Whistling While They Work : So, You Want to Be an Official

Observing basketball officials from the stands, a well-informed fan may be struck by the revelation, “Hey, I could do that! Anybody could do that.”

No doubt about it. You could.

You don’t need height. Basketball playing experience isn’t necessary. You don’t need an eye exam or a high school diploma. In fact, you don’t even need to be able to read.

All you need is proof that you’re over 18 years of age. Of course, it helps to have another income, unless you can survive on an average of less than $600 a month.

Becoming a high school basketball official is a lot like becoming a pilot, a bartender, or a policeman. Candidates attend classes, study, practice their new skills, and serve an apprenticeship under circumstances where inexperience can do minimal damage.

Here’s the step-by-step procedure:

- In Orange County, a prospective official pays $25 to join the Orange County Basketball Officials Assn., and receives three books of rules, rule interpretations and illustrations.

- After a month’s study, the candidate completes a 200 question open-book exam.

- Between November and January, candidates attend six three-hour meetings taught by a team of veteran officials, taught in the classroom, on the court and at high school scrimmages.

- He or she then takes a 100 question closed-book exam. The students must answer 80% of the questions correctly between the two exams. Every official, old or new, is required to attend the meetings and pass the exam each winter.

Typical questions read: “True or False. A standard black-and-white vertically striped shirt with short sleeves is the official basketball shirt.”

“It is a technical foul to cause either the opponent’s or your own backboard to vibrate.”

“Basket interference occurs when a player touches the ball or any part of the basket while the ball is on or within the basket.”

(The answers are true.)

About 5% of the officials fail the tests, according to Dean Crowley, president of the Southern California Basketball Officials Assn. Those who flunk are offered tutoring and extra opportunities to take the test.

Candidates who can’t read well enough to complete the test are allowed to take a verbal substitute.

- Under probationary status, new officials work at freshman, sophomore and junior varsity games for a minimum of three seasons.

Espiridion (Speedy) Castillo, Orange County’s instructional chairman for the past decade, says about 30 of the 60 people who apply every year quit during the first season.

- Those who survive three years become “approved officials,” but that doesn’t mean they have cleared the final hurdle. Approved is an intermediate stage, the equivalent of being a veteran junior varsity referee. Officials are rarely promoted to the varsity level in Orange County until after their fifth season of lower-level work.

- When the basketball officials association board of directors decide an official is ready for the big time, he or she is deemed to be “certified,” and is scheduled for varsity action. Of the 272 Orange County officials, 109 are certified. Twelve are women.

What problems face new officials?

“You can get an A on the tests, but that’s irrelevant as far as being able to officiate on the court,” Castillo said. “We ask, ‘Can they handle the kids? Can they handle the coaches on the sideline, and the crowd, with dignity and poise?’ ”

One common sin committed by young officials is displaying “rabbit ears,” or being oversensitive.

“A guy with rabbit ears, listens to everything the people in the stands are saying, and takes it to heart,” Castillo said. “That’s a no-no. You can listen, but you have to let it slide. How can an official pay attention to the spectators and still do justice to the kids on the court?”

About 80% of the officials have played college, high school or recreational basketball, Crowley said. The one-fifth who have never played the sport usually have to work harder to grasp the sport’s subtleties.

“Some people who haven’t played tend to be a little over-officious,” Crowley said. “They tend to see it all as black and white, when everything is not black and white. It’s shades of gray, advantage and disadvantage. They might not understand that there can be some contact without anyone getting an advantage or disadvantage as a result.”

The CIF pay scale for officiating one boys or girls varsity game is $29. Some officials work infrequently, while others may work as many as 12 games a week at the height of the Christmas tournament season, Castillo said.

Nobody gets rich, however. The vast majority of officials have other occupations and consider their officiating duties a form of recreation. Years ago, about 80% were teachers and coaches, Castillo said, but today only about 40% are educators.

Among the members of the Southern California association are lawyers, firemen, policemen, salesmen, truck drivers, private detectives, construction workers, a judge, a former mayor pro tem of Placentia, and an oil company deep sea diver.

The officials’ associations are responsible for critiques and disciplinary action when necessary. Crowley said a few officials have been banned because of criminal convictions--including one case of bookmaking in Orange County--fighting with coaches, drinking in the locker room, or having liquor on their breath. After a year’s ban, the official can apply for reinstatement.

Four retired officials also attend games to observe the performance of working officials. Officials who are the subject of complaints by coaches or peers may be reprimanded by their board members, and occasionally, dismissed. The official in charge of assigning games is sometimes asked to stop scheduling jobs for a bad official.

Physical and visual exams are not required of high school officials, although those who wish to do college games must have a doctor certify that they are healthy enough to withstand “stress and vigorous physical activity.”

Two high school officials have died of heart attacks during games in the past decade, the most recent about three years ago. Castillo and Crowley said many officials are in favor of requiring physical exams and health and fitness sessions at the high school level.