Today was a bit of an odd day. I was checking the news today and was shocked to read that a popular and well known local varsity basketball coach had suddenly passed away yesterday at the age of 50. While I personally didn't know this particular coach that well, I had seen him around. In fact, I had seen him as recently as a week ago during a basketball tournament. The coach was there scouting a team that they were going to play during their league season.
Due to the sudden death of the coach, the first game for his boy's varsity basketball team was postponed until a later date. However, the rest of the league continued on. In an interesting coincidence, I was scheduled to work the girl's varsity basketball team from the same school where the coach had just passed away. Before the game, both coaches and teams had a moment of silence.
I think I was a little distracted due to the death of the coach. Even though I didn't know him well, it's sad to think about all the friends, family and kids the coach left behind. In fact, I think the school's girls varsity team was affected as well. The girls seemed out of sorts as well as the girl's varsity coach (whom I know).
Focusing on the officiating aspect, it was not an easy game to officiate. Both teams were pretty sloppy early and it was difficult to get a flow. If you've never officiated in this particular gym, the configuration is not conducive to officiating. The gym is long enough but the walls are basically out of bounds. The team's benches are located at one end line.
Therefore, you are basically on the court the whole time and getting angles is difficult. At the end line where the benches are located, you are in no man's land. If you stay on the baseline, there's not enough depth to get angles on some plays. If you go wide to the wall to get a wider angle, you lose vision on some post play.
Given the distraction of the moment of silence and the general sloppiness of play, I felt I was a little out of sorts throughout the game. The game was competitive and overall my partner and I took care of our business. However, this was one of more difficult games to work recently.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
It's A Matter Of Perspective
About a month or so ago, I was officiating a freshman/sophomore girls basketball tournament and had a conversation with my partner between games. What stood out during the conversation was my partner's point about being careful when you talk about a call your partner made.
There were two specific points about this. The first point is that some partners DO NOT LIKE having other people questioning their calls, even if it's just to discuss things. If you know your partner well, then it's not a particularly big deal. However, if it's a partner you don't know well, you may have to dance carefully, even if your intention is not to offend. In fact, I may have done that a few weeks prior to a partner (again unintentionally).
The second point is the primary point though. The fact is officiating is a matter of perspective. Everyone in the gym from the players, coaches, fans, and scorekeepers have their own perspective. However, it's the officials that have the final say. Even though officials work together to manage the game, each official also has their own perspective.
What the lead official sees from his location may not be the same as the trial and vice versa. My partner brought up an example where a play occurred and there was a camera angle that showed what the trial official saw. From that perspective, there did not appear to be any foul. However, when the angle of the lead official was shown, there was definitely a foul that was seen that could not have been seen from the trial's perspective.
It was a very eye opening discussion but a stark reminder at just how difficult officiating is. As someone who's coached, played and officiated, I understand the difference perspectives involved. However, folks who have not officiated before sometimes do not grasp this. I hope that everyone will learn to appreciate that what you see on the court is determined by your perspective. Officials are generally the ones with the best perspective as they are constantly moving. Fans and coaches do not generally most themselves to get the best angle yet they are constantly berating officials for "missed calls". I hope that fans and coaches get a better appreciation of this aspect instead of just blindly berating officials.
There were two specific points about this. The first point is that some partners DO NOT LIKE having other people questioning their calls, even if it's just to discuss things. If you know your partner well, then it's not a particularly big deal. However, if it's a partner you don't know well, you may have to dance carefully, even if your intention is not to offend. In fact, I may have done that a few weeks prior to a partner (again unintentionally).
The second point is the primary point though. The fact is officiating is a matter of perspective. Everyone in the gym from the players, coaches, fans, and scorekeepers have their own perspective. However, it's the officials that have the final say. Even though officials work together to manage the game, each official also has their own perspective.
