Signature Episodes
The essence of Verbal Judo is best defined as a gentle yet powerful way of persuasion that helps us to avoid, resolve and manage resistance by using presence and words.
Jerry B. Jenkins, has 21 New York Times best selling books and is the writer of Verbal Judo. He joins the Crown Refs Podcast to discuss how this communication system best applies to the craft of officiating.
Episode 83 features former 21-year NBA official Mark Wunderlich. Mark officiated 1200 regular-season games from 1990-2011 including 88 playoffs most notably the 2008 & 2009 NBA finals and the 2008 NBA all-star game.
Mark is currently the VP of referee operations for the NBA. He brings a wealth of officiating knowledge to this recording and gave us a lot of teaching points and tips to add. On this podcast, we focus on the importance of habits and mechanics, primary and secondary coverage responsibilities, some tips for watching film and the 2 most common mistakes officials make.
Be sure to hit us up with any questions or feedback and we hope you enjoy.
NBA scout Al Battista returns to the podcast to give us sequencing and guidelines. He broke down some play types ranging from jump shots, rebounds, push offs, blocked shots, clamps, flops, game management and much more.
He also emphasized the fact that more officials need to stand up for themselves and respond to the disrespectful behavior that coaches often demonstrate.
Tyler Ford | The Crown Refs Podcast | 132 The differences between good & GREAT | 6-year NBA Official
In episode 132 we present you with another podcast from our 𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙨 featuring 6-year NBA Official 𝙏𝙮𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙙.
As we continue to provide you with a content library to help elevate your game, 𝙏𝙮𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙙 becomes the latest to graciously add more pillars of 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱 into the 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙛𝙨 ecosystem. We sat with him for 80 minutes as he shared his beliefs on what makes an official 𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 and listed some of the biggest differences between a good & 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧.
Other topics include the 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, how to block out 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲, and also documents his experience living and working for over 70 days inside the 𝗡𝗕𝗔 𝗯𝘂𝗯𝗯𝗹𝗲.
In 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝟷𝟶𝟶, it makes perfect sense to bring you over 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀, insights and best practices from Final Four Official 𝙍𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝘼𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨.
This podcast focuses on improving our communication skills with coaches, players and fellow officials. We covered numerous situations where you can insert a specific 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 to better manage the game at that 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.
Special thanks to 𝘙𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 for all of the wisdom and experience that he shared with us throughout this episode. And Thank you for 100 episodes of The Crown Refs Podcast.
This would not have been possible without your interest and continued support. Let’s keep growing together.
Video Series
𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙠 grew up 30 minutes north of Indianapolis in “basketball-crazy” Carmel, IN.
From early on he always has been intrigued by officiating at all levels and pursued that passion in 2018, entering the game as a humble & hungry rookie looking to improve in all ways possible.
Fast forward 3 years he’s been working high school basketball in the Hoosier state looking to get to the next level and make the jumps from JV to Varsity and up through the COLLEGE ranks.
𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 supporter of the Crown Refs podcasts, articles, and Social media content often listening to episodes before a game to prepare and stay sharp. He recently dove in deeper with the Crown Refs (IPR) Film Review Service as a way to amplify his growth and accelerate his skill set as an official.
𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 of 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 we discuss when the best time is to initiate a conversation with a coach, how to avoid unnecessary dialogue and we perform over 10 minutes of 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 to improve our presentation at the spot & table.
𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽, we discuss how to stay motivated during a long day of weekend games, we also list some effective pre-game tips and the early difficulties of transitioning back and forth from 2 to 3 person mechanics.
𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 on the importance of always maintaining a healthy perspective regardless if we’re in a pandemic or not.
𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀, we had the pleasure to work with 10-year official Ian Hess of Kaysville, UT. We did a full game breakdown and touched on several important topics in our follow up call. We hope you find a lot of value in this episode and please share with a fellow official.
𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱:
•𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴
•R𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴
•𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘕𝘊𝘈𝘈 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴
•𝘜𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 ”𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦” 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘯-𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵
•𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳
•𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴
𝗥𝗲𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽, is a content series discussing notable plays and scenarios from recent games and how we can handle each situation most effectively. We analyze the thought process behind the decision making and answer some of the more commonly asked referee questions.
𝗜𝗻 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟭, we discuss how to respond when a coach questions your partners call and what not to say to a coach. At the end of this 1-1 coaching session, we conduct a ”signals practice” to improve our sharpness when reporting at the table.
𝗜𝗻 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲 5 of 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘵 from the 𝘉𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦, we highlight official Sean Wright once again, as he calls a foul on Derrick Jones Jr. making illegal contact while running through a screen.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 shows Sean’s expertise and poise in making a bang-bang play look so easy, as he quickly deciphers the illegal contact and makes the correct call.
𝗪𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 the play, as well as give you the exact section of the rulebook you can find this away from-the-play foul.
𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆, we break down Sean’s score table communication, where we should be positioned during inbound plays, and how we can avoid throwing our fellow crew members under the bus when a coach is questioning us about someone else’s call.
C𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲 5 – 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗯𝗯𝗹𝗲!
𝗜𝗻 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝟰 of 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘵 from the 𝘉𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦, we highlight official Sean Wright, as he calls a flagrant foul on Marcus Smart.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 on the whole concept of ensuring defenders give offensive players enough room to land, specifically on jump shots.
𝗪𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 the play, as well as some history behind the call and how it originated -
𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 plays like this and how they bring us back to the “Zaza Rule” or the “Kawhi Rule.”
𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆, we talk about how to improve your positioning and how to avoid being “stacked.”
𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝟰 – 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗯𝗯𝗹𝗲!
Podcasts
The Crown Refs Podcast Episodes
Tyler Ford | The Crown Refs Podcast | 132 The differences between good & GREAT | 6-year NBA Official
In episode 132 we present you with another podcast from our 𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙨 featuring 6-year NBA Official 𝙏𝙮𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙙.
As we continue to provide you with a content library to help elevate your game, 𝙏𝙮𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙙 becomes the latest to graciously add more pillars of 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱 into the 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙛𝙨 ecosystem. We sat with him for 80 minutes as he shared his beliefs on what makes an official 𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 and listed some of the biggest differences between a good & 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧.
Other topics include the 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, how to block out 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲, and also documents his experience living and working for over 70 days inside the 𝗡𝗕𝗔 𝗯𝘂𝗯𝗯𝗹𝗲.
In Rules Talk Episode Four, we cover a few common and a few uncommon scenarios that involve the Alternating Possession Arrow.
By the end of the episode, you’re guaranteed to be an AP expert.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 | 𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬
This episode features over 3 hours of our best content from 2020. Special thanks to all of the officials who contributed and made this possible:
Nicole Robinson, Brenda and Tim Hilton, Jerry B. Jenkins, Alex Bromley, Diana DePaul, Jack O’Brien, Scott Hamby, Brian Hansen, Lance fuller jr, Jason Hayes, Brady stiff, Pedro Rodrigues jr, Ryan Wietchy, Mark Wunderlich, Josh Boultbee, Suzanne Tiriano, Kevin baker, Denise and Tyler McCabe, Jordan Kleinjan, Matt Gonzales, Marshall Peone, DeLvEcChIo Rudd, Marc Davis, Al Battista, Raphael Benitez, Dan Hughes, Dillon Berner, Roger Ayers, Zack Murphy, Andrew Marotta, John Mattison, Daren Drake, Crystal hogan, Luke Bettencourt, Aaron Arnold, Emily Gluch, Adam Bergman, Chad Beswick, Ian Hess, Ashley Birch, Martin Birch jr
C
𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙀𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧𝙨
𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 each episode is to provide the listener with as much pure value as possible by presenting the highest quality/quantity of officiating information. Hopefully, our content inspires you to love officiating and helps you to raise your overall level of performance on the court.
I𝗻 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟯 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸, we cover the five correctable errors, the timeframe in which errors can be corrected, and apply our knowledge to specific game scenarios to help bring life to the correctable error rule.
𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 to note the rule book we are discussing today is the 2020-21 NFHS rule and case books. If you would like to expand on Rules talk and cover another organization like NCAA women, FIBA, pro etc please let us know.
Special thanks to Zack Murphy for creating this series.
𝗜𝗻 𝙍𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟮, we cover the 23 most misunderstood rules about high school basketball according to the NFHS. Some of these scenarios may occur in every game, while others may rarely unfold. At the end of the episode, Zack’s two favorite misconceptions from the list are discussed.
𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗔 𝗛𝗦 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗔 𝗠U𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗡.
Short Videos
In 2014, Tyler Ford became a full-time NBA official at age 30.
During his final season in the NCAA, he worked a variety of leagues from the NBA, G-League, Big 10, and more.
We think you’re going to find this story quite entertaining as Tyler recalls his final division 3 game from that 2014 season.
Although this story is fun and light-hearted it also serves as a microcosm to the fact that coaches are poor evaluators of officiating talent.
𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝗩𝗼𝗹. 𝟭
In this episode we run through each signal to try to make Corbin’s presentation at the table more fluid and natural.
You can see his progression and improvement with each rep as all it takes it practice and motivation. Take what you like and go apply it to your game. We hope you enjoy!
For full episode:
Watch https://youtu.be/zv0ZfeWTPqA
The Best Time to Send a Message to a Coach
Many officials struggle with knowing when the best time is to address a coach over a previous concern.
We find the most opportune time usually is following a timeout after they’ve had a moment to decompress with their team.
The next time you have to send a message to a coach try delivering it during this time to ensure it was received.
𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙙𝙚
𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 https://lnkd.in/ebwSqYA
𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 https://lnkd.in/erUZibb
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 | 𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬
This episode features over 3 hours of our best content from 2020. Special thanks to all of the officials who contributed and made this possible:
Nicole Robinson, Brenda and Tim Hilton, Jerry B. Jenkins, Alex Bromley, Diana DePaul, Jack O’Brien, Scott Hamby, Brian Hansen, Lance fuller jr, Jason Hayes, Brady stiff, Pedro Rodrigues jr, Ryan Wietchy, Mark Wunderlich, Josh Boultbee, Suzanne Tiriano, Kevin baker, Denise and Tyler McCabe, Jordan Kleinjan, Matt Gonzales, Marshall Peone, DeLvEcChIo Rudd, Marc Davis, Al Battista, Raphael Benitez, Dan Hughes, Dillon Berner, Roger Ayers, Zack Murphy, Andrew Marotta, John Mattison, Daren Drake, Crystal hogan, Luke Bettencourt, Aaron Arnold, Emily Gluch, Adam Bergman, Chad Beswick, Ian Hess, Ashley Birch, Martin Birch jr
Quote Boards
Hear from the Game’s Top Officials
Decks
𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝟯𝗿𝗱 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Back by popular demand here is another deck of quotes from the Game Notes section of our film review service (IPR).
Even though these tips are specifically meant for one official we think there’s some value in it for you too.
𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙨:
1) Strengthening your Pushing Signal
2) Eliminating the Sale
3) Coach Management
4) Spacing out your Signals
We hope you’re staying healthy & having a terrific season.
Testimonials
Individual Performance Report

Individual • Performance • Report
The IPR service provides basketball officials with high-quality instructional feedback on their game film. Send us a copy of your game and we’ll produce this comprehensive review of insights and tips to help you develop your skillset as an official.
This rigorous report will focus on enhancing all of these domains and much more. Be sure to submit your most active game for an optimal learning experience.
If you are ready to start working with Crown Refs, email us crownrefs@gmail.com
To learn more about the IPR and to see if you would be a good fit, check out more information HERE!
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Parent gets ejected for yelling at the Ref on senior night; The Abuse toward officials continues…
Organized sports have allowed countless people to come together, share positive experiences, and make memories with their friends. Many people
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