How To Become A Basketball Referee: Training and Resources for Youth Through Professional Referees
Basketball referees are in high demand. There are a lot of opportunities out there for this profession. As more youth teams organize with the rise of AAU basketball the opportunities grow for professional basketball referees.
Basketball referees are responsible for officiating games and ensuring that basketball rules are followed. These professionals must have excellent communication skills and the temperament to be assertive during games. The best are physically fit, able to move around quickly and wear the required equipment and maintain a professional appearance.
This guide to becoming a basketball referee is an excellent resource whether you are looking to make some extra money on the side doing something you enjoy or want to referee at a high level such as high school, college, or even in the NBA.
The basic steps on how to become a basketball referee are below, and we will go into more depth on each of these items:
- Learn the Game
- Take Courses
- Work Youth Basketball Games
- Register With Local Basketball Organizations
- Get Certified With Your State Through National Federation of State High School Associations
- Get Additional Experience
- Join the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO)
- Register with the NCAA and take the officiating exam
- Apply to referee the NBA and WNBA
“People make fun of me,” Bavetta said. “I have thin legs. I don’t have an imposing figure. But I always would say to these young officials coming in, ‘A racehorse has thin legs, a greyhound has thin legs, and they’re running forever.’ I’ve just been blessed.”
Dick Bavetta, NBA record 2,635 consecutive games officiated and inductee to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Vice.com
Basketball Referee Training and Courses
It isn’t a prerequisite that you have to have played the game but you absolutely need to learn the game to become a good basketball referee.
To become a certified basketball referee, you must achieve a passing grade on a written rules exam. In many cases, you must also pass a floor test during which you officiate live action. This is to show that you also understand how to apply the rules in a game situation.
Here are some free or low-cost online courses to get started with your basketball officiating journey.
Officiating Basketball by National Federation of State High School Associations
Ultimately, if you want to referee basketball at the high school level you will need to take this course created by the National Federation of State High School Associations. In many states, this 2-hour training is free.
Officiating Basketball is an online course brought to you by the National Federation of State High School Associations. It is designed as a tool to assist you in becoming a better official to make the game better for you and the student-athletes. The course covers the areas of fouls against the ball handler, screening, post-play, block charge, intentional fouls, and technical fouls. In addition, it has a general overview of characteristics that help to make a person a better official. When completed you will have gained more insight into the mechanics of making a correct call and learn pointers to take to the basketball court.
Ed Rush Club Court Elite
Former NBA official Court Club Elite is a course led by former NBA Director of Officials, Ed T. Rush Sr. and his son, former F-18 fighter pilot, Ed Rush Jr. It also includes basketball officials currently working at the men’s and women’s NCAA Division I level, as well as instructors from several collegiate conferences from across the country.
They offer a free email course that is limited that will lead you to a $1 30-day trial membership into their referee educational program. The monthly membership after the trial is 29.95.
Udemy.com courses
Basketball Referee 101 on Udemy.com
Udemy is a peer-to-peer training platform that had an entry-level course on it. The video on this course didn’t seem to follow the content. But, the verbal content was useful.
Referee Training Center
The Referee Training Center is a marketplace with general referee information and basketball-specific officiating books and digital training resources.
YouTube Basketball Referee Training
You may have to hunt and peck a little bit but you too can be a great resource to find training on officiating basketball. We pulled one out below that teaches two-person mechanics.
Basketball Officiating Books
Here are 3 books you will need to reference to officiate at most high school levels.
2023 NFHS Basketball Official Rules
This is the flagship official NFHS book that goes through the rules in detail by topic.
2022-23 NFHS Basketball Handbook
If you can afford a second book this handbook has been developed for use by players, coaches, officials, and others interested in the game.
2022-23 NFHS Basketball Case Book
This book complements the other two books and contains the official case plays for basketball and is designed to explain all aspects of the sport.
Basketball Referee Signals
One of the most difficult things to master is all of the basketball referee hand signals used in the game. We found this visual signal resource to be helpful as a good overview of all of the signals.
In addition, there are some good youtube tutorials similar to the one you see below that can be helpful.
