What Makes ME the Rule Expert? - QCNS Men's Basketball Report 9.29.2011

Brethren,

Our Stake 2011 Basketball Tournament Schedule is attached.

We begin play NEXT Thursday Nite, September 29th. Someone Please confirm this with Ladd Smith so he doesn't send me 23 e-mails asking which nite their Ward plays...

EVERY Ward is scheduled to play the first nite.

I DID schedule Nauvoo Station VS the "No Show" Vineyard to try & get those hapless fellows a win in front of any young sistern that mistakenly wander in expecting  to see some high level competition. If the game is a forfeit & the Nauvoo Station boys don't go overboard in the Pre-Game warm ups maybe they won't have worked up too big a stink & they can talk the lassies into a visit to Baskin Robbins after their victory....

All games will be 40 minute formats, as we have been playing all season, for the FIRST nite. All other nites will be 1 hour games, or until one team collapses from exhaustion. Which ever occurs first.

This is the same format we used for Softball. Each team will play at least 2 games. Beginning the 2nd nite of play it will be "Win or Go Home."

I've tried to line up some LDS High School Varsity Level Referees to help with our first 3 nites of Tournament games. No luck. The reputation of "LDS Church Ball" precedes you!! They've all seen & played "Church Ball" & don't want to go near Refereeing an LDS game. I tried in vain to convince them our Stake has good sportsmanship and respects Referee calls.

That means EACH TEAM (BOTH TEAMS for those of you who do not understand the concept of "each") need to provide ONE Referee and ONE ScoreKepper for their game OR work out an agreement with another Ward to Ref / Scorekeep each others games. It don't matter to me. Just so long as we have 2 of each. I will also help Referee, so we'll have 3 Referees per game. Unless Jon Mott from the Ironwood Ward, who never blows the whistle except to call Technical Fouls on Bench Personnel, tries to Referee. Then we'll have 2 Referees and a spectator in a Black & White striped shirt.

However. I have prevailed upon my High School Referee partner, David Dixson, to work the Semi Finals & Championship Game nite.

At our last nite of play a player asked me, in a not too kindly fashion, "Where'd YOU learn to Ref?!" That was after I'd given him a Warning for reaching his hand, arm & shoulder across the Inbounds Line on a Side Line Throw-In Play. (I could have asked him where he learned to play since he apparently did not know he was not allowed to reach across the Throw In Line.....).

I suppose the question is a fair one, tho, since I have been and will continue to Referee our Stake Tournament Games -so here it goes......

"Dream Shot" by Will Folsom

I learned to Referee in Arizona, beginning approximately 21 years ago, starting out in the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Training Program. The AIA schedules the Referees for all regular season & tournament High School Games in AZ. That training included regular season High School games and many years of Summer Leagues and Summer Camps under the tutelage of Veteran AIA Officials, several Junior College & NCAA Officials and a couple of Arizona fellows that made it all the way up to the NBA. You start at the bottom working Freshman games, then Junior Varsity & finally Varsity level games IF the AIA thinks you are capable of that level. How do they decide that? The AIA conducts Referee Evaluations every season which consists of a in-person Observation by the AIA Official Evaluations at Games & Reports submitted by Coaches and Athletic Directors form the games we work. Varsity Officials submit Evaluations for Freshman & JV Officials that work the games prior to the Varsity game. From the collective Evaluations & Reports the AIA selects the Officials that will work the post season tournament games. Being assigned Post Season Tournament Games is the "icing on the cake" for a Referee. The ultimate honor for an AZ High School Ref is to be assigned a Semi Finals or Championship Game at the Glendale Arena. Since my first years as a Varsity Level Official I have worked at least 2 Post Season Tournament Games each year. Some times 3 or 4 Post Season Tournaments in a year. In the last 4 years David & I have worked 2 Semi Finals 3A Games at the Glendale Arena. Last year we were thrilled to be assigned the Girls 4A Championship Game at the arena. (Hey, I'm 59 years old. It's tough to keep up with the Varsity level boys today at the the pace they play. I can still keep up with the Girls and Stake Men's B-Ball pace of play, tho...).

