Saturday, November 24, 2012

Here, There, Everywhere

A bit of a busy day today.  Originally, it wasn't supposed to be this way but it was fine:

I officiated three light girls basketball scrimmages in the AM.  I was planning to volunteer to begin with when I was asked last week.  However, as I had to also clear a fine for missing a meeting for my officiating group, the scrimmages this morning served a dual purpose.   It was a little odd officiating the scrimmages.  The teams were playing 18 minute games (two 9 minute halves) with no free throws.  The usual rules like backcourt and shot clock were off.  Despite that, one of coaches we had was chirping a bit.  Beyond that, the kids played hard and all the officials working the various games got some good work out of it.

I went to grab some lunch afterward and then played some pick up ball with friends for a few hours.  I didn't really tired but my shot was WAY off most of the day.  Maybe it was the Turkey!  

After playing ball, I grabbed a quick snack and rest a bit before officiating a men's alumni basketball game at another high school.  The game was pretty competitive and went into over time with the varsity men's team prevailing.

All in all, I would never recommend people run around like I do.  But doing it occasionally if ok.  I'm a little tired but some dinner will help and I have one more day of rest before going back to work on Monday.  :)




Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Alumni Night

A few days ago, I got an email from a fellow official asking if I would work my old high school's BOYS BASKETBALL alumni game.  It was a bit of a surprise as this particular official had worked the boys basketball alumni game with a retired official for the past several years.  Apparently, the retired official was unavailable tonight.  Since I was an alumni of the high school and had worked the girls basketball alumni game in previous years, I was the next logical candidate.   I accepted the invite very quickly.

Interestingly enough,  while I had not officiated the girls basketball alumni game last year, I was surprised the girls basketball coach had not reached out.  I need not have worried.  The coach reached out to me a day or two afterward to work the girls basketball alumni game and I ended up working a double header tonight.

The girls game was pretty low key.  The girls varsity team had only six players due to some player turnover while the alumni had about nine players.  The alumni won the game but the varsity girls worked hard and kept it competitive for much of the game.

On the other hand, the boys game was expected to be a blowout.  The boys varsity team had struggled last season and this season's team was very small of stature.  I didn't remember too many kids who were above 6 feet tall (if any).  On the other hand, the alumni had several big players.

However, the boys varsity team made a good effort and hung tough despite a distinct size advantage.  To be fair, the alumni did take it easy on the boys varsity team.  They didn't exploit the size advantage they had as they wanted to give the boys varsity team a chance to practice their sets.   The alumni did ultimately win but the boys varsity team showed they can play a little bit.

From a learning perspective, the girls alumni game was just a "get back on the court" and get a feel of officiating.  It's been a while since I worked a regulation high school game.

For the boys alumni game, I worked in a three person crew.  While I won't be working three person crews too often during the high school season, it was good to work with the other two guys.  It was pointed out that I was doing some things ("working a little too high as the C") that I hadn't realized.  Just like anything you do in life, you never know you're doing something until it gets pointed out.

Overall, it was a fun night to get back on the court, talk to a lot of folks and hang out a bit afterward.  A great way to begin the Thanksgiving holiday!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

After a year off from high school basketball officiating, the time is coming around for me to get back into the swing of things.    To be honest, I haven't been too interested in officiating basketball.  I noticed a decided lack of interest in officiating my adult league in recent weeks.

A part of it is the "sameness" of the league.  The league has only a few teams and teams play each other twice during the season.  Plus the court is small so the action is more half court oriented than fast breaks.

Tomorrow night, I open my season by working two alumni basketball games (girls / boys) for my old high school.  My officiating schedule will definitely be light this year.  I just do not have enough time in the work day to try to balance officiating with my job.  I intentionally limited my schedule this season and that is fine for me.

I'll provide more updates on the blog as I go through this new season.