Officiating

Officiating is always a topic at AAU events for a number of reasons. For the most part, it is usually bad. I'm not blaming the refs though because they work so many games in a weekend...how could they be good when they are so tired. Some work 8-10 games in a day and 15-20 games in a weekend. I understand they can make some extra spending money by going to all the events. Secondly, the refs don't have to be licensed by anyone although most are licensed by their home state. That is not a huge concern to me though. Most have a fair amount of experience if they are licensed or not. One of the big points is that some tournaments have different rules concerning fouls and time-outs and a few other minor things that can throw off a referee. Some tournaments say they do not want to turn games into a free-throw shooting contest. I understand that tournament directors do not want games running over and messing up the court schedule because then a lot of people get restless waiting to play their games.

I rarely complain about officiating because of the things I stated above. I basically just want them to work hard, be in decent position, and not to mail in their performance like I wouldn't want one of my players going through the motions. I hate when refs come with attitude after I say one thing after being quiet for a quarter or a half or some decent amount of time. I see a lot of anticipation on the refs' part that they believe I am complaining just as much as all other coaches and won't hear me out. They need to be observant on how the coaches and players are acting in each game separately.

The main reason I do not complain much about officiating is that I do not want my players to complain and lose focus on the game. Officiating rarely decides a game unless you let it by focusing on the refs instead of controlling what you can control. Why get bent out of shape on something that you cannot control? It is a waste of time and energy and most importantly focus. I would rather just concentrate on what we need to do to adjust to the game and how we can play better as a team.

Control what you can control!