Should refs be made available after games?

[Ryan Lemonds Diary]

There are always questions about certain calls but sometimes, like the Kansas game, everyone would like to hear why calls are made. If coaches (other than Pitino) and players have to answer to the media after a game why shouldn't officials have to do post game press conferences?

 

[TheDude1]

Absolutely not. I think you need to approach reffing as sort of above it all.

But if you are interested in reffing, there was a GREAT set of articles from Duke Basketball Report from a while back about reffing in games.... a former official who did a call-by-call breakdown of games. REALLY interesting behind-the-scenes sort of look at why some calls were called and others weren't. Many of them were game specific, but still, a great read. Some were more specific; he had officiated Tyler Hansbrough at some point, and did a really good detailed piece about why Hans was actually very, very difficult to officiate for. Just a lot of very interesting stuff.

Here is a link with some of them:

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/search?q=playcaller

 

[docholiday51]

I don't think it would be a good idea,some of them would try to be more of a'star'than they already try to be.They already inject themselves into the game more than they should. What are they going to say,I called it the best I could,my angle on that play was different,I wasn't sure about that play but had to call something

I think it would create more issues than it would solve

Maybe make them available before the game and ask, how they have prepared for this game or how many games of each team they have called in the past, do they know the coaches.

 

[UKBrassowTipIN]

I think most referees would be too terrified...their entire profession is based on not being accountable for anything and relaying an excuse as to why they are never at fault for anything.

One of their biggest excuses is that ppl don't understand what they are looking at..ironically this could be a platform for them to explain so ppl would be more informed. But reality is they don't want people to know bc then they could be held more accountable bc ppl would see what they should call more easily.

Officiating is a good ole boy network...once your in at that level it doesn't matter how terrible you are, at worst you get a slap on the wrist.

 

[Aike]

They should do what the NBA does, and put out a report breaking down calls and non-calls late in games.

Making them available to the press would be tough, unless there were strict limits on what was asked. There are so many sequences within the game that it would be hard to expect them to have ready recall of situations immediately after the game, without benefit of review.

More than anything, I would like to see college refs become one group with one oversight body.

 

[Hjack]

If Pitino is not available post-game, why pick on the refs?

 

[CatPhight]

They should receive a base salary and receive bonus incentive pay based on a review of their body of work.

A good solid official who is consistently in position to make solid calls would earn far more than those who
are always in controversial situations.

Cream would rise to the top and the turds sink to the bottom. Cream works the NCAA tourney, Turds the CBIT.

 

[docholiday51]

I think most referees would be too terrified...their entire profession is based on not being accountable for anything and relaying an excuse as to why they are never at fault for anything.

One of their biggest excuses is that ppl don't understand what they are looking at..ironically this could be a platform for them to explain so ppl would be more informed. But reality is they don't want people to know bc then they could be held more accountable bc ppl would see what they should call more easily.

Officiating is a good ole boy network...once your in at that level it doesn't matter how terrible you are, at worst you get a slap on the wrist.

You are right about the good ole boy network,it is that way even down in the high school ranks once you make it you are there no matter if you can call worth a crap or not.

 

[RipThru]

Got me interested in doing some reading. Saw where the top Pac 12 refs make $3000 per game. Blew my mind. Most do 50-60 games a year. That's a helluva good living, especially for the ones that aren't very good.

 

[kybassfan]

No. That would just be bedlam. It would boil down to a bash fest by the losing team exactly like it does on this board after each and every loss. This has been discussed to death. Maybe a centralized governance group.

The big issue is consistency in a given game. That's best dealt with in governance.

 

[TheFolker]

I think each coach should get 5 minutes alone with each official after the game.

 

[Aike]

One ref body, base salary, set schedule. All makes sense.

Today, they are independent contractors with huge monetary incentive to chase as many games per week as possible.

All that travel and overwork has to contribute to their poor performance. Especially considering that many of them still work day jobs.

Being an NCAA ref should be a full time career. Maybe in the summer they could practice being better refs?

 

[docholiday51]

I think each coach should get 5 minutes alone with each official after the game.

Bobby Knight could have thrown a lot of chairs in 5 minutes
Coach K would run out of cuss words in 5 minutes

 

[oldsports_]

It's not about the refs, so don't make it about the refs.

