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Do you all in other regions always see the same officials? I do not understand why we always see the so called "veterans" as the younger officials are just as good if not better.

I guess, I see it in other sports as well.
What region are you talking bout?
yeah i think they should be more requirements on being an high school official cause they are some calls missed and causes problems. some you can tell are getting tired after running down the court 3 times which is not good cause then some calls are also missed... that could provoke fights and other problems
Personally, I believe that a ranking system should be integrated in high school sports. Referees should be ranked by the coaches on a scale of 1 to 5 based on their officiating, then the results should be turned into the KHSAA for further review. If the results of the officials are below average then their officiating license should be revoked and they should have to go back to school to be a referee. Some high school sports refs are horrible and need to re-learn the game.
LC Class of 2010 Wrote:Personally, I believe that a ranking system should be integrated in high school sports. Referees should be ranked by the coaches on a scale of 1 to 5 based on their officiating, then the results should be turned into the KHSAA for further review. If the results of the officials are below average then their officiating license should be revoked and they should have to go back to school to be a referee. Some high school sports refs are horrible and need to re-learn the game.

Hang in there and get a little older and you can be a ref. It sounds like you would be great.
brain cramp Wrote:Hang in there and get a little older and you can be a ref. It sounds like you would be great.


You got a problem big guy?
Maybe its just me but it seems that the officiating just gets worse and worse each year.
LC Class of 2010 Wrote:Personally, I believe that a ranking system should be integrated in high school sports. Referees should be ranked by the coaches on a scale of 1 to 5 based on their officiating, then the results should be turned into the KHSAA for further review. If the results of the officials are below average then their officiating license should be revoked and they should have to go back to school to be a referee. Some high school sports refs are horrible and need to re-learn the game.

Sounds good to me
NoTime2Waste Wrote:Sounds good to me


Yea, refs seriously get worse every year. They need to be more qualified for their job.
I am on them every game, but that is a part of the game everybody seems to get into. I know they try, and if we can do better I guess there is nothing stopping us from taking the test and hitting the floor.........
BlueSky Wrote:I am on them every game, but that is a part of the game everybody seems to get into. I know they try, and if we can do better I guess there is nothing stopping us from taking the test and hitting the floor.........


Yea, I understand that it is hard to officiate a game. My system was just a suggestion, and all I wanted was other's opinons on it.
Nothing wrong with your suggestion, any improvement in any field should be welcomed....
Chaos377 Wrote:yeah i think they should be more requirements on being an high school official cause they are some calls missed and causes problems. some you can tell are getting tired after running down the court 3 times which is not good cause then some calls are also missed... that could provoke fights and other problems

I agree with my sidekick Yoshi on this one lol!!!
brain cramp Wrote:Hang in there and get a little older and you can be a ref. It sounds like you would be great.

:thatsfunn :Thumbs:
LC Class of 2010 Wrote:Personally, I believe that a ranking system should be integrated in high school sports. Referees should be ranked by the coaches on a scale of 1 to 5 based on their officiating, then the results should be turned into the KHSAA for further review. If the results of the officials are below average then their officiating license should be revoked and they should have to go back to school to be a referee. Some high school sports refs are horrible and need to re-learn the game.

You are assuming that coaches are qualified to evaluate officials...Having been on both sides at the varsity level I can assure you that most are not...They rate you well if they like you and poorly if they don't...The refs could call a good game and if things don't go the coach's way, they rate them poorly based on the outcome...Lets say the ref does have a bad game & that's the only time he has that team and the rest of the year he is great...Based on that one game the coach rates him poorly...How is that fair??

I believe all regions have officials associations and there are rating systems in place that combine both the opinions of coaches and evaluations by the region's assigning secretary as well as other arbitrary criteria...Officials are rated based on each region's system...If a coach does not like a particular ref, most regions allow them to "scratch" that particular official...

Are there poor officials? Sure there are but I have been to games where the poor level of play makes good officials look bad...Can the officiating improve?? Yes it can and in my experience most officials who are out there try to improve yearly...I've been to thousands of games and it is very rare that officials dictate the outcome of the game...It's just another crutch that people like to use when their team gets beat...It gets old...

It's easy to sit in the stands and complain...After you graduate in a few years and mature a little more maybe you can join your local association and show everyone how it's done...I'm sure they would welcome you...:thumpsup:
I think the biggest thing with referees are the inconstant calls. You get referee's one game that will call palming, walking and the small stuff that needs to be called, then you get referee's the next game that let's teams get away with everything. Then you look out on the floor and you have guys that are 50 lbs. over weight trying to keep up with the flow of the game who can't make past the mid court stripe making it imposible to make the right call. Every time a call is made everyone in the gymnasium see's the same call in a different light. Here's the deal, it's harder when you are out on the court running up and down with the players than it is when you're in the stands critizing. You may wan't try it sometime before passing judgement.
devil58 Wrote:You are assuming that coaches are qualified to evaluate officials...Having been on both sides at the varsity level I can assure you that most are not...They rate you well if they like you and poorly if they don't...The refs could call a good game and if things don't go the coach's way, they rate them poorly based on the outcome...Lets say the ref does have a bad game & that's the only time he has that team and the rest of the year he is great...Based on that one game the coach rates him poorly...How is that fair??

