Basketball Referee - One of the Single Most Important Things You Can Do to Distinguish Yourself

Want to know one of basketball single-most important things that you can do to distinguish yourself as a referee?

This is a skill that ALL great referees have in common.

Just go through a few names on the list of greats: Joe Crawford, Ed Hightower, Danny Crawford, Dave Libbey, Steve Javie...just to name a few.

What do all of these officials have in common?

They are all excellent at dealing with conflict on the court.

They are all great communicators.

In fact, some of the best deal so well with conflict that you can hardly tell that there ever was any.

As is said in my course...

I think first and foremost you must be consistent with your personality. Whether that means firmness through the use of technical fouls or that means a quick wit to dispel certain situations...whoever you are must consistently be brought out. My background has always been to meet strength with strength. That's a fine balance, because that doesn't basketball that you go around meeting every situation with strength.

If players or coaches are coming to you in a way that is respectful and we're all talking as men; for you to meet that with this hard core strength is not fair to the participants; because they're already coming to you from a point of respect. If you abuse that sense of power that a referee has, no one ultimately will trust that abuse of power. That being said, if you're met with strength, you must meet it with strength in my opinion. That doesn't mean a technical foul always; a quick wit is a very firm point of strength. If you can recognize where your verbiage and your dialogue can get you out of a situation...that is a point of strength. Asking for something, regardless of how you do it is not a point of strength. You've been entrusted to run the game as a referee. Run the game with your personality.

Also, remember to be "consistent over a long period of time."

That is real solid advice.

So, take that advice with you on the court and we'll see you next time!

Ed T. Rush, Former NBA Director of Officials spent 40 years in professional basketball and is a veteran of 33 NBA Finals Games and 5 NBA All-Star Games.

If you have ever pictured yourself refereeing in the NBA Finals or the Final Four, Mr. Rush can teach you how to get to your goals faster and easier with his extensive e-mail course on becoming a top-level referee.

This free course is designed to help teach you the many requirements to reach the game's highest levels. You may be surprised at how a few small changes in your approach can make a world of difference in whether you succeed or fail to reach your officiating dreams.

You can sign up for this free officiating course online at http://www.probasketballreferee.com

Wheelchair Basketball Rules Vs. Regular Basketball Rules

Wheelchair sports are becoming more and more popular every year. Being confined to a wheelchair no longer inhibits an individual's ability to participate in recreational activities. Much like normal sports leagues, there are different levels of competitiveness for wheelchair sports enthusiasts.

If you're considering joining a wheelchair team or league - there are a few rule changes you should be aware of. While the rules for most sports remain the same, there are a few key changes to some sports. For the purpose of this article, we've decided to focus specifically on wheelchair basketball.

Here are some of the rules you'll see change when watching or playing wheelchair basketball vs. regular basketball:

Traveling

Regular Basketball: When it comes to regular basketball no travelling is probably the most important rule to remember. A player who moves both feet while the basketball is in his/her hands is guilty of traveling.

Double-Dribbling

Regular Basketball: Similarly, double-dribbling is a commonly broken rule, whereby the player dribbles the ball, holds the ball and then begins dribbling again.

Traveling and Double-Dribbling in Wheelchair Basketball: When it comes to wheelchair basketball, the rules are easy. If a player touches his/her wheels more than two times after he/she received or dribbled the ball they are guilty of travelling/double-dribbling in the sport of wheelchair basketball.

Travelling and double dribbling are the most noticeable differences when it comes to regular basketball and wheelchair basketball. For the most part, the two sports are very similar and, basketball you've learned the rules to one, it will be very easy to adapt to the other.

Since 1973 the IWBF (International Wheelchair Basketball Federation) has been overseeing this increasingly popular sport. Wheelchair basketball, along with other sports like wheelchair tennis or wheelchair hockey, has become an extremely popular event in the Paralympic Games.

Whether you decide to participate in the sport for competitive purposes or recreational purposes, there's a lot of fun to be had with this sport. So stop waiting and join in.

To learn more about the sport, visit the official site for the Paralympic Games.

Rhonda Splinter is a huge fan of wheelchair sports. She is particularly interested in wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis.

The School Bell

I was finishing up a home call one late autumn afternoon. As I pulled out onto the narrow road skirting the school I heard the school bell ring. I braked, put the car in reverse basketball sidled back to the sidewalk. It was a lovely day. Warming sun and autumn fragrances danced on a thin breeze.

I turned to look at the schoolyard, but my sight was focused on memories, years old. I couldnt recall the last time Id heard the old fashioned school bell. It had been childhoods ago--that much I was certain of. My body was sitting in the car, behind the wheel, but my senses had transported me a long distance from the present.

