Thank you for making yourself available to officiate at Basketball New Zealand events over 2015. I hope that you will continue to do so in 2016. Detailed as follows is information for officiating at Basketball New Zealand events for 2016. 2016 BBNZ TOURNAMENTS CALENDAR TOURNAMENT DATES TOURNAMENTS HOST CITY March 4-6 April 1-3 April 7-9 May 12-14 1 2 Secondary Schools 3X3 National Slam (Junior & Senior Grades) Playoffs Tauranga Nelson Waitakere Porirua July 13-16 U17 National Championships Shore July 20-23 U15 National Championships Wellington July 20-23 U19 National Championships Nelson August 10-13 U23 National Championships TBC August 27-30 Junior Secondary Schools Premiership Zone 1 & 2 Rotorua August 27-30 Junior Secondary Schools Premiership Zone 3 New Plymouth August 27-30 Junior Secondary Schools Premiership Zone 4 Dunedin
September 1-3 September 1-3 AA Secondary Schools Premiership Zone 1 ern Secondary Schools Cup (Zone 1, Non-Qualifier) AA Secondary Schools Premiership Zone 2 AA Secondary Schools Premiership Zone 3 AA Secondary Schools Premiership Zone 4 Boys AA Secondary Schools Premiership Zone 4 Girls A Secondary Schools Island Premiership A Secondary Schools South Island Premiership Harbour Auckland Rotorua Ashburton Christchurch Tauranga Dunedin TBC Wheelchair National Championships Waitakere September 26-29 September 26 -October 1 A Secondary Schools National Championships AA Secondary Schools National Championships U13 ern Regional Championship (ern & Mid-ern Zones) U13 Central Regional Championship (Central & Capital Zones) U13 Southern Regional Championship (Mainland & Southern Zones) Auckland Wellington Nelson November 3-5 National Basketball Championships Porirua
Referees for National Championships are appointed by Basketball New Zealand. If you are interested in attending any of these, please advise me. Teams/Associations are responsible for providing referees for the U13 Regional Championships and the Secondary School Premierships. No game fees will be paid at any Basketball New Zealand tournament and this now includes Secondary School Premierships. All referees attending any tournament must commit to this for the entire duration. Attending a National Championship We require all referees who wish to officiate at Basketball New Zealand Events to complete the annual Referee Contract. This will be sent to you when you are confirmed to attend a tournament. Referees attending a National Championship must be attired in the correct national uniform. This is black dress trousers, black shoes and either the Basketball New Zealand National Referee shirt or the Association Huddle shirt. It also includes a black whistle and lanyard. The National shirt and jacket can be purchased by emailing me - referees@basketball.org.nz. All referees will be expected to be at the National Championship early afternoon of the day before the tournament commences. Travel and accommodation will be arranged by Basketball New Zealand. Referees are responsible for their own meals throughout the duration of the tournament. A Referee Manager will be appointed by Basketball New Zealand for the U15 National Championship and as part of their role they will provide meals for referees at a cost to the referee. On arrival at the tournament, referees will spend the afternoon undertaking the FIBA beep test (females to reach level 8; males level 10), the annual rules exam and a number of educational sessions. Please ensure that you have suitable attire for this. For a copy of the beep test and/or a training plan, please contact me. The rules exam will no longer be open book. You will require a pen for this. Areas to Work on in preparation for 2016 Signals FIBA has put a greater emphasis on the uniformity of signals by referees. This will be something that we worked on in 2015. Please ensure that you continue to work on these so you are fully competent with all FIBA signals for 2016.
Mechanics There have been some slight changes to mechanics which were covered in 2015. It is imperative that referees get to the right spot to see potential contact and are therefore in a better position to make decisions with calls. There is the continual need to work on basics - know your area of responsibility. When the ball is in your area you should be in a position to see the gap between the player with the ball and their opponent, and focusing on the defender. If the ball is not in your area, then you should be in a position to have a general look at all players off the ball. Refereeing the defence is something we all profess to doing, however this is not always evident in calls that we make. As with ball watching, it requires a lot of practise and discipline to master. It is expected that all referees attending National Championships are exhibiting signs of Refereeing the defence, so please work hard on this. Awareness Awareness was something that we focussed on at the Secondary School Nationals in 2015. Referees should be particularly aware of the shot clock and game clock. Keep working at this so it becomes a habit to look at both on every turn over, stoppage in play etc. Fitness Fitness not only contributes to your ability to move around the court, but can also impact on you mentally - potentially effecting your ability to make correct decisions as a referee. As previously mentioned referees will need to run the Beep Test at National Championships. Whilst it is not compulsory to pass this, it is an expected level that you should be at to officiate basketball. For those referees that have ambitions to progress through to WBC and or NBL, it will be compulsory that you pass the beep test every season. Rule Knowledge Rule knowledge is extremely important when refereeing. For the majority of the games that we officiate we are not often tested with this. However the one time that we are and do not get a rule correct, this can impact not only on the game, but your credibility as a referee. Many referees rarely look at the rule book, with most preferring to ask others should they not know the rule, rather than source the answer by reading the rule book. It is suggested that you take the time to read the rule book and interpretations before the commencement of the 2016 season, and/or attending a National Championship.
Should you require any further information on anything contained in this letter please do not hesitate to contact me referees@basketball.org.nz. Once again thank you for your work in 2015. I hope you all enjoy the Christmas and New Year period and I look forwarding to seeing you on a court somewhere in 2016. Regards MELONY WEALLEANS REFEREE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Basketball New Zealand DDI: +64 (0) 4 498 5962 Web: www.basketball.org.nz