I believe all regions have officials associations and there are rating systems in place that combine both the opinions of coaches and evaluations by the region's assigning secretary as well as other arbitrary criteria...Officials are rated based on each region's system...If a coach does not like a particular ref, most regions allow them to "scratch" that particular official...

Are there poor officials? Sure there are but I have been to games where the poor level of play makes good officials look bad...Can the officiating improve?? Yes it can and in my experience most officials who are out there try to improve yearly...I've been to thousands of games and it is very rare that officials dictate the outcome of the game...It's just another crutch that people like to use when their team gets beat...It gets old...

It's easy to sit in the stands and complain...After you graduate in a few years and mature a little more maybe you can join your local association and show everyone how it's done...I'm sure they would welcome you...:thumpsup:

Hey big guy..you don't have to get all defensive just because you are a p.o.ed official that's mad because I made a suggestion that might get you out of the job. :lmao:
Hands down the best BBall offical around is Tommy Hutton.
Remember this, there is a shortage of officials in the 15th region. You have to take what you get. There needs to be some young people step up and get into the officiating or there might be trouble even having games in the future.
I agree the whole ranking system is a joke. The KHSAA needs to change how officials are rated. Not fair to anyone involved, coaches, players, especially the officials. I agree that there are a lot of out of shape officials, but you might want to thank them for trying instead of getting on here and bashing them. If it wasn't for those guys, we wouldn't be able to have games. Us Coaches commend them for the job they try to do, yes they make mistakes, but don't all of us? A lot of us as coaches and fans expect perfection out of our players as we do the officials, but sometimes that doesn't happen and we just have to deal with it and move on. Remember the kids are human and make mistakes and so are the officials. So instead of bashing them tell them thanks for being there so you are able to watch some of the great high school games that you get to have the opportunity to be at. If you think you can do better there is a great shortage in officials in about every region in Kentucky, so I'm sure they will welcome you with open arms. I know in the 14th there are quite a few older and heavier officials that are about to get out of the profession because they have put their time in and have done a great job. There is not a lot of "Younger" officials to take there place. If we don't get some more, it will be difficult for us to schedule games because of the lack of officials. And yes some of our officials may be out of shape, but I would rather have their knowledge of the game and experience than throw a younger 2 or 3 year official in a heated rivalry game and have them have that deer in the headlights look, this would cause major problems. So that is why you see the what you call "Veterans" night in and night out. Those guys have been through the wars and no they aren't perfect, but they are out there, trying, that is all we can ask as coaches. Hats off to the officials for being there for us.
mountain hoops guru Wrote:I agree the whole ranking system is a joke. The KHSAA needs to change how officials are rated. Not fair to anyone involved, coaches, players, especially the officials. I agree that there are a lot of out of shape officials, but you might want to thank them for trying instead of getting on here and bashing them. If it wasn't for those guys, we wouldn't be able to have games. Us Coaches commend them for the job they try to do, yes they make mistakes, but don't all of us? A lot of us as coaches and fans expect perfection out of our players as we do the officials, but sometimes that doesn't happen and we just have to deal with it and move on. Remember the kids are human and make mistakes and so are the officials. So instead of bashing them tell them thanks for being there so you are able to watch some of the great high school games that you get to have the opportunity to be at. If you think you can do better there is a great shortage in officials in about every region in Kentucky, so I'm sure they will welcome you with open arms. I know in the 14th there are quite a few older and heavier officials that are about to get out of the profession because they have put their time in and have done a great job. There is not a lot of "Younger" officials to take there place. If we don't get some more, it will be difficult for us to schedule games because of the lack of officials. And yes some of our officials may be out of shape, but I would rather have their knowledge of the game and experience than throw a younger 2 or 3 year official in a heated rivalry game and have them have that deer in the headlights look, this would cause major problems. So that is why you see the what you call "Veterans" night in and night out. Those guys have been through the wars and no they aren't perfect, but they are out there, trying, that is all we can ask as coaches. Hats off to the officials for being there for us.


Excellent post.:Thumbs:
LC Class of 2010 Wrote:Hey big guy..you don't have to get all defensive just because you are a p.o.ed official that's mad because I made a suggestion that might get you out of the job. :lmao:
I'm not a ref and I'm not being defensive...I have been a varsity ref but now I coach instead...You asked for opinions...Don't get mad if someone disagrees with yours...Its just a little funny to hear a high school junior talk about the officiating getting worse every year when you have such a small timetable to base that on...I have been to poorly officiated games...My point is, there is a shortage around the state and country really of people wanting to get into the officiating ranks due to the abuse they take in public...Its easy to sit back and think of ways to make officiating better but much harder to put into action...There are a lot of "bleacher refs" that get upset because something was or wasn't called that they felt should have been when in fact the correct call was made...

