College Basketball Officiating is a Problem

[Dwight Schrute]

So I've seen a bunch of these incidents this year and complaining about officiating is old hat, but it's getting bad. The latest incident came in a Women's game (who says there's no gender equality in sports?) with Murray State getting on the raw end of the bad officiating deal. A player hit a 3 and pointed to her teammate who gave the assist as every player in every game does. The ref maybe thought she was taunting a defensive player? I don't know, but he T'd her up. As if that's not bad enough, when the coach protested it, she got 2 T's and ejected within 10 seconds which is absolutely ridiculous.

https://kentuckysportsradio.com/bask...coach-ejected/

Officiating is a problem. There was another incident a few weeks ago where a ref shoulder bumped Rick Barnes and then scolded him for it. Between the attitude problems and the fact that seemingly every tight game has some sort of controversial call where a ref inserts himself into the action and becomes the story.

I'm not sure what can and should be done but it's making the sport hard to watch.

[Blue Heaven]

You beat me to it as I was about to post that video. That guy needs to be fired and never officiate another game. Just ridiculous.

They even reviewed it and both calls stood. What in the wide wide world of sports is going on here?

[Dwight Schrute]

They even reviewed it and both calls stood. What in the wide wide world of sports is going on here?

The fact that they reviewed it and let it stand was most egregious to me.

I've almost made this post a bunch this season because there have been a bunch of these controversies of blown calls, refs calling foul fests, inconsistencies in how games are called from one half to another, etc.

It's just getting terrible. Referees should have to answer to the media like the players do.

[justford]

In today’s society where most everything is open to scrutiny and criticism, I never understood the need to protect game officials. I am including all sport officials in my previous statement.

[Lighthouse]

The video follows the shot so we don't see the point. But if all she did was point at her teammate, this official was wrong and should be dealt with by the conference and will be.. In a situation like this, the official should have went to the coach with an explanation instead of making her approach him. We don't know what she said, but he sure had a quick trigger.

The main culprits in the decline in officiating is the NCAA and the media, but we all share the responsibility. Trained and experienced officials are leaving or retiring at a record level simply because of the continuous abuse they take mainly from fans. Here in Louisville at the HS Varsity level, the assignor is having to ask officials to work 2 games a night because his numbers are down. Of course that's not every night or all officials, but it's a problem. He has had to ask some women to work boys games. If this trend continues, there won't be enough officials to call games.

I certainly don't like what's going on any better than you all do, but unless the NCAA rereads the current rule book and trains their officials to call the games as written and folks look on officials as real human beings and quit blaming officials every time their team loses, our game isn't going to get any better. And I see and hear a lot of comments about officials being to old and slow for today's game, but remember they are the most experienced officials and the guy who called the T for pointing and ejected the coach was a young-un.

Suggestion. go to a game of any level without any interest in who wins, sit in the stands and decide if that was you on the court, would you like to hear all the hate and discontent aimed at you. I doubt it.

And if Rick Barnes was in the coaches box when the official bumped him, then the official was wrong, but if he wasn't, he deserved his chewing out and probably should have been T'd up. Officials are injured often because of coaches or cheerleaders being out on the court.

[Dwight Schrute]

You can see the view of the Rick Barnes thing here: https://twitter.com/AustinPriceless/...mments-2020%2F

Hard to see where Barnes was standing but the ref appears to show a disregard for Barnes and Barnes doesn't appear to be egregiously out of the coaching box. FYI that ref was, I believe, the one that copped an attitude with Ashton Hagans in a game a few days before this one.

[Matt Dillon]

The only sports I watch much are college fb and PGA golf. Having said that, based on what I read, it isn't just college bb. Everywhere you turn, college and professional sports, people are complaining about inept officiating and it's not just the fans, that are doing the complaining, but sportswriters as well.

[Dwight Schrute]

It's true no sport is immune from it. College football has gotten a bit of it with the targeting rules that are still pretty subjective, and there are badly blown calls in the NFL also. But I don't think any sport has come under fire for how bad it has been than college basketball.

I think what Lighthouse said about veteran refs being driven out of the sport is partially true, but it's also true that a bunch of refs make questionable calls out of position because they can't keep up with the athletes of today. I am sure that staffing is a problem but there also seems to be some training issues as well.

The block/charge call is pretty subjective a lot of times, but the flagrant 1/2 stuff is terrible. Too many trips to the monitor, too many inconsistencies as to what is and is not a foul, too much variation between halves, and too much of the refs inserting themselves into a game.

[Dwight Schrute]

The main culprits in the decline in officiating is the NCAA and the media, but we all share the responsibility. Trained and experienced officials are leaving or retiring at a record level simply because of the continuous abuse they take mainly from fans. Here in Louisville at the HS Varsity level, the assignor is having to ask officials to work 2 games a night because his numbers are down. Of course that's not every night or all officials, but it's a problem. He has had to ask some women to work boys games. If this trend continues, there won't be enough officials to call games.

Are you sure it's the fan abuse and not the travel demands with compensation that doesn't match? I read somewhere that high major NCAA officials are paid $1500 per game, but they're on the hook for all their travel expenses and their uniforms (so they're independent contractors). So when working several games a week, flights, hotels, cars, and meal eat in to what should be otherwise excellent compensation. You'd know better than me of course.

I certainly don't like what's going on any better than you all do, but unless the NCAA rereads the current rule book and trains their officials to call the games as written and folks look on officials as real human beings and quit blaming officials every time their team loses, our game isn't going to get any better. And I see and hear a lot of comments about officials being to old and slow for today's game, but remember they are the most experienced officials and the guy who called the T for pointing and ejected the coach was a young-un.