 

[CatPhight]

It's not about the refs, so don't make it about the refs.

Teddy, is that you?

 

[Ryan Lemonds Diary]

They should have to answer for totally horrific calls like the ending to the game a couple of weeks ago. How many other professions can you be that horrible at your job and have no consequences?

 

[UKBrassowTipIN]

They should do what the NBA does, and put out a report breaking down calls and non-calls late in games.

Making them available to the press would be tough, unless there were strict limits on what was asked. There are so many sequences within the game that it would be hard to expect them to have ready recall of situations immediately after the game, without benefit of review.

More than anything, I would like to see college refs become one group with one oversight body.

I agree with this...I think ppl think they'll just get blasted...not really the case. It would be more of a "I notice the defenders were getting called for several fouls in the post...what were you seeing?"

Or "I noticed the flow of the game changed drastically in the 2nd half with team shooting much more free throws, what changed?

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

I agree with an earlier poster, optimally ref breakdowns should be made available for the press. Opening up refs to the press will just amount to a bunch of media bitching about something they perceived the refs to have screwed up on.

Alas, with as many teams and games as there are, it will be impossible to do that. The manpower just isn't there to produce a legitimate breakdown for each ref for each game.

 

[UKBrassowTipIN]

It's not about the refs, so don't make it about the refs.

Then they shouldn't make it about themselves...there's no room for the animated calls, the stare downs after calls (you made the call, if he doesn't like it it's probably bc it's bad), the weak feelings calling technicals across court, etc. Face it, they are all there to just collect checks...and until they become full time employees of the ncaa with direct oversight, they won't improve

 

[Smashcat]

Got me interested in doing some reading. Saw where the top Pac 12 refs make $3000 per game. Blew my mind. Most do 50-60 games a year. That's a helluva good living, especially for the ones that aren't very good.

That seems awfully lucrative but one would hope the good pay would keep them from being tempted by big gamblers.

 

[oldsports_]

Then they shouldn't make it about themselves...there's no room for the animated calls, the stare downs after calls (you made the call, if he doesn't like it it's probably bc it's bad), the weak feelings calling technicals across court, etc. Face it, they are all there to just collect checks...and until they become full time employees of the ncaa with direct oversight, they won't improve

Totally agree, but making them available would only make them feel superior. The game has passed for the older refs, should be a age limit

 

[TheDude1]

It might be a bit less lucrative if they have to pay their own travel, room, and board (which I assume they do.)

And again, if you haven't, definitely check out the link above. Really fascinating stuff.

Here are a few specifics; they are long reads, but VERY interesting stuff.

A piece about the USA-Spain game in 2012, and how the refs approached it

A piece about the travelling call

A basic intro to reffing

 

[docholiday51]

Shows,Ayers and Hess don't like Cal or UK and never have.We get less than an even break form them As far as officials go they are big names in the college basketball world,they have influence on other officials because the ole boy network. That is just the way it is,coaches should be able to blackball at least 1 official from their games.

 

[CatPhight]

The bottom line with referees, they seem to be as consistent as these guys.

 

[TheDude1]

Speaking of Karl Hess... here is a two part piece about Karl Hess from that same referee author, after he tossed Gugliotta at an NC State game.

Part 1

Part 2

 

[*CatinIL*]

They should receive a base salary and receive bonus incentive pay based on a review of their body of work.

A good solid official who is consistently in position to make solid calls would earn far more than those who
are always in controversial situations.

Cream would rise to the top and the turds sink to the bottom. Cream works the NCAA tourney, Turds the CBIT.

I like that idea...performance pay.

 

[UKGrad93]

Not necessarily a press conference, but after the game, have them publicly answer 3 questions about calls/no calls from each head coach. The questions could be submitted in writing and read by someone. Maybe there could be a short video clip 10 sec to show the situation.

It would require an assistant coach or grad assistant to keep notes of when calls/non calls are made/not made.

I think fans would really appreciate it. Overall, it would help the game.

 

[chevyman 50]

Are refs. ever graded and is there a pass or fail?

 

[.S&C.]

They should do what the NBA does, and put out a report breaking down calls and non-calls late in games.

Making them available to the press would be tough, unless there were strict limits on what was asked. There are so many sequences within the game that it would be hard to expect them to have ready recall of situations immediately after the game, without benefit of review.

