Public speaking, golf and basketball officiating are three activities I have long thought could lull a person into a false sense of security that anyone can do them, after watching someone perform these specific tasks with great proficiency...

The glib and confident orator who keeps a room full of people hanging on their every word; the graceful golfer who routinely places the little white ball in designated targets seemingly with the greatest of ease, and the basketball official who works in concert with his/her partners to manage the skills and temperaments of fiercely competitive players, coaches and even spectators...

They make it look so easy, the uninformed can become convinced that anyone with half a brain and who is fairly coordinated can do it...

This is the time of year when basketball officials wait anxiously for word that they have received an assignment in the second season -- the playoffs...

While the process may seem to be shrouded in mystery, most of the determining factors are within your grasp to impact whether or not you move on to work the tournament.

 John Koskinen, a respected veteran supervisor that has assigned and officiated at the high school and collegiate level, shares some of his thoughts on why officials might not get the games they are looking for in March.

The following are some reasons assignors give officials when asked:

"Why didn't I get a playoff assignment?"

Peter Webb, the current IAABO Coordinator of Interpreters, provides some insightful commentary on preparing for the upcoming post-season tournament action.  As always the focus on pride and professionalism is a cornerstone of every IAABO official's approach to the game.

Click HERE to DOWNLOAD a preview to an upcoming article from the IAABO Sportorial.

ALTERNATING POSSESSION is a method of putting the ball in play (by a throw-in) in specific instances to eliminate some jump ball situations.  The goal was to eliminate the difficult to administer jump ball scenarios and speed up the overall game.

The scorer must record the jump balls (and changes) for the alternating-possession procedure and will be responsible for setting (and changing) direction of the possession arrow.

The following are situations where the alternating-possession procedure should be used.

Ron Foxcroft always had a problem with whistles. "They have a cork pea in them and when you blow a pea-whistle really hard, nothing comes out. When they're frozen or wet or get some dirt inside, they lose their efficiency." As a result, Foxcroft, like many other referees, sometimes found himself unable to stop play even though he saw a clear violation take place. In a fast-moving game like basketball, a whistle that fails does not get a second chance to sound. In a really big game, even when the whistle did work, the play occasionally was not stopped because the whistle's sound was drowned out by the noise of the roaring crowds.

Eventually, he decided it was up to him to improve the situation. "60 Seconds on Officiating recently interviewed Ron to learn the genesis of this "pea-less" idea ... as he launched the Fox 40 company.

Player substitutions are a constant and natural part of the ebb and flow of every basketball game, so it is important for officials to have a thorough understanding of what is permissible in this area of inter-changing the 'moving parts' of the game...

While it is the official closest to the table's responsibility to beckon substitutes, it wouldn't hurt the game for each official to get in the habit of sneaking a quick peek at the scorer's table to see if there is a player waiting to report, or a player hustling to the table to enter the game...

To digress for a moment, the term "preventative officiating" certainly can be a lightning rod for discussion on what our roles as officials are, but one position is that we are servants of the game and anything we can do to not antagonize coaches and players (denying substitutes entry, putting the ball in play before both teams are ready, etc..) will make everyone's game experience more enjoyable...What is reasonable, what is logical and what is fair should be a part of our decision-making process...

For a conflict-free game related to substitutions, remember: