Whistling While They Work : Holding Court : At 6-5 and 220 Pounds, Edwards Wants to Be Seen and Heard

John Edwards figures he has the necessary credentials to be a successful basketball official; he stands 6-feet 5-inches and weighs 220 pounds. But Edwards argues that his job requires stature--the means to stand alongside teen-aged giants and get a point across.

“I think the physical aspect of being an official is very important,” said Edwards, a nine-year veteran who is viewed by some to be Orange County’s brightest young official. “Physical training is a big benefit. There is nothing worse, in my opinion, than to go out on a court and see a guy (official) who is not in shape. Appearance is key. By that I don’t just mean physical size, but also clean and neat clothes, shined shoes and reasonable hair. No beards.”

Edwards took the usual route to officiating, which is to say he came in through the back door. He was a high school and college player who wanted to remain involved with the game. He inquired about officiating and finally found a name to call. From there, it took classroom work and some experience.

“You start out and you work at anything you can get,” Edwards said. “You work recreational games, you work city leagues--anything you can to improve your game. There are corporate teams. It’s called industrial ball. There’s nothing like it in the world. The players are guys in their 30s who still think they can move like they did when they were 18 years old. On top of that, they don’t want anybody telling them what to do.”

After that initiation, high school games seem tame. Though Edwards doesn’t like the enforcer image officials seem to enjoy, he does believe he needs to take charge.

“Each game develops its own personality,” he said. “If you have two teams that are rivals or top-rated, you know going in that the game is going to be tough. The idea is to control what is going on in the game, on the floor. We have to control the emotions on the court. As far as what’s happening off the court, in the stands, we can’t control it. If it gets on the court, though . . .

“Sometimes you watch a game and think, ‘These are only teen-agers.’ These kids will make mistakes. You have to allow players to work thorough these things. It depends on the circumstances. I generally think of them as basketball players first, and kids second. They still need to control themselves on the court. If we are doing our job, we will have no problem.”