Because I've worked Semi Finals & Championship Games does that mean I think I'm the best Referee ever? No. Does it mean I don't think I can't "boot a call" once in a while? Nope. No Referee has ever worked a perfect game. At least not in Basketball as there are too many variables and so many perspectives to view each play from. Hopefully your individual Refereeing experiences has helped you see the game from a different perspective?

David is a better Referee than I am. He worked major High School Boys Varsity games in California prior to moving to AZ. David also worked at the AZ Junior College Basketball level. I have not worked at the Junior College Level. I did not start my referee avocation until I was 38 years old. The Junior College level want to bring up Officials with several years of High School Varsity Experience that are still in their 20's to early 30's, not rookie Refs. By the time I had a few years of Varsity Level experience I was well beyond the age at the Junior College want to start breaking in new Officials. Too bad for me.

Since David and I will work the Semi Finals & Championship Games the Wards playing will NOT be asked to provide a Referee. However, they WILL be required to provide 1 Score Keeper each.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING WHITE AND DARK COLORED SHIRTS so no ones has to be the 2nd person to wear those stunk up pull over shirts I bring......

See you Thursday nite in you bets B-Ball attire & bring your "A" Game!!

Vic Pear

It's Not The Spirit That Constrains Me, It's My Wife - Men's Basketball Report QCNS 8/31/11

Intrepid Brethren of the Hardwoods,

A fellow commented to me that he thought my weekly reports were amusing but they were a bit verbose......I can only respond that I feel as the Book of Mormon writers who said they were "constrained by the spirit" and could only include 100th of the things that happened. Actually it's not the spirit that constrains me, it's my wife, Kim who reads my missives before I send them out who says, "You're not really going to say that, are you? Sometimes I listen and am constrained. Other times......BUT I still can only include the 100th part of the stuff that happens each week.

Here's my Report-

It's good that we pray before each game as most of those shots I see being thrown up don't have a prayer of going in.

Remember, we play defense with out feet- NOT our hips, knees, elbows, & hands. In verbally warning player not to stick his knee out he replied, "Vic, you see too much!" Yep he was guilty as warned!! So please demonstrate your defensive prowess by getting into proper positions and beating the Offensive player to the spot.

The Offensive Player with the ball cannot push off or jump into/onto the Defensive Player to create space to fire off a haphazard shot. You fellows that love to streak off on a Fast Break or drive to the lane remember that principle when you are bouncing off Defenders, who have legal guarding positions and are maintaining the Principle of Verticality, like a pinball. YOU initiated the contact, so there's NO foul on the Defense. Youse take youse chances when you blast into the pack like that and the chances of my calling a foul on the Defense are not good unless they whack you really hard!

The Principle of Verticality DOES allow a player to jump STRAIGHT up in the air. He is not required to keep one or Both feet on the floor.

I was pleased that many teams DID arrive with WHITE and DARK shirts. Now if we can define "Dark" as really dark (blue, black, ect)- not Gray & Pastel yellows) it would help. You think it doesn't matter, but when the Referee is looking in  swarm of players and seeing multiple colored shirts it's hard to tell if a player is being bumped by a team mate or a opponent. Wearing distinctive shirts makes Referee calls easier. (Yes, I'll consider "Doger Blue" or BYU sissy blue as sufficiently distinct to be a Dark Color. Texas Longhorn puke orange is still banned.)

I notice the supposed "best" Referees are still eschewing actually Refereeing during games and seem content to try to Referee as they play. I'm not play attention to any of their "helpful" suggestions during games. If you want to Referee, put the shirt on.

A big THANK YOU to those who have been volunteering to Referee. You're making good calls!

The hapless Nauvoo Station boys had a sizable cheering section at their game. Or was it a jeering section? Hard to tell with all the hilarity that goes along with watching Nauvoo Station antics. One of the Garlock boys scored a basket in front of the Sistern that the opposing team felt should have been called as a traveling. As Nauvoo Station was on the short end of an in process 70 - 32 drubbing by Cortina 3rd ward, I figured it was better to let the Travel go so he could "look good" for the ladies. Poor boy must be at least 26 years old by now and fully qualified as what J. Golden Kimball described as "Any man 26 year or older and not married is a menace to society." We've got to do something about enhancing his appeal to the marriage eligible sistern of the Stake so he can get married before they ordain him a High Priest to be with Brethren of similar age......so I let the Travel Violation go.....

