SO, you wanna officiate basketball...

    Supplying basketball officials for T.A.P.P.S. and U.I.L. schools is the purpose of the Lubbock basketball chapter.  The Lubbock Chapter is a member of the 
state association of the U.I.L (University Interscholastic League).  Approximately 65 schools are serviced by the chapter. Some schools use our chapter for two 
or three of their home dates; other schools use the Lubbock chapter for ALL of the home dates.

    The Lubbock Chapter has nine meetings this year.  It's on the MAIN PAGE of this site.  The Wednesday meetings will run about an hour, starting at 6:30 PM 
at Monterrey High School (47^th & Indiana).  

    Training sessions for new officials  will begin on Sunday, October 6th at 7 PM  and run until 10:00 PM for three consecutive Sundays.  The training location is 
Trinity Lion's Den Gymnasium (69th & University).  Bring a whistle if you have one and dress like a pick-up basketball player.  We cover rules, mechanics and 
"administrative information".  You know what rules and mechanics are, "administrative" includes such topics of WHEN do I get paid, WHERE do we get game 
assignments, WHERE do I get good supplies.  The first clinic is 90% administrative.  You can join the Lubbock chapter at any of these clinics.   Oh, and the 
cost of these clinics is FREE!  You will receive a 2013-2014 National Federation  high school rule book whether you join or not.

   Varsity assignments usually are reserved for members with more than two years’ worth of experience. The Varsity assigning secretary serves a 2-year term, 
elected by the membership every odd-numbered year.  We have a sub-varsity assigning secretary serves a one-year term, recommended to the board by the 
Varsity assigning secretary.  The sub-varsity assignor schedules for the 4-months of school basketball (November – February).  

   In addition to the scheduling secretary, a president, vice president, treasurer, past president (if there is one) and five division representatives complete the 
Lubbock board of directors. All are elected by the membership for two-year terms. 

 You “move up” in the chapter by accumulating “points”. A junior high game is worth ½ point, a junior varsity or 9th grade game is worth 1 point and each 
varsity contest is worth 2 points.   

 Division V: all first-year officials. To achieve Division IV: accumulate 75 points or more.

 Division III: accumulate 300 points or more.

 Division II: accumulate 750 points or more.

 Division I: accumulate 1500 points or more.

   Dues for first year members are $50.00 - $25 for local association, $25 for state association. Second year member dues are $75.00  
($25 for local, $50 for state).   Third year-plus member's dues are $90 ($50 state, $40 local). Part of the state dues goes for rules/case/mechanic books, 
insurance that covers a member to/during/from a chapter game assignments.   Dan Curry has the information on this,  call him for specifics at 789-7139.

  The chapter's main information web site is:   http://www.lubbockbasketball.com

Chapter assignments can be found at:  https://www.zebra-ware.com/msp/Login.asp?ID=7&S=0

You have to be a member to access that site.  Instruction on using the scheduling software will be explained after you become a member.

    The first year(s) you officiate, endearing yourself to the scheduler(s) is important. If you tell the assigner that you’re available, then you’re available. 
Don’t expect them to be pleased when you tell ‘em you can’t call after you’ve told him you can call games anytime/anyplace. You may have 8 assigned 
games and think, "This sucks - I thought there'd be more games!” Assigned games do not equal called games. There are usually plenty of games that 
become available as the season progresses. Chapter (and non-chapter) officials will telephone you and want you to cover games for them. This is 
where officiating allows you to control your own schedule. If you don't want to take additional games, don't, though each time you say “no”, there could 
be fewer requests as officials wanting to drop games will call the guys who say “yes” more often.

    There's lots of folks who officiate basketball games and aren't members of the Lubbock chapter. The bottom line: ALL it takes to officiate basketball 
is a $14.95 black & white striped polyester shirt. Chapter games (school games) have additional requirements. Basketball occurs everywhere, all the time. 
There are NO tests you have to pass, NO "card" to acquire, NO dues to pay and NO organization to join just to do basketball. BUT, if you want to do the above, 
it has to be done through a chapter.  The Lubbock Chapter/UIL has testing requirements and these are taken online through the Arbitrer/UIL web site.

    For the past eleven years, the Lubbock chapter of has offered a basketball official training camp during the off-season (June).  It consists of a weekend
team camp where you will be videoed and critiqued by experienced officials. It’s the best camp I know of for the money.   Over the years, the site and price
have varied and it co$ts to go to this camp, but after attending, you complete a camp evaluation.  This improves your game and allows you to be seen to
enable you to get a better type of game.  

If you put “basketball” in the subject line, it goes into a folder called “Basketball”, and I usually hit that folder first.

 7896491@ATT.Net   is strictly my basketball e-mail address so I'm always looking for basketball related stuff there.

 or garya.johnson@att.net

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