the other way.

I feel my judgement on the court is pretty good if I get a good look at the play.  Indeed, positioning on the basketball court is one thing that separates the average official from the above average officials.   This is something I'll have to continue to work on this season and beyond.