Okay, it’s a little more than two cents….
First: Get yourself a little background/context. Read these articles ’cause, well, I put a lot of work into them a while back, and I think they’re actually rather helpful to give the whole discussion some context. (Also – ignore any typos. These are the drafts I submitted, and I know my editor Lois Elfman rescued me when they went into Women’s Basketball Magazine. Not so sure about the WBCA Magazine. gulp)
MAKING THE CALLS: The World of Referees
Referees are expected to do an enormous amount of game preparation, including reviewing tape and researching team’s capabilities. Before a game the crew chief, usually the most senior of the three officials (referee, umpire 1 and 2), will initiate meetings with all the other officials (personnel at the scorers table are considered part of the crew), as well as a lead a 30-minute discussion amongst the 3-person crew to review the basics – media time outs, NCAA updates, coverage areas, etc.
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 coaches and player tendencies, and offenses that they run. After the game, all three officials collaborate on the post-game report. Submitted by the crew chief, it identifies trends of the game, notes if there were match-up issues, such as players who might be carry a grudge from one game to the next, and records any technical or flagrant fouls, as well as any atypical situations.
COACHES AND OFFICIALS: Reaching Across the Divide – A look at the relationship between officials and coaches and the impact on recruiting efforts
There’s no denying the growth of the women’s game, greater media exposure, and higher salaries and expectations has put everyone under greater scrutiny and, consequently, put extra pressure on the relationship between coaches and officials. But it’s hard to ignore the increased rumblings of “us vs. them” that has entered the debate.
EARNING THEIR STRIPES: Officials in Training
A few years ago Kantner said this about being a women’s basketball official:
“It’s not a vocation or an avocation that a lot of people innately say, ‘That’s what I want to be,’ because there’s so much negativity surrounding it. Everyone’s always focusing on the bad things about it: people yell at you, you wear bad polyester…. But those are far outweighed by the positives.”
And what are those positives? You get to stay close to the game you love; you stay in shape; you earn a little extra pocket money. And if you’re patient and good – and I mean really good – you might become one of the handful of Division I officials who do the job full-time and earn a six-figure income.
So where do these “positive” people start and how do they learn the craft? Well, if one imagines the officiating pool as a pyramid built on experience and shaped by geography and opportunity with Division 1 at its peak, its base – its foundation – is the high school official.
OFFICIATING UNDER REVIEW: Coaches, Conferences and the NCAA Working to Collaborate
It goes without saying that any coach interested in how officials are evaluated by the NCAA regional advisors or during the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship should read the very clear “2008-09 NCAA Women’s Basketball “Officials’ Performance Evaluation Form.”
While doing so, though, they should also pay particular attention to following section of the introduction:
Please note that this performance instrument was not created with the intent of replacing those used by individual conferences; rather, the NCAA women’s officiating program is interested in creating a systematic approach to selecting and advancing the best officials for its tournament. [Italics added]
Why the caveat?
“This is often an area that is misunderstood by coaches as well as the general public” said Mary Struckhoff, the NCAA’s coordinator of women’s basketball officiating, “I think it is natural for people to assume that because the NCAA writes and establishes the playing rules, that it also oversees regular season officiating.
Wrong.
All read up? Cool.
Next: Let’s talk “solutions” – which is the wrong word, because no matter what we do, officials will make mistakes. ALSO, no matter what we do, fans, players and coaches will disagree with calls.
Finally: Let’s talk intent. I’m proposing a way to elevate and de-escalate officiating in the WNBA. Elevate, as in, “support the development of a highly-trained cohort of WNBA officials.” De-escalate: As in, “defusing the adversarial and, at times, unhealthy atmosphere around the officiating profession.”
BTW: It is not a “privilege” to be a WNBA official. That’s the kind of language you use when you have an excess of high quality candidates battling it out for a limited number of spots (See USA National Team). This doesn’t mean that the goals for W officials shouldn’t be the “Best of the Best” – but, if you’ve read the above articles, you know some of the road blocks to that. Simply put: Time and money. The NCAA is a sweeter gig. More games, more money, summers off to work your other job and/or be with your family after nine-months of living out of a suitcase. If the W wants to entice officials to give up their summers, they need to be creative (and compensate accordingly).
So, let’s imagine the W is willing to commit time, money and brain space, shall we?
- Starting NOW, identify a pool of candidates for next season. How many, you ask? Well, take the total number of officials hired this year and add 25%. That gives you wiggle room for dropouts. The candidate pool should be a combo of recruitment/application/recommendation. Coaches, players, officials and DI-3 supervisors of officials should be asked to submit names. Candidates should submit tapes and application essay. They should then be interviewed. Initially, I would suggest the language should be more of an “invitation.” Just like many teachers, officials feel disrespected. Often, an attempt to offer “professional development” in this manner is likely to be seen as a not-so-subtle indication that you think they suck. They’re gonna be defensive and, perhaps, rightly so. Build trust, and they will come. ’cause every official I’ve ever spoken to wants. to. get. it. right.