How often do you hear, "Call the reach"...There is no such thing...You can "reach" all you want, you just cant touch...What about when a player dribbles the ball in frontcourt then dribbles back into backcourt and everyone goes nuts wanting an "over and back" call...Did you know that both legs and the ball must be established in frontcourt before there would be a violation? You can have the ball and one leg over and still go back...95% of fans, players, and UNFORTUNATELY, a lot coaches don't know that...Those are the guys you want deciding who officiates?? I'm not saying that coaches shouldn't have any input...In a 100 point scale it should be no more than 30-40% coaches input...Remember, this is coming from a coach...

What about "over the back"?? Whenever a person rebounds from behind someone thats all you hear...Can a player shoot the ball, it miss everything, and that player catch the ball & put it in without a violation?? What about a kid who slaps the backboard when trying to block a shot? Isn't that a technical foul??

Bottom line, until someone seriously wants to get into officiating and STUDY that rulebook and learn the actual rules, they need to realize they don't know nearly as much as they think they do...Certainly we can agree that there are those out there whose better days are behind them but stay in it due to low numbers or they just love being around the players and coaches...

As a coach there is one thing I never allow my players to do...That is, blame the officials for a loss...If you lose a close game and there was a "questionable" call late, there were a hundred other plays you could have made throughout the course of the game that could have changed the outcome...If the score is close both teams were probably pretty even and the game could go either way anyway...Work harder in practice and win next time out...In 30 years of watching basketball I have never seen a team get blown out because of poor officiating...If you lose badly, they are just better than you...You have to play through officiating and adjust to the way each game is called...We need to stop making excuses and play the game...
Fans should have to take a 10 question test on rules and make 7 out of 10 to get into the game. No we better not do that, we wouldn't have anyone in the stands to watch our boys play. hahaha.. Smile
devil58 Wrote:I'm not a ref and I'm not being defensive...I have been a varsity ref but now I coach instead...You asked for opinions...Don't get mad if someone disagrees with yours...Its just a little funny to hear a high school junior talk about the officiating getting worse every year when you have such a small timetable to base that on...I have been to poorly officiated games...My point is, there is a shortage around the state and country really of people wanting to get into the officiating ranks due to the abuse they take in public...Its easy to sit back and think of ways to make officiating better but much harder to put into action...There are a lot of "bleacher refs" that get upset because something was or wasn't called that they felt should have been when in fact the correct call was made...

How often do you hear, "Call the reach"...There is no such thing...You can "reach" all you want, you just cant touch...What about when a player dribbles the ball in frontcourt then dribbles back into backcourt and everyone goes nuts wanting an "over and back" call...Did you know that both legs and the ball must be established in frontcourt before there would be a violation? You can have the ball and one leg over and still go back...95% of fans, players, and UNFORTUNATELY, a lot coaches don't know that...Those are the guys you want deciding who officiates?? I'm not saying that coaches shouldn't have any input...In a 100 point scale it should be no more than 30-40% coaches input...Remember, this is coming from a coach...

What about "over the back"?? Whenever a person rebounds from behind someone thats all you hear...Can a player shoot the ball, it miss everything, and that player catch the ball & put it in without a violation?? What about a kid who slaps the backboard when trying to block a shot? Isn't that a technical foul??

Bottom line, until someone seriously wants to get into officiating and STUDY that rulebook and learn the actual rules, they need to realize they don't know nearly as much as they think they do...Certainly we can agree that there are those out there whose better days are behind them but stay in it due to low numbers or they just love being around the players and coaches...

As a coach there is one thing I never allow my players to do...That is, blame the officials for a loss...If you lose a close game and there was a "questionable" call late, there were a hundred other plays you could have made throughout the course of the game that could have changed the outcome...If the score is close both teams were probably pretty even and the game could go either way anyway...Work harder in practice and win next time out...In 30 years of watching basketball I have never seen a team get blown out because of poor officiating...If you lose badly, they are just better than you...You have to play through officiating and adjust to the way each game is called...We need to stop making excuses and play the game...

Great post. Just wanted to add, that most of the time, the ones yelling in the stands are the mothers that think that their babies are being done wrong. Big Grin
In the 14th you have ref's doing the jv game and the varsity game and they cant get down the floor after the frist Qt. they should have to be in shape themselvs to ref and there are very few in the 14th that are in shape to do a game. Go to any game in the 14th and chech out the ref's and if i;m wrong i will agree but check it out for me and let me know what you think..........