Been thinking about your comments on Officiating lately.
I will say this “We see what we want to see” and the fact that you officiated basketball, you have a different view than most people.
Having said that, I have been kind of thinking “big picture” on why the officiating is as “good” or “bad” as it is.
Of the three major sports (Football, Basketball, Baseball) basketball is the one that is more subjective in making calls. Because of the speed of the game at the different levels, sometimes “phantom” calls are made.
In Jim analysis of the games, he has pointed out some very valid points, when one team seems to “get the calls”. I watch like ten minutes of the women’s tournament game between Texas and Utah. I watched where their big oversized center stumbled into the Ute’s center and the Ute got called for the contact, then on the other end, the Texas PG man handled the Ute PG to the point she lost control and “No Call” was made. That is simply BS.
I have come to the conclusion that the officiating on any sport is as good as the management of the officiating group. You have weak leaders, you have poor officiating.
When I was the President of the local officiating group, I knew there were people in my group that had no passion for the game, it was simply a revenue check for them. They administered the rules in totally unprofessional way where the did not level the playing field, but gave advantage to a team. I introduced some training videos and PowerPoint presentations to set what our board called “standards of excellence”. We told these officials that wanted just a paycheck, that they had a choose. Do better or leave! We wanted our organization to be considered the best. Most of them stayed and our work as a board made us one of the best in the state.
Why did I bring this up? the Organization saw a problem and wanted to fix it and we did. In the NCAA we have so many conferences that apply the rules so differently that it is hard for players to know how to play the game.
Do you guys remember back in the Lavell glory days when they played back east and would get called for holding all the time? Why? because back then most of those conference teams still played the power run game, watching a team throw the ball was new to them.
So after being long winded, my final point is this: The NCAA should move all the officials under their umbrella and tell them how to officiate the game across the board. That way a PAC-12 game can not be “homered” for their team when BYU plays them in Football. because the officials work for the NCAA not the conferences.
Jim, I think you have a pretty good eye for “fairness” and I do appreciate your view because you officiated basketball (which I never have or will).