What the lead official sees from his location may not be the same as the trial and vice versa. My partner brought up an example where a play occurred and there was a camera angle that showed what the trial official saw. From that perspective, there did not appear to be any foul. However, when the angle of the lead official was shown, there was definitely a foul that was seen that could not have been seen from the trial's perspective.
It was a very eye opening discussion but a stark reminder at just how difficult officiating is. As someone who's coached, played and officiated, I understand the difference perspectives involved. However, folks who have not officiated before sometimes do not grasp this. I hope that everyone will learn to appreciate that what you see on the court is determined by your perspective. Officials are generally the ones with the best perspective as they are constantly moving. Fans and coaches do not generally most themselves to get the best angle yet they are constantly berating officials for "missed calls". I hope that fans and coaches get a better appreciation of this aspect instead of just blindly berating officials.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Relaxing and enjoying game by game......
High school basketball season is in full swing and I put in a full week's worth of officiating last week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday). The majority of the games were high school except for a youth tournament on Sunday.
Overall, despite being very tired, I enjoyed myself. Basketball officiating can be tough but I'm focused on keeping relaxed and being much more aware of game situations. I think I did a fairly good job overall in all of my games and one of my partners noted that he saw that I enjoyed officiating. In fact, I like being on the floor and I am not focused on the type of game (Frosh, JV, Varsity, etc). I hope this translates to better performance on the floor.
There may be a few technical things that I learned form last week that I post about, but that's for another time!
Overall, despite being very tired, I enjoyed myself. Basketball officiating can be tough but I'm focused on keeping relaxed and being much more aware of game situations. I think I did a fairly good job overall in all of my games and one of my partners noted that he saw that I enjoyed officiating. In fact, I like being on the floor and I am not focused on the type of game (Frosh, JV, Varsity, etc). I hope this translates to better performance on the floor.
There may be a few technical things that I learned form last week that I post about, but that's for another time!
Monday, November 29, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Back to Work
It's been a while since I officiated in a "real" basketball game. I officiate in an adult basketball league I play in but the intensity level is pretty low. Tonight I officiated a girls varsity alumni game for my former high school. I got a chance to work with a relatively new official and I worked with her a little bit.
The intensity level of the game wasn't at playoff level but both the varsity team and the alumni team played hard. While the alumni led most of the way, the varsity girls battled back and ultimately lost by 2 points.
Despite being a little tired the past few days due to some personal things, it was great to get on the court. I admit to be a little tired of officiating in recent months. It's a natural thing as I've officiated basketball since 1993 (high school since 2002). However, I am trying to take a more fresh and confident perspective onto the court this year. The reason for this is I think it's time to step up my officiating level and not be content to be an average official.
At the same time, I'm not pressuring myself to perform well on the court. I feel that if I just have confidence in myself and stay focused, I know I can handle any situations that will occur. I'll be back to work for a double header in a few days and will keep everyone update on my feelings throughout the upcoming high school basketball season.
The intensity level of the game wasn't at playoff level but both the varsity team and the alumni team played hard. While the alumni led most of the way, the varsity girls battled back and ultimately lost by 2 points.
Despite being a little tired the past few days due to some personal things, it was great to get on the court. I admit to be a little tired of officiating in recent months. It's a natural thing as I've officiated basketball since 1993 (high school since 2002). However, I am trying to take a more fresh and confident perspective onto the court this year. The reason for this is I think it's time to step up my officiating level and not be content to be an average official.
At the same time, I'm not pressuring myself to perform well on the court. I feel that if I just have confidence in myself and stay focused, I know I can handle any situations that will occur. I'll be back to work for a double header in a few days and will keep everyone update on my feelings throughout the upcoming high school basketball season.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Difference between low level volleyball and high level volleyball
Last year, I decided to give youth volleyball officiating a shot. I was unemployed at the time and thought doing something new would be fun. In fact, it was pretty fun. There were some bad games but there were also some competitive games that were fun to officiate.