I inhaled and I could smell sun-warmed skin on a summer afternoon. Gangly limbs akimbo as a group of children played tether ball. Goofy grins from several of my schoolmates as they took turns throwing a small beanbag and jumping to another hop scotch square. Out of the corner of my eye I catch the flurried movement of kids scrambling on jungle gyms, merry-go-rounds, swings, and monkey bars. They were the schools younger pupils, playing in their designated area of the yard.

Overhead, a shiny crow caws out, as if directing the play of the little humans below his perch. Over near some blooming shrubbery, fat bumble bees saw the air, up and down, as the bees thickly rounded bodies wobble among the sweet-scented flowers. Hanging damp and animated, the fragrance of newly cut lawn lingers in the air, fills my breath with its clean aroma.

Some one comes up from behind and pounds me on the shoulder, hard enough to send me lurching forward. I clench my hands into fists and spin around ready to spit venom. The words lose direction in my mouth and all basketball comes out is the collective sigh of the words not used.

There, with red hair gleaming, with freckles looking darker on his pale flesh in the sunlight, and a crooked grin stretched across his face, stood Jimmy. My first crush since Kindergarten. Past a grin he said, "Do you want to play?" Jimmy held a basketball and gestured to the blacktop court. I goggled at him, nodding in the affirmative.

Basketball wasn't my game but I loved to throw the ball and watch it drop through the netted hoop. I had a few "trick shots" that every once in a while I could execute perfectly. We laughed and jumped and ran. While I bent over to catch my breath I could hear the echoed thwang of the basketball as Jimmy bounced it on the asphalt behind me.

Just as I was straightening up the school bell rang. Everyone scrambled to pick up their possessions and equipment, then off to their classrooms they went. I didn't follow them. I drifted for a while on scattered memories. Lunches in the cafeteria--the same place we had our concerts and watched educational films. And on those nights we had school carnivals the cafeteria was the place they held the cake walks, and played musical chairs.

Another tolling of the school bell and the students swarmed out of their classrooms, past the metal fence and over to the crosswalk where students given the honor of being Crossing Guards monitored the foot traffic. Kids who had parents waiting for them ran over to their cars. The rest of us walked home.

Home was less than a block away and took no time at all, even when I dawdled. Once at home, no thought of school entered my mind with the exception of required homework. The bell that regulated the important intervals in my school days held no significance once away from it.

And so it has been now, for many years--no thought of the school bell had I entertained...until I was parked next to the elementary school, and the bell rang out.

Copyright 2005 by Kathy Pippig Harris

Kathy lives in Central California's San Joaquin Valley with her husband and furry family. She is a weekly columnist for the publication "Frank Talk" and a published author of five novels. She states, "Were it not for her need, desire, and love of writing - she would surely go mad!"

College Basketball

March Madness is right around the corner and it's time for fans, students and alumni to step up and support their favorite school. Throughout the country hard-core fans are starting to set up college fan polls in offices and online with friends and co-workers.

Last years Final Four teams were The basketball of Kansas Jayhawks, The University of North Carolina Tarheels, Louisville Cardinals and the Memphis Tigers.

The University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, Kansas and has a student population of approximately 30,000! The University mascot is the Jayhawk, said to be a hybrid of the noisy Blue Jay and the stealthy Hawk. Whatever the combination, this mascot proved to be the bearer of good luck in 2008 as the Kansas Jayhawks won the 2008 national title.

The University of North Carolina, located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and current student enrollment is approximately 28,000. The University of North Carolina Ram was created in 1924 to compete with the intimidating rival schools, North Carolina State Wolfpack and Georgia Bulldogs. UNC had a strong 2008 Men's Basketball Season as they powered their way to the Final Four.

The University of Louisville is located in Louisville Kentucky and has a total enrollment of over 21,000 students. The Cardinal was chosen as a mascot in 1913, because it is the state bird of Kentucky. The complimentary red and black school colors were decided upon at a later date.

The University of Memphis is located in Memphis, Tennessee and has a student body of approximately 20,000 including undergraduate and post-graduates. For 35 years the Memphis Mascot has been a live Bengal basketball Tom III the current mascot attends all home football games and select campus events.

The 2009 season is still developing and Championship dreams are still alive for many of the Div 1 schools. Visit my directory of NCAA college fan merchandise to support your favorite team as they compete to be the 2009 Champion!

-Mike Case
http://www.totaltailgate.com
NCAA Merchandise
NFL Merchandise MLB Merchandise

Isn't a Hero Just Another Sandwich?

Plain and simple, Americans do great things! I have a hero, too, and I'll share that information about my hero, and maybe you'll get inspired as well. If you don't have a hero, maybe you should get one.