More than anything, I would like to see college refs become one group with one oversight body.

Absolutely. Officials should all be a part of the NCAA, with no conference affiliations. A decent breakdown of the calls after the games for accountability.

 

[oldsports_]

In high school, we have a system where a coach could scratch a ref for his games. These refs know at all times where they stood with coaches. Take Vegas and the Mob out of the equation and insert the coaches. Simple concept.

 

[Lumpy 2]

I would like to see the supervisor of officials from each conference be required to hold a press conference each week where they could be asked about the performance of their officials for that week's games. They could be shown clips of specific plays and could explain why they thought the call was right or wrong. They should also be required to grade the officials for each game and make the grades public Any official who scored below average for 2 games for a specific team should be banned from calling that team's games for the rest of the season. A little pressure on the supervisor of officials would force him to hold the referees accountable for their work.

 

[Katwatcher]

Not necessarily a press conference, but after the game, have them publicly answer 3 questions about calls/no calls from each head coach. The questions could be submitted in writing and read by someone. Maybe there could be a short video clip 10 sec to show the situation.

It would require an assistant coach or grad assistant to keep notes of when calls/non calls are made/not made.

I think fans would really appreciate it. Overall, it would help the game.

I'm sure the fans would appreciate it. What about letting the coach answer questions from the fans about some of his decisions .

What I'm getting at is where would all this ever end. Bad idea I think.

 

[UKBrassowTipIN]

I'm sure the fans would appreciate it. What about letting the coach answer questions from the fans about some of his decisions .

What I'm getting at is where would all this ever end. Bad idea I think.

Yeah but fans are idiots. Coaches do get asked questions..ever read a paper, watched a postgame, or listened to a call in show?

 

[The_Answer1313]

Should be held accountable but I don't think they should have to answer after the game to media.

Games should be reviewed and graded. Then if there's a problem, they could deal with it.

 

[UKBrassowTipIN]

Speaking of Karl Hess... here is a two part piece about Karl Hess from that same referee author, after he tossed Gugliotta at an NC State game.

Part 1

Part 2

With all the excuse making for Hess, seems like if he answered the media adterwards, he could explain why he tossed them...but nope

 

[Katwatcher]

There have been several comments lately about how refs are not consistent through out the game. The Arkansas-Florida game last night was good example of that and why it happens.

The game was going smoothly and the refs was letting them play with very few whistles. Very close to half time two players started pushing and shoving which led to a technical on both players. The game started getting very rough and the officials tightened up the calls a bit to keep a fight from breaking out.

I agreed with the way they handled it. Joe Dean announcing the game made a comment that the officials should have called both coaches together and explain that they were going to call the game closer and to tell their players to expect it. I liked Joe's comment.

Joe Dean's suggestion should be noted by the officials and put into action. I think it would help the game a lot. In doing that the shock of a quick whistle would not be a surprise to players and coaches alike. and could not be used as an excuse. jmho

 

[Ryan Lemonds Diary]

I'm sure the fans would appreciate it. What about letting the coach answer questions from the fans about some of his decisions .

What I'm getting at is where would all this ever end. Bad idea I think.

Have you ever listened to a weekly coaches show?

 

[UKGrad93]

There have been several comments lately about how refs are not consistent through out the game. The Arkansas-Florida game last night was good example of that and why it happens.

The game was going smoothly and the refs was letting them play with very few whistles. Very close to half time two players started pushing and shoving which led to a technical on both players. The game started getting very rough and the officials tightened up the calls a bit to keep a fight from breaking out.

I agreed with the way they handled it. Joe Dean announcing the game made a comment that the officials should have called both coaches together and explain that they were going to call the game closer and to tell their players to expect it. I liked Joe's comment.

Joe Dean's suggestion should be noted by the officials and put into action. I think it would help the game a lot. In doing that the shock of a quick whistle would not be a surprise to players and coaches alike. and could not be used as an excuse. jmho

Do the rules change during the game?

 

[Icecoldbrewdoggy]

We need a cyclopse to overrule the idiots referees, like in Tennis.

 

[KingOfBBN]

Refs absolutely should be held accountable and they're not.

I actually look forward to the day where drones are the officials.