A Call to Action

[burnspbesq]

Both fan bases think they got hosed by Karl Hess tonight, and you know what? They're both right.

The fact that the ACC can't find 25-30 officials better than Karl Hess, Jamie Luckie, et al is a travesty. And it is 100 percent your fault, John Swafford.

The ACC is neck deep in ESPN money. It's time to invest some of it in referee development.

I don't have a PowerPoint deck, but I do have a plan.

Run an open audition. Find the best 30 men's officials and the best 30 women's officials out there. Sign them to one-year exclusive contracts for a fixed salary of at least $150k/yr. Train the heck out of them, and monitor both their performance and their fitness. Evaluate them rigorously. At the end of each season, fire the bottom third and run a new audition.

The ACC has the best players and the best coaches. It's inexcusable that our officials don't measure up.

[jv001]

Both fan bases think they got hosed by Karl Hess tonight, and you know what? They're both right.

The fact that the ACC can't find 25-30 officials better than Karl Hess, Jamie Luckie, et al is a travesty. And it is 100 percent your fault, John Swafford.

The ACC is neck deep in ESPN money. It's time to invest some of it in referee development.

I don't have a PowerPoint deck, but I do have a plan.

Run an open audition. Find the best 30 men's officials and the best 30 women's officials out there. Sign them to one-year exclusive contracts for a fixed salary of at least $150k/yr. Train the heck out of them, and monitor both their performance and their fitness. Evaluate them rigorously. At the end of each season, fire the bottom third and run a new audition.

The ACC has the best players and the best coaches. It's inexcusable that our officials don't measure up.

Mr. unc swafford is the problem. GoDuke!

[devildeac]

Both fan bases think they got hosed by Karl Hess tonight, and you know what? They're both right.

The fact that the ACC can't find 25-30 officials better than Karl Hess, Jamie Luckie, et al is a travesty. And it is 100 percent your fault, John Swafford.

The ACC is neck deep in ESPN money. It's time to invest some of it in referee development.

I don't have a PowerPoint deck, but I do have a plan.

Run an open audition. Find the best 30 men's officials and the best 30 women's officials out there. Sign them to one-year exclusive contracts for a fixed salary of at least $150k/yr. Train the heck out of them, and monitor both their performance and their fitness. Evaluate them rigorously. At the end of each season, fire the bottom third and run a new audition.

The ACC has the best players and the best coaches. It's inexcusable that our officials don't measure up.

Both fan bases? You gotta be kidding me, Mr. Burns. They shot 32 FT to our 17. We had 25 fouls called to their 15. We had 3 players foul out (two of them in very dubious fashions) and another with 4 and they had no players with >3 PF. And they are b*tching?

But your overall point is well taken and I agree with you. I'll send the first check to your ref academy.

[Native]

I did just make a referee outfit my official game day attire...

I hereby nominate myself.

[Newton_14]

Both fan bases think they got hosed by Karl Hess tonight, and you know what? They're both right.

The fact that the ACC can't find 25-30 officials better than Karl Hess, Jamie Luckie, et al is a travesty. And it is 100 percent your fault, John Swafford.

The ACC is neck deep in ESPN money. It's time to invest some of it in referee development.

I don't have a PowerPoint deck, but I do have a plan.

Run an open audition. Find the best 30 men's officials and the best 30 women's officials out there. Sign them to one-year exclusive contracts for a fixed salary of at least $150k/yr. Train the heck out of them, and monitor both their performance and their fitness. Evaluate them rigorously. At the end of each season, fire the bottom third and run a new audition.

The ACC has the best players and the best coaches. It's inexcusable that our officials don't measure up.
Also, don't let a game in the last week of January, be the 61st game a man has refereed to date in the season (Hess). That's too many games. No way any ref is going to be sharp game in and game out calling that many games. It's just not possible.

[Newton_14]

I did just make a referee outfit my official game day attire...

I hereby nominate myself.
I saw that last home game. Very nice! Keep wearing it!

