About the Referee Program

GCBA Junior Referee Program - Description

•  About the GCBA Junior Referee Program

The Gloucester Cumberland Basketball Association is proud of its Junior Referee Program.  Junior referees are an integral part of the GCBA House League program and compliment our coaching program to develop players in the game of basketball.

Junior referees are a unique characteristic for the GCBA House League program, and without them, House League games would be have to be refereed by parents and coaches (this is a common practice in other organizations). At the same time, the program gives young people an excellent skill and teaches them more about basketball, the opportunity to learn in a safe environment, the opportunity to see the game from the “other side,” and teaches lessons about interacting with adults and players in a formal situation.

Starting at the age of 12 (grade 7), any child enrolled in the GCBA wishing to learn how to be a referee can apply to the program through the pre-registration forms.  All of our referees either have played or currently do play on our House League or Competitive teams.

 

• How Junior Referees are chosen and trained

Junior referees at the entry level receive 5 hours of classroom instruction from a federated referee, and must pass an exam on their instruction before being accepted into the program. 

Training in game situations for entry level referees is done through a 4 hour mechanics session, but moves quickly to real games, as this is the best place to learn.

Second year referees also receive the 5 hours of classroom instruction.  Those who have been in the program longer are monitored to ensure their skills meet a certain level.

•  Here is a look at the on-floor training regime:

First year referees: Training by an experienced House League referee for 3 months, then supervision/training by an experienced referee for the remainder of the season.

Second year referees: Supervision and training as required by an experienced House League referee for the entire season.

Third year and up: Supervision by the Chief Referee on a regular basis to ensure skills are at an acceptable level.

• About refereeing

This program attempts to help the individuals develop a rudimentary level of officiating so that both teams have an equal opportunity to play in a relatively safe environment. However, just as every basketball player plays differently, so too do referees have individual interpretations based on experience and perception.

Some referees call a “close” game in which they will blow the whistle on every infraction they see. Some others make calls based on whether or not a disadvantage is created by an infraction.  Given that the calls of the referee may vary, coaches should understand that their challenge is to recognize the nature of the calls and guide or alter the play of the individual player, or the team, to achieve their best results.

More importantly, junior referees are only learning the difficult art of officiating under stressful conditions requiring courage and split-second decision-making.  While this does not excuse poor refereeing, it must be remembered that it is not a perfect science – in basketball or in any other sport – and the junior referees are still under development. Please remember, they are human and yes, humans do make mistakes.

 

• About GCBA Referees

Basketball is a complex game. Our referees are learning, even after several years.

• Refereeing involves the following skills:

...Knowing - all the rules
...Remembering where to be on the floor - at all times as the play constantly shifts
...Watching - for rule infractions
...Remembering which player(s) - were involved in the rule infraction
...Blowing the whistle - for infractions
...Remembering the proper hand signals - for the infractions
...Having the courage to make their calls - clear with a loud whistle and voice
...Interacting with players  - to instruct them about the infraction and helping the learn not to do it again
...Interacting with coaches - on bench behaviour
...Watching the clock
...Keeping track of the number of team fouls - in coordination with minor officials

All this is being done at one time, often by young people between the ages of 12 and 18. It is important to remember that they are learning.


At the same time, our trainers are also learning. They are:


...Watching two referees and their position on the floor
...Watching the play in the game to ensure they are seeing as much as possible, and making sure two referees are seeing it at the same time
...Teaching two referees at once
...Watching the clock
...Interacting with players and coaches and minor officials

 
On any given Saturday, our trainers will referee 1.5 to 3 hours of games at the senior levels, then spend 3-5 hours training. Their day often starts at 7 a.m. and does not end until 5 p.m. 

This is all part of what makes our program so successful, but also helps us build skills and give young people intangible benefits.
It is also important to remember that GCBA Referees are someone’s child. As parent, coaches and assistant coaches, you are expected to treat referees with the same deference as you would a federated referee, and you are expected to treat them at the same level you would anyone of that age.

•  Responsibilities for GCBA Referees

• Referees are responsible for the following:

• Refereeing games

• Assisting minor officials (volunteer scorekeepers and timers)

• Referees are NOT responsible for:

• Setting up or taking down gyms (although often these responsible young people will assist the convenors)

• Players or teams

• Finding custodial staff

• Responsibilities for a GCBA Referee Trainer

• Trainers are responsible for the following:

• Helping the junior referee understand/recognize their calls

• Coach the junior referees

• Some cases require the trainer to “shadow”** newer referees

• To clarify and explain some rules to referees, players, and sometimes coaches

• Trainers are the ONLY referees capable of calling Illegal Defence (effective at the Novice, Atom exclusively and at Bantam levels when a Trainer is present)

**Shadowing means the trainer will physically go out onto the floor with the referee and direct, or occasionally make a call, to help the trainee recognize situations where calls are appropriate.
 

• Trainers are NOT responsible for:

• Making calls during the game (though they have the right to make some if necessary)

• Keeping track of equal play (player shifts)

• How Referees are assigned

On any given weekend, there are 70+ different referees assigned to XX number of House League games.

Assigning is done by senior referees in the system on the Sunday or Monday before the weekend games.

We look at House League schedules, locations and times, then make the assignments. Every game is covered by two referees during the
assigning process.

Based on experience, we know things can go wrong. For instance, referees can forget their assignments, they sometimes have to get quickly from one gym to another and games can run late, they misunderstand which gym they are supposed to report to, or they are unable to get a ride from home. In most cases, games can start with one referee and your patience is important in these cases.

 

• We want feedback!

While there is a strong system in place to evaluate all referees throughout the season, we know mistakes are made and there are situations that
need to be addressed.
 

If you have concerns please notify your convenor first.  The convenor should then email the Referee in Chief : refincharge@yahoo.ca as soon as possible.

We ask that you do NOT take up your concerns directly with the referee.

There are numerous reasons for this, but the most important is that many of our young people are working hard at what they are doing, and while intimidation may not be your motive, they may feel intimidated anyway.  Sometimes it is best to give yourself some time after a game, take a step back and decide whether it truly is a concern worth the time and attention of both the convenor and the Referee in Chief.

• How you can HELP the GCBA Junior Referee Program?

PLEASE....

…be positive

…remember this is someone’s child…treat them as you would want your own child treated

…provide feedback to the Referee in Chief

…read the rules of basketball. Even if you played, have coached for years. It is a good idea to refresh your memory!

…don’t ask our referees to be gym captains or convenors

…praise our referees when they have done a good job

…take your issues to a trainer on-site and deal with them in a calm manner