I whistled. Then I froze.
This was minutes after my first fight as a basketball official last December. Two seventh grade boys tangled themselves 80 feet from the basketball and turned their heads to receive the call.
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How was the call? It was a million miles an hour moment.
“Was it a defensive foul? An offensive shot? A jump ball? What is the correct mechanic? Why are you looking at me like that?”
I almost went with the “Jordan Shrug”.
Then my partner – a much more experienced officer whom I had met about an hour earlier – came to the rescue.
“I have 13. Illegal use of hands. Red Ball,” he said.
These children didn’t fight. My partner nodded to me. We were on the next whistle.
Why would anyone want to be a basketball official?
For me it was a necessity. I wanted to be a better youth basketball coach for my fourth grader son Grant and my first grader daughter Bella. The low point was thrown out of a game last season. Pickerington Youth Athletic Association’s sports director, Bill Andrews, encouraged me to attend class afterwards.
The transition from coach in the first year to first-time expelled coach to official in the first year is not okay. I would recommend attending the official’s class first for future youth basketball coaches.
Attend class
Andrews has been an active official with the Ohio High School Athletic Association since 1987. He has participated in three state tournaments. Andrews still remembers getting called to point guard at Cambridge High School for too many cheap fouls. That was his motivation.
“I wanted to run the game as I saw fit,” said Andrews. “That means no ticky-tack fouls. Let the players play. Call the obvious, but let the players dictate the game. I want to direct the game that the player brings to us.”
He noticed a trend in recent years that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21: the number of students attending his reigning class continues to decline.
“In my humble opinion, it’s just based on what people watch, whether it’s a girls rec game or a boys travel basketball game,” said Andrews. “It’s fans and coaches, with their behavior and the way they react. It depends on the level of the player. Unsportsmanlike behavior has increased.”
So why not be part of the solution? I missed a couple of NFL Sundays to attend class. If this can help develop players of all ages and make me a better youth league coach, then that’s easy two-on-one possession. How hard could it be?
It is difficult.
I was overwhelmed halfway through first grade. I had never heard Dick Vitale use the phrase “At the disposal of the thrower” before. Forget a high school game. I won’t be able to play a PYAA Rec game this winter.
That was the wrong approach. Once you see the game from the official’s point of view, your entire basketball perspective changes. I wanted to learn more every week. If I were a high school coach I would make it compulsory for players to attend class.
Of course, anyone can pass the written test. It was time to get on the pitch.
Learn from mistakes
The first month – and if we’re honest, the first season – was brutal. My mechanics and positioning take work, but Andrews would tell me the same thing every two minutes that I tell our fourth grade travel basketball players.
“Slow it down.”
For children, that means physical. With first-time officials, it is mentally like that.
“Process the game in your head,” said Andrews. “Then call.”
He told me to focus on two things to improve on every time out, even if it’s a long list.
Raise your hand with every whistle. Stand straight on the baseline. Report fouls correctly. Watch what is going on in front of you. Then, in the second half, focus on two more things.
If you miss something, you have a short-term memory. Believe me, you will miss a lot in the first few games. Whenever I’ve worked with a more experienced officer, I’ve taken on their criticism. Treat it as an ongoing learning experience rather than a money robbery.
It also carries over. After a long inauguration, I was looking forward to the next four-game set. I started watching college games to learn about three-person reigning teams. I texted Andrews every Saturday: “You won’t believe what happened in my game today!”
Imagine trying to tell this to someone who has been a referee since 1987.
However, the enlightenment was worth it. Officiating is … fun?
Well, most of the time.
“This is a foul!”
This is the most popular catchphrase you will hear during a game. Trainer. Parents. Player. Everyone says it, all the time, every time. Seriously, all the time.
Other common submissions are:
“This is a carry.” This is not football.
“Over the back.” This call does not exist.
Andrews hears something different all the time.
“Call it both ways.”
How many games do both teams commit the same number of fouls? You name the game you watch and one of the best lessons you learned was how to let coaches not control your emotions. Andrews’ lesson stuck. When a trainer chases you for something – “Three seconds! Three seconds!” – then proceed as follows:
“Is that a comment or a question?”
Of course, there were some confrontations in some of my games. A coach yelled at one of the parents of the other team and vice versa. A girl accidentally poked another girl in the face. And yes, ejections do happen. At the rec level, I found it best to de-escalate these situations. There are enough viral videos of coaches and parents involved in youth basketball. We don’t have to contribute.
I have not yet imposed a technical foul, but in one case I finished processing. Bottom line? You shouldn’t have to, unless it’s an extreme case at the Rec level. At this point the coach deserved it.
It should be about the kids, right?
Teach by officiating
I’m not ready to lead high school basketball yet. My mechanics need work and I still don’t have enough experience to take on this challenge – where much more is at stake.
That’s OK. I’ll work on that in the summer and next season.
That year, Rec basketball was more rewarding. I went back to my experience of playing at that level. The times have changed. I only played organized basketball in fifth grade. Grant has been playing for five years – and he will be in fifth grade next year.
When you see the children in the field, even as they are young, you can feel how much pressure they are feeling from this environment. Just look at their faces.
With this in mind, it makes more sense to teach whenever possible.
“How to adjust a screen without moving.”
“That’s why I called this foul for a kick.”
“Take your time for free throws.”
You don’t have to give a two minute tutorial, but it’s okay to take on that role to create a more user-friendly learning environment.
Throw in a joke. If you have the same group every week, you will get to know the names of the players and coaches.
My most frequent incumbent partner, another rookie named Craig Gramlich, is what sets it apart. Unsurprisingly, he’s already doing junior varsity games. When the children see you having fun, they can feed on it. We have our style and it clicks.
The coaches will make it difficult for you no matter what.
Do not take it personally.
After all, you could be one of those trainers too.
Become a better trainer
I improved as a coach after becoming a civil servant. A better head coach for Bella. Maybe an even better assistant coach for Grant because I can watch the officials a little more during the game.
It’s not so much about the officers being good or terrible. How many times have you walked out of a gym and heard, “Man, those umpires were great!”
It’s more about seeing your process within the flow of the game and how it can differ from yours. Then you can customize your coaching with your players. It’s a win-win situation. You can also apply these lessons in practice. I am grateful for attending the class because it provides helpful scrimmages. I can sit back while our head coach and other assistants teach. Win-win again.
Well, most of the time.
In our last training session of the year, Grant accidentally took an elbow in the face of one of his teammates. He was shaken for a few seconds and another of his teammates blurted out the not-so-obvious foul.
“It looked like you were attacked by a flamingo.”
That went viral within seconds. Our kids did their best flamingo poses and dances. Everyone laughed. Perhaps we encountered a revolutionary new 2-3 zone tactic. Grant had a huge smile on his face.
I whistled. Then I froze.
They want to slow this moment down to a million miles an hour, especially in a year we weren’t sure we were going to be playing at all.
So how was the call this time?
I have to use this Jordan Shrug.
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