[the_grad_student]

I did just make a referee outfit my official game day attire...

I hereby nominate myself.

Native, over in the grad student section we're thinking we found a new sign for the refs

3856

[devildeac]

Native, over in the grad student section we're thinking we found a new sign for the refs

3856

Only 4 missed calls?

[TruBlu]

Also, don't let a game in the last week of January, be the 61st game a man has refereed to date in the season (Hess). That's too many games. No way any ref is going to be sharp game in and game out calling that many games. It's just not possible.

Especially when that referee (Hess) isn't too blanking sharp to start with!

[Henderson]

Even when justified, the optics of fans complaining about officiating after a loss is not good. I'm not above stomping around the man cave, kicking in the TV screen, biting the cat, and pulling out my referee voodoo dolls, a pair of pliers, and a Bic lighter. But if I take that attitude to my mates, they just smile and use the word "whine" a lot. And the game result remains the same, so what have I achieved? Same principle applies in a public forum IMHO.

[weezie]

I'll send the first check to your ref academy.

Make me an instructor at the academy and give me a whiffle ball bat so I can beat them when they miss/ignore/doze through calls that are RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM UNDER THE BASKET.

[Sixthman]

Both fan bases think they got hosed by Karl Hess tonight, and you know what? They're both right.

The fact that the ACC can't find 25-30 officials better than Karl Hess, Jamie Luckie, et al is a travesty. And it is 100 percent your fault, John Swafford.

The ACC is neck deep in ESPN money. It's time to invest some of it in referee development.

I don't have a PowerPoint deck, but I do have a plan.

Run an open audition. Find the best 30 men's officials and the best 30 women's officials out there. Sign them to one-year exclusive contracts for a fixed salary of at least $150k/yr. Train the heck out of them, and monitor both their performance and their fitness. Evaluate them rigorously. At the end of each season, fire the bottom third and run a new audition.

The ACC has the best players and the best coaches. It's inexcusable that our officials don't measure up.

Bad calls are part of the game and the new rules no doubt have been as hard on officials as coaches, players and fans. The officials in question have a good deal of experience, and game experience strikes me as the most important element in developing good officials. However, the stark contrast between the calls and the no calls in the Duke Syracuse game was not business as usual or acceptable. The unnecessary calls are the product of misguided emphasis by the NCAA. Neither of Jefferson's last two fouls amounted to anything other than getting a key starter out of the game due to inconsequential contact. I understand that the rules are the rules. However, there is incidental contact every moment the clock is running and a good of the time during dead balls. It cannot all be called, and, therefore, by definition, calling any of it is arbitrary, and when it results in disqualification of the players, is actually DESTRUCTIVE OF THE GAME OF BAKSETABLL. The charge call on Parker was an obvious mistake that no official should make. The no call on the Hood dunk was an obvious mistake that no official should make.

I have a serious question I hope some of you will respond to. I believe that Duke has been much more aggressive and effective at getting to the basket the last eight games. It also seems to me that we are getting fewer calls than most other teams on these drives. The examples that come to mind are Sulaimon's repeated unsuccessful layups against Pittsburg and Cook's layup off the opening tip of overtime against Syracuse. We drive have to the basket, absorb contact, miss the shot, are frequently knocked to the ground, and get in return -- no call. I think it is more likely that we are failing to do something other teams are doing to get the call than that there is an officiating conspiracy against Duke. What is it? Do we need to create even more contact? I notice that other teams routinely drive while pushing off with the off arm -- still getting a call. Most of our players don't. Should we be pushing off more?

I also want to applaud you for including officiating of the women's game in your call to action. If you have not attended a women's game, you cannot appreciating how bad some of the officiating is. I think we tend to get some of the better officials in the game, but some of them remind me more of middle school than poor men's officials. There is a serious need in the women's game to upgrade the officiating.

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

I saw that last home game. Very nice! Keep wearing it!

May I suggest an accessory? Blind glasses.
Love, Ima