3 refs better than 2; shot clock next?

Not often does the North come up with a good idea that the rest of the state agrees with.

But that was the case with the push to use three-man officiating crews at the state tournament in boys and girls basketball, instead of two-man crews.

North Idaho has been using three-man crews in most 5A and 4A boys and girls basketball games for more than a decade.

The consensus — the games are cleaner, the refs fresher afterward.

But games throughout the rest of the state, as well as at state, were officiated by two-man crews. It was a totally different game for North teams when they got to state.

So the North pushed for change. And, for a change, the state agreed.

Last week, the Idaho High School Activities Association board voted to use three-man officiating crews at state basketball tournament and state play-in games in all classifications, starting with the 2018-19 season.

There was some talk of trying to implement the change this year — the state girls tournaments are in mid-February, and the state boys tourneys are two weeks later. But the board chose to wait ’til next year.

Still …

“I’m glad we got out of the caveman era,” longtime Lake City boys basketball coach and athletic director Jim Winger said.

WHAT DIFFERENCE does adding one ref make?

Quite a bit, actually.

The third ref can catch a lot of activity off the ball — stuff a two-man crew has a harder time catching while working boys games that are getting faster and faster.

I don’t know how many times I’ve watched games at state where a player tried to cut to the basket, away from the ball — and wound up over in the corner. They didn’t end up there by themselves.

“The three-man game is a cleaner game; that’s why they do it in college, that’s why they do it everywhere,” Post Falls boys basketball coach Mike McLean said. “I think it’s going to be better for the state. Any time there’s a change, people are concerned, but this a change for the good; it’s not like we are reinventing the wheel; they use three-man in college for a reason. It’s just a better style of basketball.”

Before the season, coaches in North Idaho talked about going back to two-man crews — resigning themselves to the fact that if that’s the way it was going to be at state, teams up here had better get used to it during the season.

Fortunately, North Idaho teams didn’t have to take that step backward.

“To me, it’s always been, we need to do whatever we’re going to do at state,” Post Falls girls basketball coach Marc Allert said. “I prefer the three-man (crew), we’re used to it, it cleans up the game a little bit. I’m happy for it.

“If they’re going to do two at state, that’s what we needed to do. It is a different game when we go down to state; it’s just more physical. It’s just played differently. But I’m happy with the three-man (decision); I’m happy that we’re going to do that.”

Another benefit to three-man crews — going that route has extended the reffing careers of many on North Idaho’s finest in stripes. There’s less wear and tear on a three-man crew than there is a two-man crew.

Yes, cost for the extra ref will be a factor, especially for the smaller schools. But North Idaho refs give schools a bit of a discount if they use three-man crews — they charge what 2 1/2 refs would normally make for one game, and divvy it up.

This season, some of the smaller-school games have also been worked by three-man crews.

If numbers become an issue, trying to have three-man crews at every game on a busy hoops night, Winger noted that in Washington, the same refs who do the girls varsity game often do the boys game that follows.

“Our district has led the charge for it,” Winger said of three-man crews. “I’ve been an advocate for it. It’s long overdue. It’s a big victory for everybody. The game is too physical, too rough, too much going on for two guys to handle a big game. It’s a big victory.”

WHICH BRINGS us to the possibility of adding a shot clock to high school basketball in Idaho.

That one hasn’t had quite the traction of three-man crews for basketball.

Winger recalls suggesting a shot clock a few years ago at an IHSAA meeting in Moscow, and the board “almost laughed at it,” he said.

When North Idaho teams play in Spokane or elsewhere in Washington, the games are played with a shot clock. When Washington teams come here, no shot clock is used, per Idaho rules.

“I would prefer it myself,” Allert said of a shot clock. “I just think it makes the game a little more interesting, a little more strategy. When we play in Washington, very seldom are we worrying about the shot clock. But at the end of the games, it does add a little more strategy.”

Anymore, very seldom does a team hold the ball for minutes at a time anymore. Sometimes they might hold it for a minute or so at the end of a quarter, but that’s about it. Besides, if a team wants to stall, the other team can just go after them defensively, and usually force a pressured pass or shot attempt.

“If you have three-man officials and bring in a shot clock, the coach has to do the majority of his coaching at practice, and you can’t dictate the game,” McLean said. “I have our kids play the style I want to watch. If I go to a game, I don’t want to watch a coach do all this stuff. I want to watch young athletes get up and down the court. That’s what I want to see. I think three-man officials allow for a better game to watch, because you get to watch the kids play more freely, not the grabbing and holding.”

And though a shot clock is usually unnecessary, McLean still thinks it would help the game.

“From a coaching standpoint, there’s way more in-the-clock things, strategy wise,” he said of having a shot clock. “You can go from zone to man because they can’t hold it. They have to shoot it. Players like it because I can’t dictate everything. Sooner or later, we’ve got to get to where a player’s got to make a play.

“I spoke at the state coaches association (meeting) last year, and I said I like the shot clocks better. You don’t want to watch coaches do some chess match.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.