- Make a long-term plan. Since we’re talking about capacity building and sustainability, your need to create a four-year budget plan that includes year-long training. That means housing, travel, food, and pay for every session. At the end of Year One, everyone’s evaluated and they either continue or are released. This means an on-going recruitment process. Yes, this is going to be expensive. Stop trying to get quality on the cheap (Again, look at educators).
- Schedule short, in-person intensives across the year. These should happen during “break times” in the college season and host them in several cities across the country. Content would include on-court mechanics, communication between officials, philosophy and purpose, player and coach analysis, game tape analysis, rule book analysis, communication strategies, team building, etc.
- Online classes including analysis, self-critiquing, goal-setting. Participants review calls/situations – past tape, current tape, and their own tape – and discuss successes and challenges. They set goals for themselves between each session and report back to the group on their progress.
- Build officiating crews. Once the WNBA schedule is set, break the summer into five parts: Two units of games before the ASG, two after, then the playoffs. Identify crews of four, maybe five, officials that will work as a team. Unless they’re a disaster, they work as a team throughout the season, getting reviewed at the end of each “quarter.” Once the team is selected, there needs to be guided team-building, establishment of feedback protocols, setting of team goals, etc. The team should build a strategy for post-game analysis – what did we do well as a team, what could we do better, what did I do well as an individual official, what could I do better? How, as a team, are we going to sustain what we did well? What, as a team, are we going to do to get better? What, as an individual, am I going to do to get better? How are we holding ourselves accountable and what are the consequences if we don’t? (recognizing that improvement takes time and is not always a consistent upwards curve).
- Transparency: A page on the WNBA site dedicated to officiating. It should include the names of the supervisors, the mission, vision, philosophy, contact info etc. Also, an ongoing process of reporting that supports public understanding of the process (and, by public, I mean fans, players, coaches, media, etc.) For instance: publish the online curriculum, publish the review process, publish the selection process of playoffs, etc…
- Education of Non-Officials: Create an inter-active, online “So You Think You Can Ref?” class for players, coaches and fans. While we can’t make folks educate themselves, I do think that those who want to sit in judgment should prove they’ve done their due diligence. Participate in the weekly online sessions, take the quizzes, then be invited to a bi-weekly “Ask the Supervisors of Officials.” Those discussions are published on the .com page.
- Relationship building. Yes, I know why there’s an Oatmeal & Orange line between officials and players/coaches. Break it. Trust that officials are professionals and won’t let their relationships with players and coaches impact their on-court work. You know, the old, “As a friend… but as your supervisor….” Host conversations during the off-season with players, coaches, media and officials. Build a shared understanding of mission and process. Create a space where honest questions can be asked and answered. Also – THIS NEEDS TO BE PRIVATE.
- Accountability: At the end of the year, there should be both internal and external reporting on the successes, challenges and next steps. This should include a pro-active request for suggestions (different than complaints) from officials, players, coaches, media and fans.
So, there it is (and there’s more, I’m sure). And I’ll be the first to say that nothing I’ve written is new. I would bet several nickels that most Supervisors have some version of the above missive on paper, in their head or (yea!) in action. BUT, they do not have the support – time, financial, space, administrative – to bring this to full fruition.
This is just my attempt to use my experience as an educator-program director-professional development facilitator to step out of “Camp Complain” and into “Camp Possible Action Steps.” I welcome any responses.
Also, if you’re wondering, “WhatdidImiss?”:
In the other Saturday game, the Liberty continued their sad swoon with a 78-95 loss to the Mystics.
Some good games on today, all with playoff implications (how cool is THAT!?):
3pm: Seattle v. Atlanta: Dream pursue seventh straight win vs. Storm
4pm: Connecticut v. Dallas: Struggling Sun play at ascending Wings and Scouting Wings-Sun: Dallas looks to extend WNBA’s best home record heading into the All-Star break
6pm: Indiana v. Las Vegas: Aces engage Las Vegas community, show improved play
6pm: LA v. Chicago: Sky square off against slumping Sparks
BTW, a little international news:
Final score 
92 – 
39 Better second half for MLI especially in defense (32pts allowed v 59) but definitely not enough to stop who with 32assists & all players but one on the scoreboard move to a comfortable 2-0 record
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Not overshadowing the impressive 
in overtime!
Women's Hoops Blog 