Basketball Referee Gear and Uniform
If you are refereeing youth leagues you may not need as formal of a uniform. But if you want to break into higher levels such as high school or even high-profile AAU events you will need the appropriate uniform and equipment. We have created a list below:
- Black socks
- Black slacks
- Black belt (if pants are not beltless)
- Black and white striped shirt
- Fox 40 whistle
- Smitty or Lanyard
- Pre game jacket
- Black court shoes
Basketball Referee Shoes
We have a full post dedicated to finding the right referee shoes for basketball.
Basketball Referee Pants
We have a full post dedicated to finding the right referee pants for basketball.
Basketball Referee Shirts
We have a full post dedicated to finding the right referee shirts for basketball.
How To Be A High School Basketball Referee
This may be the easiest path to follow to become a competent referee. Most states have a prescribed set of steps to referee basketball at the high school level. I am in Nebraska so we will follow that as a model. To find your state’s steps to certification you can use this resource.
1. Register with the Nebraska School Activities Association
To become a referee in Nebraska you must first register with the Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA). The registration fee is currently $45.
2. Complete the “Part 1” test for basketball
You must achieve an 80% or better score on “Part 1” of the test. You will then be classified based on your test score:
- Registered (80%)
- Approved (85%)
- Certified (90%)
3. Complete the “Part 2” test for basketball
This test is more advanced and requires more in-depth officiating knowledge. In order to maintain your classification you must score the following:
- Registered referees must pass the test every 5 years with a 65% or above
- Approved referees must pass the test every 5 years with a 75% or above
- Certified referees must pass the test every 3 years with an 80% or above
4. Satisfy yearly requirements
All classifications of officials must view an online, pre-season rules meeting to be eligible to referee games during the current season.
How To Be A College Basketball Referee
The path to officiating in the NCAA is extremely competitive. With hundreds of officials trying to break into the ranks, only a few can make it.
You can start your officiating career in the NAIA or NCAA Division III conferences, then move to Division II. From there, it’s possible to become a referee in a smaller Division I conference, and eventually work up to officiating Division I basketball. Attending camps is an important step you can take to improve your officiating skills. They allow you to learn from experienced veterans and network with other officials.
These are the governing bodies in college basketball:
- National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
- National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
- National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)
How To Be an NBA Referee
The NBA and WNBA are two of the world’s most successful sporting organizations. They provide excitement to millions of basketball fans all over the world.
The NBA and WNBA recruit officials from all over the world. These officials are observed and evaluated to see if they have the necessary skills to officiate at a professional level.
Prospective officials normally already have high school and college-level experience. Candidates are evaluated by the NBA Scouting Group and should have been officiating in the following organizations.
- NCAA & Conference Camps
- Junior College
- High School
- Intramurals
- RDP
- Pro Am
- International
- National Try Out
If you make it into the candidate pool you will still have at least a year timeline to make into the NBA that will look like this:
1. Officiating Candidate Pool
NBA Scouting Group determines the Top 100 candidates list for evaluation events and proceeds to the next phase.
2. Training and Evaluation
The NBA uses the 5 performance standards for advancement to the G League hiring phase. If a candidate doesn’t advance they may remain on the list for the following year.
3. Hiring G League
If you make it out of the evaluation round then you will be placed in the G League and participate in Summer League Training and/or an additional New Hire Orientation Session.
4. Development
G League referees attend preseason meetings, and work games (preseason – playoffs). They also get access to the NBA Officials Interactive Website for memos and testing and receive direct instruction from the NBA referee staff to help hone skills and master more sophisticated basketball games.
5. Hiring NBA and WNBA
Once you reach the G League you are evaluated and recommended for NBA and WNBA officiating positions. The site nbaofficials.com has more detailed information and you can register here.
Conclusion
We would recommend focusing on your state’s high school certification. If you can reach that level you shouldn’t have any issues getting work at lower levels.
You can check out some of our posts on basketball rules such as carrying, traveling, or charging.
Troy Wright
I am a lifetime basketball enthusiast and loved playing basketball competitively through high school. I still try and play at least 3 times a week and explore all kinds of equipment and training to keep myself on the court and continually getting better. I am a college basketball fanatic and move onto the NBA when March Madness ends.
Meaningful conversations happening daily about training, recovery, and injury-specific rehabilitation as well as sport-specific discussions on playing, coaching and refereeing your favorite sport. We welcome experts and those with curious minds seeking answers.
Join The Stay On The Court Community!