[devil58]

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...