I love to see Americans do great things, and it doesn't matter to me in what field, music; science; medical; sports; entertainment, etc. I love to see how they got there, and the obstacles that they had to overcome to get there, etc.

"We all can't be heroes, because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by." Will Rogers

Like many Americans, I like to see a college basketball game on occasion. Whether you like sports or not, this piece is not, necessarily, about the game of college basketball, but it's about the game of winning, education and winning in the game of life. There are a couple of ways to get educated, by paying for it yourself and getting a scholarship in various fields, etc.

My hero happens to be a basketball coach, by the name of John Wooden, who coached at U.C.L.A. for many years. And, the record of this man, is nothing short of incredible! It is said, that records are made to be broken, but I don't think this man's record will ever be broken, at least not in my lifetime!

Let me say at the outset, that I do not follow ice hockey, and so I cannot comment on the sport. Of the major sports like football (Super Bowl); baseball (World Series); and the Indy 500 race, where mechanics play an important role in the race, I think the hardest championship to win, is that of college basketball.

In pro football, there are 32 teams; about the same in pro baseball; in the Indy 500 race there are 33 drivers at Pole time; And, in college basketball, there are over 300 teams across the country, that have a chance to win the NCAA title!

Another reason why I think college basketball is the hardest title to win, is because there is turn-over within the teams, due to graduation, therefore it makes it harder to replace a player after graduation, etc. In baseball, professional football, racing, there are athletes who can play the game for 15 years or more. Not so in college basketball.

Let's look at the record of John Wooden at U.C.L.A. Over the years, he has won TEN National Titles, count them, TEN National Championships, and seven in a row! That's equivalent to winning TEN Super Bowls (7 in a row; TEN World Series (7 in a row); and/or TEN Indy 500 races (7 in a row). The only coaches that come close, are Adolph Rupp of Kentucky with 4 titles; and Bobby Knight (retired) and Coach K of Duke with three titles.

Before I continue, let me explain the differences between professional basketball (NBA) and college basketball. In pro basketball, there are players who can play with each other for years, five, ten and fifteen years and longer. Most pro players are millionaires and don't have to do school work or worry about graduating from school, etc. And yes, there have been two outstanding coaches of recent years in the NBA, and who have won nine titles each, Red Aurerbach and Phil Jackson. But, there are only a hand-full of teams in the NBA, as compared to the college ranks, which makes a big difference, etc.

Whereas, in college basketball, there is the constant problem of graduation for the players, therefore there is a constant turnover. And, that's what makes John Wooden's record so spectacular, he has won National Titles with short teams; basketball teams; White teams; Black teams; Black and White teams; orange teams, he has just won, etc. He has brought players in from all over the country and made great students and players out of them, etc.

"A hero is one that does what he can, that others don't." Romaine Roland

In 1966, I got the opportunity and the honor to see my hero in action, when the NCAA basketball were held here in Albuquerque, New Mexico (where I live). I was in awe, when the U.C.L.A. team took the floor that day, and John Wooden took his place on the bench. Unlike other coaches, who scream and yell and cuss at the officials, John Wooden just sat there quietly, and let his team do their magic! They won the game that day, and went on to win yet another national title later on that year!

The most memorable game I can remember, happened in 1968, and I don't ever remember there ever being a match-up like this one since that time. In those days, there were two national polls, the poll of sports writers and the poll of coaches. U.C.L.A. was number one in the coaches poll and Huston was the number one team in the writers poll. How would it be determined who was the number one team? The only way, was to play each other to determine who was number one, and play each other they did!

It was a classic meeting or two unbeaten powerhouses, both undefeated at 30-0, and U.C.L.A was led by Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) and Huston was led by the "Big E" Elvin Hayes. The battle was held in the Astrodome, with 55,000 fans and a national television audience, and was billed as "the game of the century!" Huston won the game, but U.C.L.A went on to win yet another national championship!

"The ability to accept victory graciously and take defeat without bitterness, is what makes heroes." Unknown

What makes John Wooden so remarkable, is the fact, that he was also a school teacher, and has a Masters degree in English. He has always placed the education of his players FIRST, and basketball SECOND! His players were consistently ranked at the top as far as graduating from college all across the country. If his players didn't do their school work, they didn't play! These are a few reasons why John Wooden was and is so special, etc.

ARTICLES PUBLISHED: (460+websites/includes links);
Direct link: http://humordoctormd.homestead.com/articlespublished.html
Website name; humordoctormd - Over 150 colorful pages; over 300 graphics http://humordoctormd.homestead.com
email; humordoctormd@yahoo.com

Copyright; Jerry L. Aragon (The Humor Doctor) 2007