COLLEGE REFEREES

OFFICIATING

    Network media was abuzz Thursday morning with chatter about the officiating gaffe at the end of Wednesday's Rutgers-St. John's game in the Big East Tournament.

    The furor has resulted in the "voluntary withdrawal" from this year's Big East assignments of the three officials involved: Jim Burr, Tim Higgins and Earl Walton.

    Briefly, the zebras "stopped officiating this basketball game", as ESPN's Doris Burke said as the referees disappeared into the bowels of Madison Square Garden. A non-call "over-the-back" gave St. John's an extra possession that led to a foul that put D. J. Kennedy on the line where he made one of two free throws that gave the Red Storm a 65-63 lead with 4.7 seconds. On the ensuing inbounds play, a long pass was deflected between the far circles; and, despite some incidental pass interference, no foul was called. Justin Brownlee came up with the loose ball and strode down the sidelines, stepping out and heaving the ball skyward with 1.7 seconds on the clock. St. John's coach Steven Lavin was already at mid-court for the congratulatory handshake and well past Brownlee when the buzzer sounded.

     Burr and crew had evidently swallowed their whistles and were headed to the locker room for the administration of a collective Heimlich. Less than an hour after the game, Big East officials acknowledge "two separate officiating errors occurred at the conclusion of the…game", in reference to the traveling and stepping out of bounds. According to the statement, "Neither error is reviewable or correctable under NCAA rules."

    Since before the days I dressed for Halloween as a blind referee, I have ranted about the incompetence of college basketball officials. Generally speaking, if a zebra can make a bad call, he will…especially if it's against Missouri. Seriously, two fellow Tiger fans and I would dress in striped shirts and hats, wear Roy Orbison sunglasses, and take binoculars, portable televisions, radios and white canes to the highest reaches of Missouri's venerable Hearnes Center to call basketball games from "D" section.

For Mizzou's annual Haunted House of Hoops intrasquad game we tapped and stumbled to the court for the costume contest. The crowd loved us. Norm Stewart and the referees did not. Big VIII officiating was that bad. (See "Fifth Down".)

    Burr has called dozens of Missouri games. You see him everywhere from the Big XII to the Big Ten to the Big East. He calls a lot of games. Maybe too many. He and his crew had to be brain dead to miss the calls in New York on Wednesday.

    Some talking heads suggest NCAA officials should be limited to three games per week. Others say they need to be salaried NCAA employees. As it is college referees operate as private contractors, selling their services on the open market, so to speak. Some analysts try to gloss over officiating blunders, excusing mistakes on "human error" and telling audiences that the zebras have a tough job.

    Brain surgeons and garbage collectors have tough jobs, too. Hell, it's a tough job keeping up with my "Build-a-Bracket" project , especially when I have to stop to "blog" about the shoddy level of college officiating.

    Yeah, it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. So do it right!