17 JANUARY 2001
Shades of Grey
by DEREK NIELSEN

Sometime tonight, Wildcats guard James Harvey and Razorbacks guard John Rillie will front the NBL tribunal, on charges of public criticism of referees.

Citing the players for their comments in Pro Basketball Today is a Band-Aid fix to the refereeing issue- and at least one of them will probably cop a fine, as the league tries to make an example of them. But what the league really needs is to formulate a plan to improve the standard of refereeing- not just in the NBL, but nationwide.

And there are problems. Pretty much every week NBL coaches rip on them for their consistency (or lack thereof). Fans and players are bewildered by the charge/block calls that are made. They gaze in disbelief as referees ignore the things that they whistled dozens of fouls for the previous quarter. And the slightest hint of frustration with a call is rewarded with a tech foul… but certain referees seem more tolerant than others.

There are deeper issues than just saying “The Refs Suck”, though:

There’s a skills shortage. Former NBL ref Mike Reece told the Cairns Post 18 months ago that there was a shortage of refereeing talent even at the ABA level- which probably means we need Basketball Australia’s involvement to help solve the problem. There just aren’t enough skilled or accredited referees to meet demand- which segues nicely into my next point:

There’s a perception of bias. The fans learn to recognise particular refs when they get assigned to the same team week after week, and they start to think that the ref is deliberately calling against their team. Mike Reece was an utter moron as far as most Townsville fans are concerned, but it probably wasn’t helped by the fact that we saw him every single week. Steve Bignell probably has the same problem, after a few controversial calls in Townsville over the past fortnight.

There’s a lack of knowledge about the rules. Two words: Shot Clock. We’ve had calls made in the last two games here which saw two plays overturned well after the fact, and saw points deducted from the home team after the play. In one case, a point was deducted from the home team three plays later, in the fourth quarter, in a game which went down to the final shot.

I don’t know what’s worse- getting it wrong in the first place, or deciding to play on for a while before THEN admitting you’re wrong and ‘fixing’ the problem. It cannot help the fans’ perception of our officials.

COUNTERPOINT

The league, unfortunately, faces a bit of a dilemma. It’s unfair for fans and players to have to put up with the low standard of refereeing, but the league needs to be seen to be defending its officials.

That’s why Rillie and Harvey have been cited- not because their comments are right or wrong, but because it’s the right thing to do. It’s one thing to have your customers hurling abuse at you, but it’s another thing entirely if the boss won’t back you up.

If they get fined, I’ll follow it up at a later date; I suspect that we haven’t heard the last on the topic, either way…

TELL ME WHY…

I am always amused by the southern media and their need to bring up the Suns/Magic incidents of 1998 as proof that Queensland fans are 'rednecks'. Have you noticed that no-one ever mentions the South-East Melbourne Magic official at that game, who flipped the bird to fans? Being from Melbourne doesn't mean you can't be a lout, y'know.

Besides, these writers would know how rowdy southern fans really were, if the fans actually SHOWED UP TO GAMES SOMETIME.

LOOKING BACK

Five for five for the weekend! Yaaaay! That takes me to 31/44 for the column, or 0.705.

LOOKING FORWARD

Victoria v Brisbane (at Ballarat)- Titans lead 2-0: Can you seriously see the Bullets winning this game? Brisbane seems set to continue with their dismal road record (currently 0-10), while the Titans use this as their hit-out for Saturday night’s blockbuster game against Perth. Titans by 12.

Wollongong v Melbourne- Hawks lead 1-0: Here’s an interesting matchup- the forward-heavy Hawks against the guard-reliant Tigers. Melbourne needs their Big Three to fire, as the Hawks have a whole bunch of players who can post points on them- quicker guards in Lowery and Charles Thomas, versatile forwards in Garrison and Melvin Thomas, a real centre (gasp!) in Dench, and I haven’t even mentioned Saville or Campbell. Hawks by 8.

Townsville v Sydney (FOX): The first meeting between the two teams this season. Neither team is playing at their peak at the moment- the Kings are on a four-game losing streak, while Townsville didn’t really fire until the fourth quarter against the Cannons on Saturday. The Kings could steal this one if their forwards are on song, and if Shane Heal gets out of his slump, but I’m tipping the Crocs because I’m BIASED, BABY! Crocs by 6.

Cairns v Townsville (FOX)- Crocs lead 1-0: The return leg of the Troppo Derby. Cairns might be a danger game for the Crocodiles; sure, they lost last week, but they pushed top-4 Wollongong into overtime, and there are certainly some Cairns players with a point to prove. Add what should be a bumper crowd, with Crocs fans streaming up the highway on Saturday and Taipans fans starting to show up in numbers, and you have a pretty good game on the cards. Crocs by 5.

West Sydney v Adelaide- Sixers lead 2-0: A crucial game for the Sixers, as they only have one other game left against bottom-four teams (Cairns is the other), and from here on in every game is against a playoff team. Both teams had the week off last weekend, which resulted in Adelaide slipping to fourth as the other teams all won. The Razorbacks are the only team whose home record is worse than their road mark; I can’t see that changing. Sixers by 12.

Perth v Victoria- Wildcats lead 1-0: The easy vote for Match of The Week is only being seen by ABC cameras, and only being screened in Western Australia. I don’t particularly object to having my team on TV, but maybe this week Fox made the wrong choice… Anyway, the Wildcats have a chance to post a franchise-record winning streak if they win on Saturday, while Victoria could go to the top of the league if other results suit them. This game is too important to leave to one paragraph; I’ll devote a bit more time to it and give you a full preview of the game later. I will, however, take a punt on the game here and say Titans by 3.

Melbourne v Townsville (at Bendigo)- Crocs lead 1-0: Wouldn’t this be an interesting matchup if Clarence Tyson does suit up for the Tigers? Normally I’d pick the Crocs to win here and feel good about it, but there could be some changes to the ‘home’ team’s lineup before tipoff. Crocs by 2.

The NBL Live microphones will be in Wollongong this weekend for the clash between the Hawks and Tigers- and I’ll be back on Friday with that Titans/Cats preview!

Deep Thoughts
3 FEBRUARY, 2001
Miscellaneous notes about the state of the league- some even positive!
Gone Troppo
25 JAN 2001
It's okay to rev up your home crowds, but eventually you reap what you sow.
Shades of Grey
17 JAN 2001
The referees under fire?  Surely not!  Whatever next?