Triad Basketball Officials Association 2012:Issue #6 11.18.2012 On The Court This Month Commitment to Excellence The season starts next week for all of our schools. Every one of you has worked hard to prepare for a successful season. Now is the time to show the coaches, players, administrators, and fans how well prepared we are for the season. Let s get off to a strong start and maintain that effort all the way through the season. To quote a familiar phrase: just do it! We should all be working towards the common goal of getting the TBOA back to the top and we will accomplish this goal! Finally, I want to say how much I appreciate everyone s hard work over the past year. I am very proud of the dedication and enthusiasm I have seen so far and know we are going to have a great year! CONTACT US Kip Johnson Booking Agent kip@triadbasketball.com 336-687-2225 Donna Johnson Administrative Assistant donna@triadbasketball.com 336-275-2024 Office 336-689-9643 Cell www.triadbasketball.com Arbiter Technical Support 801-576-9436 Phone Calls Due to an inordinate amount of phone calls processed on a daily basis during this time of year, please try to utilize email when possible. If you have a matter that needs immediate attention, please direct all of your calls to our office so we can expeditiously handle your request. Our office number is 336-275-2024. Needs your Attention! Please go into the NCHSAA website and make sure that your name matches your name in Arbiter EXACTLY. If your name is not identical in both sites, you will also not be able to officiate this year. Please take care of this at once! Your NFHS test scores are automatically uploaded to the NCHSAA site. Immediately afterwards, the NCHSAA site will communicate with Arbiter and will flag your account eligible or ineligible. You will be ineligible to officiate if you did not take the exam or you scored below a 65. Last year, there were 184 scores across the state that had email addresses listed that were not in the NCHSAA system and as such they had no way to apply the score to the user s record. Please make sure you are not one of officials!
Retirements - Lonnie Blue, Jr. My basketball career began in 1974. I started in recreation basketball. With extensive studying and exercising, I earned my way to high school and college officiating. In high school, I officiated in several North Carolina High School Athletics, Regional and State Tournaments. I was the first official in the Triad Basketball Officials Association to receive the Dick Knox TBOA Distinguished award in 2005. In college, I officiated for the Carolina, Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Association and Big South Conferences. I continued to study and work hard. I was selected to officiate in Carolina, EIAC and CIAA Tournaments. I was awarded official of the year in the CIAA in 1993 and was inducted in the CIAA Officials Hall of Fame in 2001. After retiring from officiating, I became an observer for the TBOA. After years of observing and much thought, I decided to retire from observing. After observing the game and giving officials feedback, I was often asked, how can I become a tournament official? My response to them is study, learn the rules, stay in shape, work hard in every game, and the observers and director of assignments will recognize your talents. I have enjoyed many years with the officials as they continue to become the best officials in the country. I hope I have touched the lives of officials and made a positive influence of athletics. The Man in the Glass I was visiting East Carolina this past summer when I saw the poem, The Man in the Glass posted on a wall in a meeting room. I snapped a picture of it (for a future newsletter) because I thought it was an interesting read. I hope it provides you something to ponder like it did for me. The Man in the Glass When you get what you want in your struggle for self And the world makes you king for a day Just go to the mirror and look at yourself And see what that man has to say. For it isn t your father, or mother, or wife Whose judgment upon you must pass The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life Is the one staring back from the glass. He s the fellow to please never mind all the rest For he s with you, clear to the end And you ve passed your most difficult, dangerous test If the man in the glass is your friend. You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years And get pats on the back as you pass But your final reward will be heartache and tears If you ve cheated the man in the glass. Poem written in 1934 by Peter Dale Wimbrow Sr.
Mind your own Business I came across this article, Mind your own Business, in a NFHS publication in early October and thought it would be worthwhile to share with the group. I believe each of the nine bullets ring true and we should all strive to keep these things in mind as we go through the season and work to improve our interpersonal relationships with each other. It is my desire to see us grow in these areas over the coming year. Mind your own Business Keep these things in mind as you go about your season: The most negative characteristic that officials can possess is insecurity. If you didn t get a state tournament assignment this year, remember there are hundreds of qualified officials and only tens of spots to fill. It s not some personal attack against you; it s simple math. Be happy for the people who get the opportunity. The rookie official is not out to ruin your career. No matter what level you work, there is always going to be someone younger trying to work his or her way up. What s wrong with helping and sharing your wisdom? Have the confidence that your experience is what will drive your assignments. If you are paranoid, stop worrying about the rookie and start making yourself better. The veteran, no matter the level, sees right through your schmoozing. Save it. Don t ask a question when you already know the answer. Don t make comments for the sake of hearing your own voice. He or she doesn t make assignments. Respect experience but don t place it on a pedestal. Those who have called their assigner complaining about another official are likely getting complained about equally. To think that you don t bother anyone is naïve. Choose your battles wisely. An obsessive official can be a high-maintenance official. Basketball officials spread news like schoolgirls at a slumber party Screwing up a rule, throwing out a coach, getting suspended by your supervisor you name it, it will get talked about. Pregame discussions have turned into roundtable discussions about the latest. If officials spent half their time focusing on improving themselves and less about other s flaws there would be a lot more amazing officials: more rules knowledge, less paranoia. The focus has to be on the betterment of the overall officiating product. Control the things you can control. You have no control over what others say about you, but you have complete control over what you say about your fellow officials. If you can t say anything nice, stop talking. There s a huge difference between constructive criticism and jealous back-biting. Lead by example. If someone else is talking trash about an official, don t join in on the bashing. Seriously, if you have nothing nice to say about an official, just don t say anything! Vent a little. Find a fellow official or two who you can really confide in and keep your conversations among yourselves. Stop and think. Before you let words flow from your mouth, think about who it affects. Officials are held to a high standard of professionalism and we never know who is at the next table listening to our every word. Reprinted from NFHS Referee Basketball Preseason Guide 2012-13
