SEP Games 5 & 6 can be summarized in one word: communication. Like any team sport, communicating with your teammates is key to success. As the third team on the court, my partners and I communicated from the opening tip to the final buzzer ending overtime. The referee, or the "R", before the opening toss, established eye contact with the U1, who is near the table and "chops the clock", and the U2, who is opposite one of the team benches. He asked with his eyes, "Are we ready?" and we gave him a nod or thumbs up. For every foul or violation called, we look where our partners were, just in case there was a double whistle. When this happened we came together quickly to discuss then decided as a TEAM, what the correct call was. At one point, an official called a shooting foul and missed that the ball scored. He reported the foul and awarded two shots. I quickly jogged over to him and advised that the shot went in.... he corrected the table, the game proceeded.
There were some hiccups. Once I called a foul that was not mine to call, I knew it the instant I blew my whistle ,I grimaced and should not have. When I was at the "Lead" position which is the end line near the basket, I needed to rotate more often and quickly to the side where the ball is, or "strong side". There were times when too many players were on one side, and my late rotation resulted in me missing a foul. Poor rotation could lead to unchecked aggressive play and injuries.
The good news was that I modified my game with each critique and by the end of the two game set, the evaluators were pleased with our performance. Still things to work on, especially when the game gets heated and the score tied. Players get extra aggressive and the crew must increase our intensity accordingly. In the last minutes of a game, players foul, coaches call time-outs. We have to be aware of all this, plus watch the clock and final shot to ensure the ball leaves the players hands BEFORE the buzzer. In fact, in the officiating world, it is expected that in the last 4 minutes of a game, the crew "must be PERFECT". We were not perfect, but i feel we merited an A-, overall.
