FORMER NBA REF HEADS UP TRAINING FOR RGV OFFICIALS
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| Former NBA and current NCAA DI basketball official Tommy Nunez (center back) headed up an all-star cast of referee trainers at the RGV Chapter of Basketball Official training camp at the Edinburg Sports & Wellness Center. |
BY TJ GARCIA
EDINBURG - Tommy Nuñez officiated the NBA’s most infamous contest:
the 2004 Indiana Pacers at Detroit Pistons brawl game.
It was a game between two teams tough as nails. Two
squads that had their share of enigmatic and volatile personalities such Ron
Artest (Metta World Peace), Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Stephen Jackson,
Jermaine O’Neal and a slew of others. What’s more, playing in front of
Detroit’s rough and tumble home crowd has never been a picnic.
Although he’s reticent to talk about the worst game fight
in NBA history, Nuñez – all 5-foot-7 of him – nearly stopped the melee before
it spiraled out of control. He dove right into the middle of the initial
confrontation between Wallace and Artest pulling players apart and
shoving others away. Other officials watched while Nunez showed no fear.
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| Tommy Nuñez. NCAA DI official. |
Nuñez, coaches and other officials actually had the
shoving match under control and players separated. But when a fan threw a cup at Artest a few seconds later, what followed was pure bedlam right out
of the WWE.
Still, even with that notorious game, Nuñez continued his
successful stint in the NBA officiating in the league from 2004 through 2012 sharing
the court with players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan. Now in
his 32nd year commanding the hardcourt, the Phoenix native returned to NCAA DI in 2013 calling
games mostly in western leagues like the PAC 12 and the Mountain West. He also
instructs at a handful of referee camps throughout the year.
Recently, Nuñez, 58, was the special guest at the Rio Grande Valley Basketball Chapter officials' camp in mid-August at the superb Edinburg Sports & Wellness
Center and RGV Vipers practice facility.
The camp drew about 60 basketball refs from around the
Rio Grande Valley and Texas to officiate local tournament games, get evaluated
on film, attend workshops and get feedback from a cadre of NCAA-level referees
and evaluators like Nuñez. Camp organizers said the event was held to train up
mid-level and experienced officials’ competencies and education and to recruit
and identify new talent.
Nuñez held film sessions, watched games and held
one-on-ones with referees to instruct officials on the rules and the nuances of
overseeing a basketball game. Nuñez, whose father Tommy Nunez was the NBA’s
first Latino official, said even with three officials on the court, it’s
difficult to see everything. However, refs must stay disciplined to their court
responsibilities and know the rules.
“There’s so much to teach at camps like this – and this
is a great camp – I like to keep to the basics,” said Nuñez. “Camps like this
you keep it as basic as best you can. There’s so much to learn they can get
overwhelmed. You get them on the floor. You get them to blow whistle. You get
them to run to the right spots. And with the more games they see, the other
things they need to learn start to creep in. And they start making the right
adjustments.”
Officials of nearly every skill and experience level participated in the three-day training. There were young novices without as much as a Texas Association of Sports Officials (TASO) certification to more experienced arbiters that routinely call 5A and 6A varsity games and even others that work on the NCAA DII & DIII levels. The group’s diversity also included a half dozen or so women.
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| Two officials working RGV training camp games. |
Nuñez, who instructs at just a few camps annually, added
that “learning” camps like the one in Edinburg where officials are calling live
games, being evaluated and then sit in on their own film sessions, are the ones
he likes the best. He also said that working with younger refs get them more engaged.
In one afternoon film session, deep inside the Wellness
Center in a darkened room with a scattering of open pizza boxes and soda cans,
Nuñez meticulously broke down a dozen or more video examples of rules and calls
local officials could learn from. He reviewed topics such as the responsibility of
court zones, training the eyes not watch the ball (but areas of responsibility),
nuances of the charge call, and explained the dreaded restricted area.
Bert Jaime, RGV Chapter second vice president in charge of new officials’ training, said the collegiate-level evaluators and Nuñez proved excellent choices for the camp.
“There’s not a higher class of officials than those in
the NBA so when you have had that opportunity for a number of years, number one
you are among the very best and you are exposed to a tremendous amount of
education and training,” said Jaime. “And then you have all the other
clinicians here that are on the college level where the discipline is extremely
precise. Honestly, it’s a staff (of evaluators) that’s second to none, and we
can compare with anybody.”
Indeed, in addition to Nuñez, there were several esteemed
trainers such as Calvin Harris, TASO President; Becky Marshall, former Big XII
supervisor of women’s officials; Jason Simnack, NBA G League and NCAA DI
official and several others with valuable experience. Also RGV Chapter leaders such as President Robert Torres and First Vice President Victor Garza were on hand along with camp presenter Ruben Ramos.
Rookie referee Zac Garcia, 18, who began blowing his whistle this summer and has just a few dozen games under his belt, said the camp was very helpful.
Rookie referee Zac Garcia, 18, who began blowing his whistle this summer and has just a few dozen games under his belt, said the camp was very helpful.
“I was a little nervous because there were so many high-level
people around. Officials from the NBA, G League and DI, and they were here to critique
us,” said Garcia. “But it was good. I got to meet new people and learned more
about the game and officiating. The video sessions were solid. This camp made us
all better.”
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