Writer: Nicki Kupchan
As the Capitol Hoops Summer League begins, it is easy to appreciate the teams and players who perform on a daily basis. However, without one key role, the game isn’t able to happen. Referees do a hard and often underappreciated job. In the summer league, we see referees having to make game-altering calls, sprinting down the court, and constantly hearing bickering from beloved summer league coaches. This job isn’t easy and often doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves.
Referees Dwight Rochester and Liam Harrington from the Capitol Hoops Summer League were asked a few questions about their experience refereeing.
First question: What is going through your mind during the final minutes of a close game?
Referee Dwight Rochester’s response: “Knowing who has possession, knowing who my shooters are, so I don’t lose anybody if we’re in bonus situations, timeouts, who has timeouts.”
Second question: Have you ever made a call that instantly changed the energy of the game at summer league?
Referee Dwight Rochester sarcastically responded: “We’re always right, so ya know all the energy has been good.”
Third question: How do you handle coaches or players who constantly challenge your decisions?
Referee Dwight Rochester responded: “If it’s a head coach and he’s asking valid questions, we will answer them – but we have some coaches that say, ‘That’s three seconds, that’s three seconds,’ and nobody is in the paint. Sometimes they’re messen’ with ya!”
Referee Liam Harrington responded: “They all have different personalities, and it depends on the game. You just have to feel the situation and make a call from there.”
Fourth question: What do you think most people misunderstand about referees?
Referee Dwight Rochester responded: “They forget that we are human – Michael Jordan has missed a dunk – sometimes we miss one!”
Referee Liam Harrington responded: “They all think we’re blind and stuff, and we don’t know what we’re talking about, but we take classes, we’re educated, and we’re all very knowledgeable about the game.”
Fifth question: What’s something fans never notice about what referees do?
Referee Dwight Rochester responded: “The communication skills. We communicate verbally and nonverbally with our signals. We have to work as a team.”
Referee Liam Harrington responded: “There are a lot of things we do at the same time.”
Sixth question: What would surprise fans if they officiated just one game?
Referee Dwight Rochester responded: “How many decisions we have to make in just one possession – that’s why basketball officials are the best officials because we are constantly making decisions on one trip: legal position, good rebound, legal dribble, legal defense, and that’s just one official. We have three officials who have responsibilities on the court, and they’re all making decisions as a team.”
Referee Liam Harrington responded: “How fast the game goes.”
Seventh question: At the end of the day, what makes all the pressure of being a referee worth it?
Referee Dwight Rochester responded: “Love of the game, it just keeps me a part of the game. I’m no longer above the rim, but I still got a good whistle!”
Referee Liam Harrington responded: “I just missed the game, that’s why I started. I played in college, and this fills the void.”
Referees are vital to creating the intense summer league action we all know and love. So next time you watch a Capitol Hoops Summer League game, instead of complaining about a call a ref made, take a minute and appreciate the work and contribution the ref is making for the game.