"Holding a basketball" by Your Best Digs via Flickr

Matt (No last name listed) of the Cortina 2rd ward was the "High Scorer" of the night based on 2 criteria.

1. Someone from Cortina 3rd Ward kept individual scores and showed Matt as pouring in 24 points
2. No other team kept individual scores

Not only did Matt put on an impressive display of Offensive skills I'm guessing he also did not have time to do any Refereeing in his game or help keep score......then again, maybe he DID help keep score which explains his 24 points?

Jeff pumped in 15 points while Todd & Ned each netted 10 points in Cortina 3rd Ward's victory.

Cortina 1st Ward slipped by Desert Mountain 46 - 44 in a spirited game.

Ranch & Vineyard quit keeping score @ 28 - 14, or was that the FINAL score??!!

Ironwood Crossing smacked their arch rival Ironwood 55- 38. Jon Mott proved he can at least hit the back board on a 3 point attempt......can't say much else, but it does create rebounding opportunities for his teammates who all turn & race to the basket for the rebounding positions as soon as they see the gleam in his eye as he starts hin unorthodox shooting motion....

Remington heights 44 points fell just short of Rittenhouse which scored 47 points even tho Jeff Monson has yet to make an appearance for Rittenhouse Ward yet this season.

And the GAME OF THE NIGHT was Dark 60- White 56. That's all the team identification there was on the Score Sheet.

Bro Mortensen from one of the Cortina Wards managed to get his wife, Pres Smith's daughter, back to watch his game. She came the first night & hadn't been back since. Said something about the games being "mildly good entertainment" but not better then watching "What Not To Wear"......as she left the first nite!

And have you noticed Ladd Smith shows up in a different pair of shoes every week? ALL are blinding florescent/ neon colors. Ladd's wife says she is NOT responsible for his wardrobe or shoe selections......

We will take a 2 week break while the Stake YW play a Volleyball Tournament.

Our Tournament will commence Thursday September 29th. That should allow time for aches & pains to be soothed and a few player to return from Injured Reserve.

HOUSEKEEPING-

Teams playing the 6:00 PM game can help speed up the game start by pushing the chair racks off the Cultural Hall floor into the Overflow area as they arrive. Please push them way to the back so there is plenty of room for spectators, rowdy kids & NBA scouts to view games from the Overflow area.

Teams playing the 9:20 PM games could please push the chair racks back into the Cultural Hall near the stage after their game.

Proposed 2012 Schedule-

The Queen Creek Stake, which hosts the Softball Field HAS APPROVED our use of the field THURSDAY NITES August 16th- November 15 in 2012. We'll try to run B-Ball from Feb 28-June 12 in 2012. I'll be submitting that to the Stake this week.

Lost & Found-

A pair of Black, White & Red Nike shoes have not yet been claimed. IF they're yours please pick them up.

Each week B-Balls are being left at the gym. If you lost yours on the court, check the equipment room by the stage.

Blessed Us to Play Above Our Skill Level - Men's Basketball QCNS 9.8.11

The Stake Presidency needs to check on the Vineyard Ward ASAP. I think they have been translated. What other excuse could there be for them to have been a total NO SHOW AGAIN for the 2nd week in a row!!??

Vineyard isn't totally alone in the NO SHOW category. 4 of our 6 games had at least 1 team and some both teams shorted handed. You Brethren all promised me there would not be any trouble getting full teams if we could just get a Stake B-Ball program going......

The Winegars of Crismon Ward were all decked out in matching red shirts / blouses & blue denim shorts/ skirts to support their Ward Team. They were real cute!! Too bad not enough Crismon players showed up for an official game......

I'm guessing there will soon be some wedding announcements from the Nauvoo Station Ward as they also can't manage to get 5 players to show up for games. Them forlorn boys must be out wooing the lassies instead of playing B-Ball? One can only hope!!!

"Basketballs" by You Best Digs via Flickr

I didn't realize President Obama's Job Speech would attract such a large audience that nite......or maybe it was the Green Bay Packers VS New Orleans Saints NFL Opening Nite TV game that cut into participation......

After several scoring frenzied games of 60-70 points last week the most any team could manage Thursday was 49 points.

And while I'm thinking about scoring, I remind you of a previous admonition- if you ain't got your own scorekeeper to help keep score, don't complain about the score!! Again we had a team upset thinking that they had not been credited with some points. Again the shiners were the team that did not provide a scorekeeper....

In one game, as I was jogging down the side line Refereeing, a player yelled out, "Hey Vic. What's the score." I am not your scorekeeper! And of course that team did not provide their own score keeper, either......if knowing the score is important to you, then...... 

I occasionally see some incredible plays at out Stake Men's Basketball. Some are actually incredibly good......Scott Potter of Cortina 3rd Ward stole a bounce pass, then went to his knees to recover it. With Cortina 1st Ward defenders surrounding him Scott deftly flicked a behind the back pass, from his knees, to a team mate. Nice play!!

I'm pleased so many of you are bringing a White AND Dark shirt to the games. Please remind your Brethren of this policy as we still have some fellas in a single color and a few that think gray is a dark color. It ain't! I do wash those white pull over jerseys each week (coming home from games, the first thing I do when I come thru the garage into the laundry room is put the washer on HOT, add bleach and throw those stinky jerseys into the was!!) but it takes one game for them to get stunk back up and all yucky sweaty the next week. So please bring your own White & Dark shirts.

One obviously single fellow, tho not from Nauvoo Station, was wearing a shirt showing a man standing, arm stretched as if around a woman and an arrow pointing to the VACANT woman's spot with the caption "Ladies this could be you!" It's an appropriate warning......

For those fellows who like to display their "behind the Back Dribble Skills" I remind you the move is most impressive when YOU pick up the dribble rather than have the ball bounce to an opponent.

I never cease to be amused by the optimism and requests in prayers offered at pre-game......One player intoned, "Blessed us to play above our skill level." I have that same prayer in my heart for you Brethren every game nite, too. It's not being answered......

Prior to the Jump Ball a Nauvoo Station player asked his teammates, "What Defense are we playing?" I don't know why he bothered to ask- Nauvoo Station hasn't played any defense so far this season. Haven't played much offense either!

Our Score Board still is not working. Fortunately the Church Facilities folks did spend some money hardening the back boards against all the bricks being thrown up against it. Air balls do not harm, tho.

Brad Marineau, Cortina 2nd Ward, has not seen a 3 point opportunity he has not likes, or taken, in his life. If there was a line further back for a 4 point shot he's already taken it......Fortunately for Cortina 2nd Ward Brad throws up "Nothin' But Net"! No bricks or air balls for that guy!!

I'm happy to report there seem to be fewer complaints about Referee calls and more Brethren are taking turns doing the Refereeing!! As expected, most of the complaints that do arise still come from guys that play but won't Ref themselves. Anyone can complain. Takes some guts to put on the shirt and blow the whistle.

I also realize there are a great many rules some or many of you may not be aware of. One such rule came up Thursday nite. Have you notice when I hand the ball to the person doing the Throw In I usually say "Don't reach across the Inbound line," to the nearby defender? The defender is NOT allowed to reach across the Inbound Line. The first violation is a Warning. The 2nd violation by any member of the same team is a Technical Foul. Slap the Throw-In Person's hand or arm and that's a Technical Foul, too.

One of our Brethren that likes to Ref as he plays but does not Ref otherwise, reached WAY across the Inbound Line on an Inbounds play. I blew the whistle and reported a Warning. He looked at me like I was crazy!! It's a simple rule and a simple call to make. I suggested to him that I'd appreciate it if he's help do some Refereeing the next time he played while wearing the Black & White shirt.

