World of Referees, The

Women's Basketball, Feb 2004 by Wheelock, Helen

Making the Calls

There's little doubt that Title IX and the evolution of the female athlete have changed the way basketball is played, coached and marketed. But the impact on those who officiate the games is rarely acknowledged. The same coaches, players and fans who rail against officials often lack an understanding and appreciation of not only the basics but also, as it were, the art of reffing.

What's expected of officials now has increased exponentially," says Dee Kanter, a Division I ref for 19 years who also supervises the development of officials in the WNBA. "You used to just show up, stretch out a little, go out on the floor, and boom, you're done. Not anymore. These athletes are quicker and stronger. They're doing things that a lot of people aren't used to seeing. You just don't show up at the game and expect to be sharp and work the games to the top level it needs."

The overall supervision of officials at the college level has intensified as conferences look to make officials more accountable. "When you look at the dollars teams invest in their season, what the NCAA invests in them and what it means to make the playoffs, it's big business," says Becky Campbell, supervisor of officials for the Big 12, Sun Belt and Southland Conferences. Collegiate officials who work 75-80 games can make $50,000 to $100,000 a year. "If [referees] want to keep up with the game, they have to put in more time and be more committed, just like the players and coaches are."

Referees are expected to do high-level preparation, including reviewing tapes and researching team's capabilities. Before the games, the crew of three officials (a referee, an umpire 1 and an umpire 2) will have a pre-game meeting with all the other officials (personnel at the scorers table is considered part of the crew), as well as a 30-minute discussion among themselves to review the basics - such as media timeouts, NCAA updates and coverage areas.

Personal style will be addressed, adds Cathi Cornell, a Division I referee in the Los Angeles area. "Every referee has their own tolerance on what they're going to deal with," she says.

Towards the end of the season, she adds, the discussion will expand to include sharing coach and player tendencies, and offenses that they run. all three combine to create a post-game report submitted by the crew chief (senior referee). It identifies trends of the game, notes if there were matchup issues - such as two players who might be carrying a grudge from one game to the next - and records any technical or flagrant fouls, as well as atypical situations.

Division I referees are expected to attend summer clinics run by conference supervisors and, before the season begins, may attend an extensive film-training program. The game tape review continues throughout the season, explains Margie McDonald, supervisor of the Mountain West Conference. Although there are observers at every Division I game, "I watch every conference game," says McDonald. "Then I send the referees clips with comments like, 'This is a great call. I know the coaches didn't like it, but you can see from the video it was a great call.' Or, 'Hmm, would you like to have this one back?' or, ? don't see the travel.' They get back to me and we talk about what I said."

The best refs, observes McDonald, have an overabundance of selfconfidence and aren't all that concerned about external criticism. "I call it 'external criticism,' because all of the good ones also must have a very active internal critique of themselves," she explains. "When their inner critique matches the external criticism, then they have to be open to express the fact that they blew it. Not everybody can do that."

In the WNBA, officials are provided with laptop computers so they can access a Website specifically designed for them. The Website offers weekly tests and bulletins that identify points of emphasis, and officials can download plays that show both good calls or missed calls. The site even has click-on "You make the call" plays to practice with. As with college officials, they have to fill out reports on what happened during the game. About five to 10 minutes after the game, they are given a game tape to review in the locker room or at their hotel.

While a tremendous amount of time is spent on the rules, notes Patty Broderick, supervisor of WNBA officials, "we spend an inordinate amount of time on the people-person skills. There's a lot of philosophical parts to officiating besides just the black and white," says Broderick. "There is the common sense of the game, the parts which include human beings and judgments that are just not in a rule book.

"By definition fouls are contact, and we all know you don't call every single solitary bit of contact," she continues. "It would be a foul-fest, and who'd want to come watch that? You have people running up and down the court showcasing their talents, and then you've got officials who are supposed to be using their judgement to decide whether or not they're going to whistle a foul or a violation."