Last week I devoted my article to emphasize the fact that one never knows enough and I then directed my words to referees and coaches respectively as these two very important ‘players’ (especially in my sport, basketball) can influence greatly the general development of the game if both parties could understand each other better and, most importantly, respect each other in a healthy reciprocal manner.

Respect, as you may have easily noticed from past columns, is in my opinion a very important element. I honestly believe a lot in respect and try to respect others in the same way I expect them to respect me. As a result, I tend to demand mutual respect and do feel frustrated when this does not arrive, especially from those I tend to regard as ‘professionals’ in their duties.

To continue on last week’s column, I will again try to put forward the referees-coaches concept. In fact, I am producing part of a very interesting interview made to the worldwide famous basketball coach/motivator John Wooden, where the latter put forth his views on referees.

This interview was published by the US top sports magazine, ‘Referee’, in December 1999.

Before producing the interview, I think it would be beneficial, especially for those who maybe have never heard of John Wooden, to describe the greatness of John Wooden in the basketball world.

UCLA’s basketball program gained the worldwide reputation of being rated number one. The major reason was in fact their head basketball coach John Robert Wooden, who announced his retirement in 1975 after his 27th season as the Bruins’ head coach with the best ever win record in basketball history.

Wooden concluded his 40th year as a head coach in 1975 with a record of 885 wins, 203 defeats, and a winning percentage of 81.3 which is unequalled. In his 27 years at UCLA, his teams registered 620 wins against only 147 defeats.

Under Wooden, UCLA won an unprecedented 10 NCAA Championships in 12 years, including seven in a row. Wooden is also only one of three people to ever be inducted into the World Basketball Hall of Fame both as a player and a coach. His most recent achievement was in 2003, when President George W. Bush awarded him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Wooden is the only coach to compile four undefeated seasons of 30-0 and his teams also captured 16 conference championships (one of the records Coach Wooden was most proud of), all at UCLA.

Here follows part of the above mentioned interview. Some parts of it make interesting food for thought for local coaches, players and referees. One should however remember that Wooden, in this interview, is discussing the American, notably the NCAA college game, basketball scene.

Question: You’ve been retired from coaching for more than 20 years yet people still are very interested in what you have to say. How do you feel about that?

Wooden: I am a little surprised, but let me put it this way: Had my teams not won 10 national championships, I do not believe that the interest would be there. There might be some. I would like to feel that the interest is there because of who I am as a person and not what I did as a teacher and a coach.

Question: What makes a good referee?

Wooden: Having a good relationship with the coaches. I am assuming that you know the rules or you would not be refereeing. The referee should recognize what the coach’s job is and the coach, in turn, should recognize what the referee’s job is. The referee should also have no animosity or bitterness toward a coach in any way, personally or otherwise. The referees that I might not like as well as others are those who are very interfering and intrusive in their behaviour.

Question: How has refereeing in basketball changed?

Wooden: As I watch the game today, I do not feel the referees are calling the game according to rules. I do not think it is the rules that need to be changed so much as the way they are being called. They do not call travelling and moving screens are not called regularly. They (the referees) should just call the game, and I do not mean to be so technical that if you are in-bounding a ball when there is no pressure and your foot happens to touch the line, I do not think referees should even see that. Technically it is an infraction, but where it has absolutely no bearing on the game, it should not be called.

Question: Were referees calling more travelling when you were coaching?

Wooden: I think so, yes. Referees are too loose, today, on calling travelling. I think it is just been a gradual thing. It has all changed. I talked to an NBA official a couple years ago about travelling, and he said, “We like our jobs.” I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “Would you want us to call Michael Jordan for travelling when he goes in for a dunk? The fans do not want it; the people in the organisation do not want it. Even the fools who complain against it, they do not want that.” I said, “Well, why do you call it on the rookies then?”

Question: Do you think that the game would be better if it was called exactly as it is written in the rulebook?

Wooden: You have to make some allowances. Like I said, it can become too technical. If you step on the line and there is no pressure, but let us say that you are in-bounding the ball and I got some pressure on you and you step on the line, yeah, I deserve that. I made you do it

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