Officiating

[1inStripes]

Fellas, and ladies, I hate to knock on my own "brethren" but I saw tonight at the RC/TS playoff game what some of you have been talking about this year. So far, I had not saw a game this season in which I thought things were uneven, or horribly called. The three fellas who worked the game, I know them from football, and have worked a game or two with a couple of them.

Tonight's display was just poor IMO. Especially in the second half. There were people who complained last Friday night, but I didn't think it was that bad. TS simply outplayed RC that night. I thought, as did a buddy of mine from TS who refs football with me, that calls may have went 60-40 TS, but nothing that made too much of a difference in the game.

Tonight, I just can't say the same thing. Fouls in the second half was 12-3, and RC only fouled twice IMO trying to stop the clock. A touch foul, or in one occasion a fly by, was a foul on one end, and a arm bar was nothing on the other although both teams were attacking the basket. I just don't know what to say fellas. It made me disappointed to be associated with those donning the stripes.

[NotSoSilentBob]

Quit your whining sore loser! [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Consistancy is the key. And the officials in the area are sorely lacking in that regard.

[Unchained]

Well the fact that you put it on this forum away from piddly arguments, gets a thumbs-up from me. This is just another example of what I was talking with VT Hokie 22 and others about on the Sports Forum (TV beats Haysi by 40). Basketball officiating in this region spells doom for our teams upstate.

[imported_Sportsman]

If we didn't have the officials to complain about, what would we complain about?

My hat's off to the guys and gals that do it, I used to ref basketball games years ago, didn't take me long to realize it was the fastest way in the world to make enemies.

[1inStripes]

[ QUOTE ]
If we didn't have the officials to complain about, what would we complain about?

My hat's off to the guys and gals that do it, I used to ref basketball games years ago, didn't take me long to realize it was the fastest way in the world to make enemies.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can agree with that! I got there with 2 minutes left before halftime, and the fouls were at least even in the first half. I don't know if more should have been called one way or the other there, so I can't comment. I heard complaining on both sides.

In the second half I was mystified. Fouls weren't the only thing, but the biggest thing IMO.

Indian Dad that is the precise reason I put it here. No need to flame them out there for everyone to see, when it isn't going to accomplish anything, anyway. I was just really dissappointed in a game of that magnitude.

I saw games this year, where calls sort of escaped me I guess you could say. Overall though, in those games it was an evenly called game. I just couldn't say that last night.

[Unchained]

I too have done the basketball ref thing a time or two, as well as coached. There's a certain degree of accountability to coaches. There should be that same degree to referees as well. I know that it's a tough job, but then again so is coaching.

[R0cketer]

Truthfully, thats what my rants have been about mostly. It's not just blasting away at officials. I know and appreciate the task that it is, but it has really had some poor examples the last few years at times, and instead of getting better, it seems to be getting worse.

I know that you're going to have some who gripe/complain no matter how even a game is called or how fair if they feel they don't get the right calls.

[CoeburnCane]

That's my thing too Rock...consistency. If you're going to call something a foul in the first half, call the same thing through the whole game. If something is a technical on one team, call it on the other team if they do it. I can understand if you're an official starting out, making horrible calls b/c you've not seen the game from an official's perspective that much and it takes court time to get good at it. If I tried to be an official, it would take me at least 5 years, if not longer, to get decent at it and be able to call a good consistent game...and even then I'd still make mistakes...BUT hopefully I would have improved.

That being said--there's such a thing as good experience and bad experience. If you're out there just calling whatever to your heart's content, and you're on a power-trip like some of these guys seem to be, then that's BAD experience. If you're out there honestly trying to call it down the middle and keep things consistent and within the rules, then that's good experience. Bad experience is what a lot of these officials around here keep getting...especially those 3 that reffed the Coeburn/Kelly game last week...if you've got to toss 1 or 2 rowdy fans out, that's officiating and keeping control. If you're stopping the game to actively scan the crowd to toss 3-4 more, then that's power-tripping and wrong.

Good experience means as an official yes you will make mistakes, you will get cussed, but you'll be improving as an official. Bad experience means you're making mistakes, but don't care one way or the other about getting better based on your mistakes--you're just out there for yourself, not for the kids. If you don't get better, you waste everyone's time and need to stop.

[the_alienist]

I think that one of the big problems that we have with officiating around here is that most of the officials are from this area, not that they aren't qualified, it is just that they all have their own prejudices, due to the nature of our small communities and the fact that they either live, work, or grew up in this area. It is hard when you are out there on the court to leave your personal bias behind completely, due to the fact that we are all human.

[UK5]

to a certain point, and towards certain officials i find this true......i know plenty of the officials and talked with some of them that went to local high schools, that say they have no ties with their old school, and call the game as fair as they can......