I want to state up front that I don't want this thread to become a referee bashing one. I am curious to see what others feel are the reasons the refereeing as a whole seems to be looked at as being so bad in the Northern Ky. area and what could be done to improve it. I only say this because it seems every game thread seems to bring this up. I know there are a few officials out there on this site so I am interested to hear their thoughts as well as to what could be done to improve it overall. I for one feel that it is a thankless job and there just aren't that many ex basketball players willing to put themselves through the suffering that they sometimes endure. Let's give this a try and try to stay on the path to make it a discussion thread worth reading and sharing input.

In my opinion:

There are not enough officials to spread around all the basketball that is being played year-round in this area. In some cases some very competent officials have chosen, maybe for good reasons, to ref back to back middle school games at 4pm instead of a single varsity or JV game. Or maybe have chosen to be scheduled exclusively for girls' games. No offense, ladies.

 

I also think the "three official" rule for all district games puts a strain on scheduling. This rule should be relaxed to only district/regional tournament games and perhaps some exceptions left to the discretion of the scheduler.

 

Scheduling officials must be a nightmare.

 

There are many outstanding officials in NKY. I just don't know them by name or may not recognize them the next day, because they are usually not the focus of a well-officiated game. They do get paid. I consider myself an "ex-player" and will officiate, but it will be for the enjoyment of being near the game, the challenge of doing it well, and yes, some extra cash. Hearing the word "thanks" not a motivation unless I volunteer for a fundraiser.

Do not think is as bad as people would lead you to believe just players,coaches and especially fan's have to blame someone for why their team was not prepared,why their kid's had off nights,Northern Kentucky is very competative this year so teams matchup good with each other. Do not get me wrong there is bad calls, missed calls and things just not seen on the floor by an official, and there are also some officials that should find something else to do.But overall i do not think it is as bad as teams act.

Officiating basketball is by far the most difficult in all of sports. There are going to be missed calls every night no matter who the officials are and how good. It is just a fact. That is why you are always going to have officiating comments after a game.

Lots of judgment calls, fans close to the action, players in better shape nowadays are few reasons for so called bad officiating. But also that not as many quality officials are starting their careers as there are ones ending theirs!

There is human error in the game, you will never get away from it it is part of the game. Ref's don't see everything and they can't, even with a three man crew. As a fan you might see it and if they didn't see it you write it off as them being poor officials. I think most fans are not as educated on the rules, a fan may think something is a violation when in reality it is not. If an official called every single violation the game would never leave the free throw line. I prefer when officials let the kids play a little. I don't think it is as bad as people on here make it out to be. Its always easy to blame the officials.

I agree that a lot of posters on here blame the refs, but coaches, players, fans, etc. do as well.

The 9th Region needs to go to more 3-man crews. A lot of other regions are doing this and it's time the 9th follows. I'll take a 3-man crew over a 2-man any day. Having that extra set of eyes really helps.

It's also a lot easier to blame the refs for a loss than it is to blame the players. When a coach or fan looks to defend their players, the easy way out is to blame the officiating.

Every official will tell you they miss calls. However, they do not miss as many as people think. If you're not watching from the same angle and perspective (vs just following the ball) you're not seeing the same thing. Sometimes the fans will end up with a better angle than the official especially if only 2 officials are working the game.

 

Secondly, unless you know the intimate details of the rulebook you don't know if any official missed a travel (the most commonly misunderstood rule among fans IMO). Unless you know the requirements for legal guarding position you're just guessing most times as to a charge/block call. You might be right sometimes. You're not as right as you think you are though.

 

Fortunately, most officials I know can take the heat. We know its deserved sometimes and accept the times that its not.

Every official will tell you they miss calls. However, they do not miss as many as people think. If you're not watching from the same angle and perspective (vs just following the ball) you're not seeing the same thing. Sometimes the fans will end up with a better angle than the official especially if only 2 officials are working the game.

 

Secondly, unless you know the intimate details of the rulebook you don't know if any official missed a travel (the most commonly misunderstood rule among fans IMO). Unless you know the requirements for legal guarding position you're just guessing most times as to a charge/block call. You might be right sometimes. You're not as right as you think you are though.

 

Fortunately, most officials I know can take the heat. We know its deserved sometimes and accept the times that its not.

 

There are also a lot of coaches in the region who don't know the rulebook.

There are also a lot of coaches in the region who don't know the rulebook.

 

As well as a lot of fans.

 

I feel a lot of times it's easier to see some plays from the stands. Maybe they could ref the games from where I sit.:lol:

Edited February 18, 201016 yr by livewire
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Are there requirements to be met before an official can do varsity games? I know in the distant past referees started at the lower levels and worked their way up. Do they still have to do this or can they apply to referee and be given varsity games in their first year?

Are there requirements to be met before an official can do varsity games? I know in the distant past referees started at the lower levels and worked their way up. Do they still have to do this or can they apply to referee and be given varsity games in their first year?

 

They still start at freshman/jv prior to getting varsity games. No official gets varsity games in their first year.

They still start at freshman/jv prior to getting varsity games. No official gets varsity games in their first year.

Thanks I just wondered. I once heard a disgruntled official say that it was a good ole boys club and if you knew somebody you had a better chance of getting varsity games than somebody who didn't.