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3-member officiating crews on the way in WIAA
By Mike Bates
Information Coordinator, WADA
When the basketballs start bouncing next year at
the Kohl Center at WIAA tournament time, there will be one noticeable, major
change from the
just-completed 2005 championships.
And,
the state’s athletic directors, coaches, spectators, players, and
game officials will certainly see the difference: a 3-person officiating crew.
The
change will be implemented gradually, starting with the state tournament in 2006,
sectional games in 2007, and regional finals in 2008. Schools and
conferences are encouraged
by the WIAA to utilize 3-person crews for regular season games.
“I
truly feel it will be a win-win situation for everyone involved with the
game,” said Pat Anderson, a veteran WIAA basketball official of 22
years. He also is the WIAA
Officials Rep
on the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. “How often do you hear, ‘Get control
of the game!’? This will
certainly help with control of the game,” continued Anderson. “There will be
better coverage of the entire court. Three-point coverage will improve, as
well as coverage off the ball, rough play, illegal screens, etcetera.
“With
three officials, the calling official is usually in better position to make
the right call than with two officials,” said Anderson, whose full time job
is with Dane County Planning & Development as a zoning specialist. “This is the result of better angles,
a better view of the post players, and one official can stay focused on the
ball when it’s in his area.
“Being
an official, one other benefit that I can see is that it just might extend
the career of a veteran official, which will help nurture many up-and-coming
younger officials,” added Anderson,
a Deforest resident who this past March worked his 4th WIAA State
Tournament. For 6 years,
he has officiated college basketball, where a 3-person crew is used.
Not all
agree with the change – approved by the WIAA Board of Control at its meeting
last month in Madison. "I am a firm believer that two people, in
shape, can handle a game. They can concentrate better, and finding
three people who officiate with a similar style may be difficult,"
offered Bob Lesniewski, a veteran referee from Eau Claire who has worked prep
and college basketball for 30 years. "The floor coverage is the
main concern for me... because it's different with 3-man mechanics.
"If
officials don't work a 3-man crew on an on-going basis, it will be different,
particularly
in regards to moving and positioning," added Lesniewski, who has
officiated 8 state basketball tournaments and whose full-time job is the
Indianhead Area Director for Special Olympics Wisconsin. He also
expressed concern about training being needed to help game
officials adjust to the change.
Summer camps and clinics offering such assistance are being planned
across the state. And, some
conferences are discussing the use of 3-person crews during the regular
season – similar to when the WIAA went to a 5-man officiating crew in football.
“The
time has come for 3-man basketball crews,” remarked Jim Doden, the conference
commissioner for both the Fox Valley Association and the Valley 8
Conference. “We all know the
athletes are bigger, stronger and faster than in years past, and we have all
heard the comments that today’s games are too physical. A 3-man officiating crew can be a
step in the direction to curtail some of the rough play. Another pair of eyes will definitely
lend itself to better court coverage.
“Of
course, officials will need to be trained in the proper court coverages and
mechanics to make this benefit the game,” continued Doden, who has officiated
football, basketball and baseball,
at the prep and collegiate level.
Included in his resume: 7
state basketball tournaments and 3 state football playoffs plus numerous
Division III Regional baseball tournaments and the NCAA World Series in
1996. “Just merely adding a pair
of eyes will not result in a better called game if each official does not
work his or her particular area of the court.”
Doden
doesn’t believe more fouls will be called by a 3-person crew. “It will let the athletes know they
are being watched more closely, and that they cannot get away with illegal
screens, holding, pushing, and other acts to gain advantages. It will clean up some of the rough
play.”
Another
benefit, echoed Doden: “It will be an opportunity to break in younger, less
experienced officials while adding some longevity to the career of some of
the more experienced officials, because a 3-member crew is easier on
officials’ legs” – an important factor as the game is increasingly being
played “above the rim” and at a faster, up-tempo pace.
“I believe that with the advent
of the 3-man crews at the state tournament, coaches and athletic directors will
see the benefits of having that third official on the floor,” added Doden,
who lives in Appleton and has retired after a long career as a teacher in the
Fox Valley area and Transportation Director for the Appleton Area School
District. “Within two, maybe
three years,
each conference will request that all conference games be assigned with 3-man
crews.”
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The web site for
the WADA is www.wadawi.org and Mike Bates may be reached via
e-mail
at mbates1@new.rr.com.
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