This is a story about a dad who saw a problem in the world, and saw a solution in the high schoolers he coached. This is a story about a nationwide dilemma, and yet another team working to reverse it.
And ultimately, this is the story of a group of high school ballers who stepped up and tried something new, something hard, to benefit both youth sports and themselves.
The Problem
The number of registered basketball officials has been in steady decline for two decades. Accelerated by the COVID19 pandemic, the referee shortage has become steadily more alarming.
According to The Telegraph Herald, a Dubuque-based newspaper, the number of registered basketball officials in the state of Iowa has dropped by well over 500 since 2005. Nationwide, the number of certified referees has decreased by over 20%. This loss is most apparent in high school sports and youth competitive leagues.
Poor sportsmanship seems to be the driving force behind the decrease in numbers. In 2019 the National Federation of High School Sports (NFHS) surveyed 2000+ referees. The compiled results revealed that 62% of referees said the worst part of their job was “dealing with aggressive parents and adult fans.”
Moreover, a survey conducted by the Nationals Association of Sports Officials (NASO) revealed that 94.5% of basketball officials say sportsmanship has not improved since the pandemic, and 53.9% of officials say they have feared for their safety due to actions from an administrator, player, coach or spectator in the past five years.
Factors such as low pay for high-level games, an aging referee population, and demanding nature have also influenced the overall decline in referee numbers. The shortage is becoming more and more evident to coaches and athletes in Iowa.
While Mason City has not had to cancel any basketball games due to the shortage yet, the boys’ basketball program is still feeling the strain. “It is getting harder and harder to fill officials’ positions, especially for the lower level games,” said Nicholas Trask, the head boys’ basketball coach. “When we have postponements and makeups [finding referees] becomes very difficult.”
The Solution
When volunteer boys’ basketball coach Tony Buhr saw the referee problem at his kids’ games last year, he realized that there was something he could do to improve the situation.
“As I watched many weekend basketball tournaments with my sons playing, I realized that there were a bunch of students that were smart, athletic, and able to do the work, but nobody was working with the student athletes to get them certified,” said Buhr. “Everybody was talking about the referee shortage, but it felt like nobody was doing anything about it.”
After some brainstorming, Buhr and Trask launched a training program to give athletes the opportunity to become certified basketball officials.
There are several steps to becoming a referee including a background check, an online test, and some required videos. Buhr’s referees are required to be fully certified before they work their first tournament.
Buhr has high expectations for the budding officials he works with. He requires athletes to be on time, to be professional, and to be a student of the game. “Once those things are understood, then we work together on basic mechanics and talk about common situations,” said Buhr.
He also puts an emphasis on professionalism. “One rule that I have is no shooting the basketball during timeouts or between games,” he said. “We expect our referees to show up early, communicate with tournament directors, communicate with me in a timely fashion, and be the most professional people out there.”
Meanwhile, Trask helps the young officials by giving them opportunities to develop their officiating skills by working varsity scrimmages and at the local Hardee’s Classic tournament hosted by the boys’ and girls’ basketball Booster Clubs in November.
The Officials
This year, Buhr is working with Jack Boedeker (‘27), Matthew Crom (‘27), Jameer Falls (‘27), Marcele Whitner (‘26), Drew Hobart (‘26), Drayden Witt (26), Allister Palmares (‘26), and Marquez Holton (‘26).
Boedeker is the sole returning member from last year. The rest of last year’s class has graduated, but they’re still using what Buhr taught them. “Three of our graduates last year are still actively refereeing,” said Buhr, adding, “They are making eighty to ninety dollars for a few hours work for a few junior high games a night.”
Becoming a referee is not only good for the community, it also has the potential to be lucrative as a high school job. “Our referees at minimum get 25 dollars per game and honestly it’s going to 30 dollars per game,” said Buhr.
Boedeker certified with Buhr last year and is continuing to work with him through this season. “Jack Boedeker in year two can confidently run JV and varsity level scrimmages already,” said Buhr.
“I hadn’t had a first job yet, so I figured it was a good way to make money for something that I like to do with basketball,” said Boedeker.
Even with Buhr’s help, working as an official is still difficult. “My concerns mainly revolved around just being nervous about making calls,” said Boedeker. “I still am nervous before every game.”
“My concerns were anyone criticizing my calls,” agreed Allister Palmares, a first-year in Buhr’s program.
Drew Hobart, a junior, added, “There are a lot of things that you have to see while reffing a game that makes it really hard to call everything.”
Being a basketball player gives the referees a unique perspective when refereeing.
“As a ref, I can’t call everything; at some point I’ll miss some calls,” said Boedeker, “As a player and a coach as well, I know that it gets frustrating or annoying to have a ref miss a call, but don’t scream at the refs the whole games.”
Overall, the experience is described as a net positive by the referees. “It gives you a better understanding of the game,” said Boedeker, “[It] keeps me active and around the game.”