I must give high marks for shot creativity. Not even Kobe Bryant has thought of some of the shots you Brethren have taken. And some of them have even gone in!! AMAZING!! Someone should be recording the games we we can submit to U-Tube.

"I got pushed!!" Is a common complaint. Yes, you did! Lots of times it's your own team mate trying to get the same rebound, too. Twice we had a player completely taken to the ground. On each instance the player on the ground's first glance (or was it glare?) was at the Referee. On their 2nd glance, seeing it was a teammate laying on top of them or under them, they were no longer peeved at the Ref for not calling a foul. (Which isn't to say they weren't peeved at their team mate for knocking them down).

One of our more spirited players is Derek Taylor from Ironwood Ward who plays with reckless abandon that often ends up in a wreck. Derek knows only one play, DRIVE THE LANE. With his long arms & sharp elbows oft times effectively clears a path as players move to avoid injury. In doing so he also manages to bump into every player between the top of the key and the hoop a least once. Since he is initiating those bumps he ain't getting a foul called. I was relieved to see him Thursday nite as last week he let with a bloody nose and some speculation he's broken it. Apparently not as he was stickin' it back into the fray again!

Sneaky Stuff- Many of you have been taught some sneaky stuff by coaches along the way. Some of it you figured out on your own, had it pulled on you & decided to include it in your repertoire of "moves" or saw someone else doing it. After 20+ years refereeing high school basketball I've seen pretty much all the sneaky stuff you can do, too! And I AM SEEING it in your games. Fortunately for you, when it does not affect the play, I let it go. Unfortunately for you, when it does affect the play I will call it and especially when we get to the Tournament in 2 weeks I will be calling it. Most of the sneaky stuff does not happen to the dribbler. It usually happens away from the ball handler, or "Off Ball" as Referee's refer to it. I love to pick up & call sneak "Off Ball" stuff. So does my High School Referee partner, who I hope will help Ref some of our Tournament games. 

Blocking Out- You MAY establish a position between an opponent and the basket. You may move laterally to maintain position. You may NOT reach your hands & arms behind you to hold the person from going around you. You also may NOT use your forearm, hip, elbow or ample posterior to move the other player out of their position. When you set up your "Blocking Out" position on the left side of the key and you end up on the right side of the key and your opponent is now out of bounds from your push, that is not "Blocking Out", it IS a foul. Brian Brooke of Cortina 1st Ward asked, "You mean everything my high school coach taught me about "Blocking Out" is wrong? Yep, Brian, that's pretty much the story.

Yougins Run Amok-It seems to me we managed to keep the kiddies from running thru the halls and thru out the church building Thursday nite!! Way to go Moms & Dads!! Now if we can just make sure you folks pay a quick visit to the Nursery Room to be sure any toys your wee ones got out to play with are put away many people would appreciate it. The kids of those who attend Ward meetings at the buildings already know where that Nursery Room is. The other kids following them in.

It would also be appreciated if the kids could help to stay off the court during games. It's a fearsome sight to see a little tyke trotting across the court near the basket as a fast Break opens up and starts to bear down on the little on.

I could understand the folks doing the watching being distracted momentarily by seeing good play, if there was more of it. If it's your kid that gets squashed don't ask me why I let it happen.

Lost & Found- 2 B-Balls & 1 pair of Black, Red & White Nike shoes are still unclaimed. I think I figured out why, tho- They are in such woeful shape I think the former owners reported them as stolen to their spouses so they could justify spending money on new equipment!!

TOURNAMENT: 

We take 2 weeks off to allow the Stake Young Women to conduct a Volleyball Tournament. That will allow some time for aches & bruises to heal. Also gives Nauvoo Station time to come up with some sort of Defensive strategy.

 We will resume play with out Tournament on Thursday, September 29.

 We'll be playing 6 games the first nite and then I think we can go to 4 games of 1 hours each after that.

I'll send out the schedule shortly

I think I'll schedule the 6:00 PM Game with Vineyard VS Nauvoo Station and plan on another NO SHOW by Vineyard Ward so Nauvoo Station can claim at least once victory on then season....

Men's Basketball QCNS  9.8.11