Pre-Game Conference Pre-game discussions are essential to a crew s success a must for every game. It is important for the crew to arrive at the site far enough ahead of game time to have a meaningful pregame and prepare mentally and physically to give that night s games the crew s best effort. The pregame is started and conducted by the crew chief (referee) but needs to involve the entire crew. The beginning or early season conference will differ from the midseason or end of the season conference. For more information, please refer to www.triadbasketball.com and review the pre-game conference checklist located under the Forms section. New Board Members Congratulations to our newest board members, Gerald Moyd and Thomas Lofton. They will serve a one year term that expires October 2013. Mechanics Discussion It is important to follow the NFHS/State Rulings and Mechanics as that will be our default position. The following are TBOA clarifications: 1: Who will have the last second shot, Center official, or official opposite the table? The book says opposite the table, but the TBOA has gone with the Center. We need to change that. Last second shot by the manual is the responsibility of the official opposite the table, whether it is the trail or center official. It is incumbent for the officials during pregame and near the end of the game to insure the play is properly covered; understanding that the official opposite may have more than the last second shot if he has the shooter and defender; or a match up going to the basket where he has more than enough to cover. You may relieve some responsibility to allow adequate coverage for the last second shot. In all other situations the official opposite has the last second shot. 2: Does the trail official mirror the chop-in on a throw-in from the lead on the end line? NFHS mechanics gave a ruling that the trail may mirror the chop-in on throw in s from the lead on the end line. However, I would like for us to be careful with this mechanic. The sole purpose is to allow the clock operator to see the chop in from the administering official. This mechanic can lead to many uncovered plays on throw-in, especially with 2 sets of eyes on one play. Make a position adjustment for the throw in official to be seen by the clock operator and keep all eyes on coverage. 3: On a side line throw-in below the free throw line extended will the lead official bounce the ball to the thrower and if so who will count and who will chop the clock in? The official responsible for the throw will make the throw in from a designated spot on his side line. Allowing the lead to make a short throw in from the end line to the side line of trail is not a high school mechanic. If the side line is tight and the play is deep, you may get help from the lead (on who the ball went off on), but only if he needs it. The Lead will never handle the throw in in these situations.
The following notes from REFEREE Magazine Pre-Season Guide are a good follow up to our video review of the Center official locking down after made baskets and/or defensive rebounds: Don t Bail on the Trail When there s defensive pressure in the backcourt, the Center (and sometimes the Lead) must help. There is a general rule when the Center helps the Trail in the backcourt. If there are four or fewer players in the backcourt, the Trail can work alone (but, if there is defensive pressure, particularly on the Center side of the court, do not release stay there and assist the Trail). If there are more than four players in the backcourt, the Center helps out in their primary area. When there are more than four players in the backcourt, the Center s starting position is near the free-throw line extended. Basically, if you don t move after a made basket you re in perfect position. The free-throw line extended position can vary depending on the location of the players. The Center must move to a spot along the sideline that gives the Center the best angle to officiate. The Center is responsible for the action of the players in the backcourt, such as illegal screens or holding. How long should the Center stay put after a successful goal? Just long enough to observe there aren t going to by any problems the new Trail can t handle with ease. That will probably be just a second or two. Then the Center can move down the court at the same rate as the players. The Lead is positioned a bit beyond the last offensive player on the court. NCHSAA Angle - NCHSAA Assistant Commissioner Appointed To Prestigious Post INDIANAPOLIS-- A member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association staff has been appointed to an important National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) committee. Assistant commissioner Mark Dreibelbis of the NCHSAA, supervisor of officials and director of the Association s student services program, has been appointed to the NFHS Basketball Rules Committee. The committee develops the playing rules for high school basketball which are used nationally. As the supervisor of officials for the NCHSAA, Dreibelbis is in charge of NFHS rules interpretations and the training/supervision of all officials in the NCHSAA program. He also oversees the assigning of booking agents for all sports and directs the assigning of officials for all playoff and state championships. Mark also currently serves on the NFHS Football Rules Committee, the NFHS/NCAA Football Advisory Committee, and he is chairperson of the NFHS Football Equipment sub-committee. A native of Charlotte, he joined the NCHSAA in 2005 after an outstanding career at Appalachian State University in collegiate athletic administration. Preseason Quote from Mark Dreibelbis: Now is our time for mental and physical preparation. Scrimmages will help us prepare even more. I remember my first few times on the court I was always amazed at my tunnel vision initially, and how my court awareness expanded and improved with the more plays and opportunities I had pre-season. If you think you can pick it up at the same level you stopped last year, you are simply not being honest with yourself and fair to the players/coaches. Work to be prepared as best you can be before we begin the regular season!