You are right about this, and it seems like younger officials seem to be eager to assert themselves/have no idea how to handle these types of situations so they dig in their heels. But why did the two more experienced officials not step in and overrule him?

I don't think experience (age) is to blame for the technicals and the attitudes refs tend to cop at coaches.

And if Rick Barnes was in the coaches box when the official bumped him, then the official was wrong, but if he wasn't, he deserved his chewing out and probably should have been T'd up. Officials are injured often because of coaches or cheerleaders being out on the court.

There are a lot of basketball games and more than I could ever watch so I'm sure it happens, but it can't be that frequent can it? I have watched a lot of basketball (mostly at the D1 NCAA level) and have never seen this happen. I've only seen it a handful of times and it hasn't ever been because of a coach or a cheerleader. It's almost always been because of a bad step or a collision with a player or something like that.

I do agree these guys are in a hard situation. When I was in my 20's, one of the managers at my first job out of college refereed high school basketball and lacrosse. He and I talked about basketball a lot and he though I'd make a good official. I thought it seemed like a good side job so I went to a pre-season scrimmage with him and saw how much the coaches worked the refs. I decided that when you throw a hostile crowd into the mix that I wanted no part of it. So you're right in that it's not for everyone.

[Lighthouse]

You can see the view of the Rick Barnes thing here: https://twitter.com/AustinPriceless/...mments-2020%2F

Hard to see where Barnes was standing but the ref appears to show a disregard for Barnes and Barnes doesn't appear to be egregiously out of the coaching box. FYI that ref was, I believe, the one that copped an attitude with Ashton Hagans in a game a few days before this one.

Mike Nance has a good reputation as an official, but was certainly in the wrong in this instance. Totally unnecessary. I've been very upset with coaches before but never even thought about bumping them. SEC office will handle this.

[Lighthouse]

Are you sure it's the fan abuse and not the travel demands with compensation that doesn't match? I read somewhere that high major NCAA officials are paid $1500 per game, but they're on the hook for all their travel expenses and their uniforms (so they're independent contractors). So when working several games a week, flights, hotels, cars, and meal eat in to what should be otherwise excellent compensation. You'd know better than me of course.



You are right about this, and it seems like younger officials seem to be eager to assert themselves/have no idea how to handle these types of situations so they dig in their heels. But why did the two more experienced officials not step in and overrule him?

I don't think experience (age) is to blame for the technicals and the attitudes refs tend to cop at coaches.



There are a lot of basketball games and more than I could ever watch so I'm sure it happens, but it can't be that frequent can it? I have watched a lot of basketball (mostly at the D1 NCAA level) and have never seen this happen. I've only seen it a handful of times and it hasn't ever been because of a coach or a cheerleader. It's almost always been because of a bad step or a collision with a player or something like that.

I do agree these guys are in a hard situation. When I was in my 20's, one of the managers at my first job out of college refereed high school basketball and lacrosse. He and I talked about basketball a lot and he though I'd make a good official. I thought it seemed like a good side job so I went to a pre-season scrimmage with him and saw how much the coaches worked the refs. I decided that when you throw a hostile crowd into the mix that I wanted no part of it. So you're right in that it's not for everyone.

Dwight, I want to address each of the things you mention.

First, when I was officiating, it never about the money except in the Pros. Your right about officials doing their own travel plans, but for instance in the SEC, officials are paid $3,000 per game. I never dreamed of that much back in the day. Believe me when I tell you that officials are not worn out from working 3-5 games a week. They have plenty of down time and with technology today, can work their day jobs from wherever they are. When officials quit or retire were questioned about why, the veterans said they had to step down because of health reasons mostly, and the younger officials stated almost unanimously that fan abuse was their reason.

Even though there is 1 Referee and 2 Umpires on each game, they have equal status and unless another official has knowledge about a call, there is never another official overruling another.

Experience is everything and we're seeing a lot of new faces on the court in the SEC. Back in the day, coaches for the most part stayed in the box, and now when I evaluate an official who allows a coach to be out on the court with not even a warning, I write them up. Cal is one of the worst at this and it's unnecessary. As for the cheerleaders, I ran over one who was in the middle of a back flip after a made free throw. I thought she was hurt, but she got up and ran off the court.

I can't tell you how much ridiculous stuff I heard out of the stands. And school officials can be worse than coaches. I always appreciate everyone's comments about officials and each is entitled to an opinion. It's a tough but very enjoyable job, and every official except one, that I ever worked with wanted to get it right.

[Catsrock]

I am glad there are folks who consider it very enjoyable work. I am quite certain I would not. Every call is wrong to half the crowd.

[Dwight Schrute]

I am glad there are folks who consider it very enjoyable work. I am quite certain I would not. Every call is wrong to half the crowd.

Only at UK road games .

[Jload]

Officiated some in my younger days. I always thought basketball was much tougher than football because( especially in a high school gym) the fans often had as good a view as you did on most plays. Football was much different, 22 players bigger field, nearly impossible for fans to see every mistake you made. In basketball every mistake is magnified it seemed to me, and I made plenty. Nearly got attacked after agame in Fulton County one time, a couple of fans were waiting out by my car in the parking lot after the game, and this was in the 80,s when the level of interest didn’t seem as intense as it is today.Wouldn’t officiate a game in this era for any amount of money. The quarterback on my high school team in Nashville and one of my best friends became a fairly prominent SEC football official and the stories he told about it were sobering. He was spit on , once had a cup of urine thrown on him, received death threats and once found a dead rat in his mailbox. That said I feel there is a lack of consistency in the college game that is damaging the sport. NCAA should use some of the BILLIONS it takes in for more training and work shops to make the calls more consistent.