SCOTT FOSTER

1. Bio

a. Grad high school in 1986, joined IAABO

b. Started reffing JV games

c. Went to Fred Barakat ACC camp, got into D1 & D3, 2 years

d. NBA refs saw me, invited to NBA camp in 1990

e. In CBA for 2 years — it was controlled chaos — best training ground for game mgmt

2. MENTORS

a. Al Battista — he introduced me to video tape & rules knowledge

b. Don Vaden, George Tolliver

c. Ed Rush, Jess Kersey

d. Hubert Evans, Joe Crawford

3. SIGNALS

a. Pick people w/ good mechanics to model

b. Good signals relate to your confidence & preparation

c. If you master the rules, you will be confident w/ signals

d. Practice signals — make good habit

e. Project signals better b/c prepared & slow down game

4. RED FLAG LIST

a. He has Red flag list — ID problems & your response

b. This is really an opportunity where a young ref can step up

c. 75 red flags he reads on weekly period to remind me of habits

d. Be prepared for each situation

5. CALL OUT OF PRIMARY

a. Is there a good time to call out of primary?

b. If call in secondary, it must be obvious foul that is late & saves the day

c. The best ref calling in secondary is still lower % than the worst caller in their primary

d. In other words, when you call out of primary your accuracy goes way down

6. SOCIAL MEDIA

a. Terrible

b. Death threats

c. Threats against children

d. Be prepared for it & be mentally strong

e. Just try to stay away from it — block it out

7. COMMUNICATION W/ COACHES & PLAYERS

a. Be honest

b. Everyone has tape & the tape don’t lie

c. If wrong, admit it

d. If didn’t have great angle, admit it

e. Stay professional

f. Stay away from zingers

g. Have some empathy for coaches & players

h. He coaches youth games & now has more empathy for coaches

i. Understands why coaches get frustrated

j. Some players there is nothing I can do — never will see eye-to-eye

1. In those situations, be short & concise

2. Make all your responses, based on the rule book, blend in the rules

8. SELF TALK

a. Every possession

1. Have an awareness of surroundings

2. Differs based on what is going on in the game

3. Want to slow down the game

b. Shot clock

1. Self-talk to be aware of the shot clock

2. Game changes with every second of the shot clock

3. When shot clock hits 5, something is going to happen — shot is imminent

c. Mistake recovery

1. Want to control my breathing

2. Want to stay present

3. Focus on the fundamentals

4. Want to stay calm

5. GET THE NEXT PLAY RIGHT

d. Start of game

1. Love your 1st 5 calls

2. Want to call obvious fouls to set the tone

3. Don’t want to chase the game

4. Allowed it to be more physical — try to get game calmed down

5. Missed calls — teams don’t know what’s a foul & starters on bench early

e. Enjoy the pressure

1. Be comfortable in the uncomfortable

9. TOUGHEST CALLS

a. The game is faster & players are more athletic

b. Not as much post play now

c. Now, it’s the speed plays

d. OOB

e. Goaltending — surprise

10. PATIENT WHISTLE

a. Need patient whistle on plays at the rim

b. Want to avoid the cheap “And 1”

c. Keep your weight on your back foot

d. Keep your air in your low belly

e. Don’t want your air creeping up as you get the play coming to you

f. Be patient on plays a basket & rebounding

g. This is where you show a feel for the game

h. Perimeter plays are quick whistle plays

11. LEAD & TRAIL

a. L — you are trying to slow down

b. L must be able to blow the whistle late, just not too late b/c it doesn’t look good

c. You want to call the foul on the last snapshot of the pictures

d. T — step in on rebounds, weight on front foot

12. STRENGTHS

a. Compete against self (also biggest weakness)

b. Consistency

c. Preparation

d. Adapt to your environment

13. PREPARATION

a. How does Scott prepare for the game?

b. Prepare each game like is a state final, NCAA playoff game

c. Learned that from Crawford, Battista, Rush

d. You need to turn on the mechanism before the game starts

e. Pregame ritual as the clock ticks down, 10:48, 5:48, 3:48, etc.

f. Habits / rituals turn your brain on

g. So when the ball goes up, you are ready to ref

14. GOALS

a. He has achieved most goals in NBA

b. Worked Game #7

c. Never been crew chief in Game 7

d. Mentor new officials

e. Keep my game as high as possible

f. Leave when supposed to leave — don’t stay too long