This season, due to various things, I just haven't been able to officiate as much. However, this past Friday, I officiated the best game I've ever seen in my short career. It was an 8th Grade Division 1 game between two playoff bound teams. One team was definitely the better but the other team was very solid.
The difference between the game this Friday and the others I had previous done? The two teams friday were were very skilled. They kept rallies alive and were doing the bump, set and spike all night long. Plus some of the young ladies were spiking the ball HARD. Most of the youth volleyball I see is the serve and bump the ball around type which makes for a slow moving game.
The slow moving game was what I was used to and officiating those kind of games is not too difficult because you can anticipate where the ball is going and officiate appropriately. With the level of play on Friday, I had to make some adjustments.
I had to watch net play more as girls were trying to save balls, spikes and block spikes. The other change was that I HAD TO RELY on my line judges more. The balls were flying around fast and there was no way I could see everything. Fortunately, I had two great line judges to work with.
One disadvantage I had was there was no stand to work from at the gym. I was ground level and that proved to be difficult see some of the net play. However, I did the best that I could. Overall, the game was quite enjoyable and I'm glad for the opportunity. I've going to brush up more on my volleyball rules as I know I have some knowledge gaps. Perhaps I'll take up the challenge of officiating high school volleyball (time permitting) in the future.
This season, due to various things, I just haven't been able to officiate as much. However, this past Friday, I officiated the best game I've ever seen in my short career. It was an 8th Grade Division 1 game between two playoff bound teams. One team was definitely the better but the other team was very solid.
The difference between the game this Friday and the others I had previous done? The two teams friday were were very skilled. They kept rallies alive and were doing the bump, set and spike all night long. Plus some of the young ladies were spiking the ball HARD. Most of the youth volleyball I see is the serve and bump the ball around type which makes for a slow moving game.
The slow moving game was what I was used to and officiating those kind of games is not too difficult because you can anticipate where the ball is going and officiate appropriately. With the level of play on Friday, I had to make some adjustments.
I had to watch net play more as girls were trying to save balls, spikes and block spikes. The other change was that I HAD TO RELY on my line judges more. The balls were flying around fast and there was no way I could see everything. Fortunately, I had two great line judges to work with.
One disadvantage I had was there was no stand to work from at the gym. I was ground level and that proved to be difficult see some of the net play. However, I did the best that I could. Overall, the game was quite enjoyable and I'm glad for the opportunity. I've going to brush up more on my volleyball rules as I know I have some knowledge gaps. Perhaps I'll take up the challenge of officiating high school volleyball (time permitting) in the future.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Double Dipping
This past Thursday, I got a rare chance to double dip. I officiated an adult league basketball game at around 5:45 PM. The game finished at around 6:45 PM and I proceeded to commute to play in my own adult league basketball game later that evening at 8:45 PM.
I usually wouldn't do this but the scheduling just happened to work out for me. The officiating part was pretty laid back though I got a chance to work with a veteran (who also happens to assign the adult league we were working). I got a chance to talk to the vet and get some insights from him. In addition, I have to say this particular official is one of the friendliest and easy going guys you're going to ever meet. He doesn't mind if you have to get out of games, just as long as you tell him why. As a official, he's one of the best guys around in our group and great to watch as well.
On the flip side, I played in my adult league game. We trailed the whole game, rallied to tie it at 60-60 but lost in overtime 67-62.
I usually wouldn't do this but the scheduling just happened to work out for me. The officiating part was pretty laid back though I got a chance to work with a veteran (who also happens to assign the adult league we were working). I got a chance to talk to the vet and get some insights from him. In addition, I have to say this particular official is one of the friendliest and easy going guys you're going to ever meet. He doesn't mind if you have to get out of games, just as long as you tell him why. As a official, he's one of the best guys around in our group and great to watch as well.
On the flip side, I played in my adult league game. We trailed the whole game, rallied to tie it at 60-60 but lost in overtime 67-62.
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