I blew the whistle. Then I spoke fiercely.
This was the minute in my first investigation as a basketball officer last December. Two seventh grade boys were entangled 80 feet from the basketball, and they beat their heads around to get the call.
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What was the call? It was a million mph moment.
“Was it a defensive dishonesty?” An aggressive push? A jump-ball? What is proper mechanics? Why are they looking at me like this? ”
I almost went with “Jordan Shragh.”
When my partner – a more experienced officer, who had met me about an hour earlier – came to the rescue.
“13. I found illegal use of hands. Red ball, “he said.
Those children did not quarrel. My partner shook me. We were on the next whistle.
Why would anyone want to become a basketball official?
For me, it was a necessity. I wanted to be a better youth basketball coach for my son Grant, a fourth grader, and my daughter Bella, a first grader. Last season, less than one game point was being dropped. Pickerington Youth Athletic Association Athletic Director Bill Andrews encouraged me to take the class.
The progress from first year coach to first year officer removed from the post of first time is out of order. I would recommend taking the first officer’s class for future youth basketball coaches.
take a class
Andrews has been an active Ohio High School Athletic Association official since 1987. He competed in three state tournaments. Andrews, who played the point guard at Cambridge High School, is still remembered for many cheap fouls. This was his inspiration.
Andrew said, “I wanted the way I felt it should be played would weaken the game.” “That means a tickle-like dishonesty.” Let the players play. Make clear calls, but allow players to direct the game. I want to improve the game that the player brings for us. ”
He noted a trend over the years, one that was triggered with the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020-21: the number of students taking his aggressive class continues to decline.
“In my humble opinion, it’s based on just focusing on people, whether it’s a girls ‘game or a boys’ basketball game,” Andrews said. “It’s fans and coaches, with their way of performance and reaction. He has come down to the level of the player. There has been an increase in similar behavior.”
So why not part of the solution? I did some NFL Sunday passes to take a class. If it can help with developing players of all ages and make me a better youth-league coach, then it is an easy two-for-one right. How hard could it be?
It is difficult.
I was half overwhelmed in first grade. I had never heard Dick Vitale use the phrase, “at the disposal of the thrower.” Forget about a high-school game. I am not going to be able to handle a PYAA rec game this winter.
That was the wrong way. Once you start watching the game from an official point of view, your entire basketball outlook changes. I wanted to learn more each week. If I were a high-school coach, I would have made it mandatory for the players to take classes.
Of course, anyone can ace the written examination. It was time to come to court.
Learn through mistakes
The first month – and if we’re being honest, the first season – has been brutal. My mechanics and position need to be worked out, but Andrews will tell me the same thing I tell our fourth-grade traveling basketball players every two minutes.
“slow down.”
With children, it means that physically. For the first time with the officers, it is mentally.
Andrews said, “Process the play in your mind.” “Then call.”
He told me to focus on two things for improvement every time. This is a long list.
Raise your hand with each whistle. Stand upright at baseline. Report dishonestly. Look what is going on in front of you. Then, focus on two more things in the second half.
When you remember something, there is a short-term memory. Trust me, you are going to miss a lot in the first few games. If I worked with an officer with more experience, I criticized him. Consider it as a continuous learning experience rather than a money grab.
This is also done on. After working long hours, I found myself looking forward to the next four-game set. I started watching college games to learn more about the three-member official crew. I read to Andrews every Saturday, “You can’t believe what has happened in my game today!”
Imagine trying to tell who is the referee since 1987.
The Enlightenment, however, was worth it. Charming … fun?
Well, most of the time.
‘That’s dishonest!’
This is the most popular catch-phrase you’ll hear during a game. Coach. Parents. Players. Everyone says this, all the time, all the time. Seriously, all the time.
Other frequent submissions include:
“This is a carry.” this is not football.
“Above the back.” That call does not exist.
Andrews listens to something else all the time.
“Call it both ways.”
How many games of the same number do both teams play? You call the game you watch, and one of the best lessons learned was to have coaches not control your emotions. Andrews’ text stuck. If a coach is hounding you for something – “3 seconds! 3 seconds! “ – Then contact in this way:
“Is this a comment or a question?”
Of course, some of my games have had some confrontations. A coach yells at the parents of the other team, and vice versa. One girl accidentally hit another girl in the face with an elbow. And yes, ejection happens. At re level, I found that it is best to avoid such situations. There are enough viral videos of coaches and parents about youth basketball. We do not need to contribute to that.
I have not yet released a technical dishonesty, but I have the wind-up ready in one instance. Ground level? As long as it is not an extreme case at the rec level then you shouldn’t be. During that time, the coach has earned it.
After all, it should be about children, right?
Education through education
I am not ready to study high school basketball yet. My mechanics require work, and I still don’t have enough experience to take on that challenge – where the stakes are high.
Okay. I will be working on the summer and next season.
This year, Rick basketball was more rewarding. I went back to my experiences playing back at that level. Time has changed. I did not organize basketball until the fifth grade. Grant has played five years – and he will be in fifth grade next year.
When you see children in court, even at the youth level, you can understand how much pressure they feel from that environment. Just look at his face.
Keeping this in mind, it makes more sense to give instructions whenever possible.
“This is how you set the screen without moving.”
“That’s why I called that dishonesty for a push.”
“Throw your time free.”
You do not need to give a two-minute tutorial, but it is okay to take that role to make it a more conducive learning environment.
Throw in the fun If you have the same group each week, know the names of the players and the names of the coaches.
My most frequent companion, another rogue named Craig Gramlich, excels at that. Not surprisingly, he is already doing a Junior Variety game. If children see you having fun, they can feed it. We have our own style, and it clicks.
For coaches, they will give you a hard time no matter what happens.
do not take it personally.
After all, you too can be one of those coaches.
Be a better coach
I have improved as a coach after becoming an officer. A better head coach for Bella. Maybe there is an even better assistant coach for Grant because I can see the officials a little more during the game.
It is not a matter of officers being good or terrible. How many times have you walked out of the gym and heard, “Man, those refs were awesome!”
It is more about looking at their process within the flow of the game and how it can be different from you. Then, you can adjust your coaching with your players. This is a win-win situation. You can also use those lessons in practice. For that, I am grateful that I took the class because it makes for helpful scrimmage. I can teach our head coach and other assistants. Again, win.
Well, most of the time.
In the final practice of our year, Grant took an unknown elbow in the face from one of his teammates. He was shaken for a few seconds, and another of his companions clearly did not do wrong.
“It looked like you got attacked by a flamingo.”
Which went viral within seconds. Our children became their best flamingos and were dancing. Everybody was laughing. Perhaps we stumbled upon a revolutionary new 2-3 field strategy. Grant had a big smile on his face.
I blew the whistle. Then I spoke fiercely.
You want to slow that million-mph speed, especially in a year when we weren’t sure we’d play at all.
So, what was the call this time?
I got to use that “Jordan Shrug”.
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