A young referee makes a call on the court of the Mascenic Regional High School gymnasium.

Immediately after comes a pop quiz. What was the call? What is the hand signal? What happens next?

That’s because this call wasn’t made in the middle of an actual basketball game, but in a simulation, run by Bobby Griffis as part of his brush-up course for junior referees.

The course is part of a program begun in New Ipswich by Griffis and the New Ipswich Recreation Department last year in order to fill a need for qualified referees for youth recreational programs. Griffis is one of the few certified referees in the area – one of only two in New Ipswich. He said the lack of referees is a persistent problem.

“In general, the state is looking for officials across all sports,” Griffis said. “We have an aging referee base, and we’re trying to recruit younger officials into the ranks.”

Dennis Murphy, a past president of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials, or IAABO, and current interpreter/trainer for the local IAABO board that covers New Ipswich, said that there are a number of issues creating the problem. They include an aging base of existing referees and bad sportsmanship from spectators, coaches and players alike making the job unappealing. 

“By offering this program, we hope they get a taste, like it, and it keeps their interest,” Murphy said.

The first step is to get student-athletes and those already involved with the sport at least some training. Sienna Gregory, 16, of New Ipswich is one of four junior referees who went through the program last year, and took the refresher this year in preparation for another year. Sienna, like many involved in the program, got started in basketball through recreation leagues and now plays in high school.

“I remember the kids that reffed my games, and loved how respectful and positive they were. Knowing I had the opportunity to be that role model I grew up with made me super excited to do it,” Sienna said.

Sophomore Cayden Emerson, 15, said he was extremely nervous the first game he refereed, especially as basketball is a team sport, while reffing is a more individual exercise. Cayden said that by the end of last season, he could tell the difference the experience was making, and that having a mentor in Griffis was also key.

“It’s definitely helped me, having a teacher like that,” he said.

Zachary Alix, another young referee, said that he has grown not only in his refereeing skills, but the experience has also helped him grow as a basketball player and seeing the game from the opposite side.

Four of the five teenagers who qualified last year – with the fifth leaving for college – elected to return this year for the brush-up course and to referee again, with a fresh seven signing up to take the full course. They will be certified as junior officials by the IAABO. It’s a lesser certification than a full referee, but does include 10 hours of classroom time and three hours of on-the-court training. Fully badged officials go through a total of 40 hours of classroom training and 10 to 12 hours of court training.

“There’s almost too many for the schedule,” Buxton said, which she admits is a great problem to have after struggling to find officials in the past.

Buxton said junior referees are generally put on younger grade levels, where players are still at the level of mostly learning the game. A fully certified official is required for New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association, or NHIAA programs, so the referee shortage remains an issue for high school games. However, Buxton said for the recreation league, having referees with a quarter of the training as a fully badged referee is better than having coaches or parents pulled from the bench and given a whistle – a tactic New Ipswich has fallen back on more than once.

Griffis said implementing the junior program came after an annual meeting for IAABO officials, and speaking with Murphy. He said he was able to start the program with a few tips that pushed the program ahead, learning from others who had gone before him. Namely, he scheduled the classes right before the start of basketball season, with no gap for the potential referees to forget the skills they learned in class, or to lose interest. He also made sure he or another adult was on hand in the early part of the season, as the new refs were finding their feet, to be backup for conflicts and a sounding board.

After his own experience putting junior refs through the program, Griffis said he would advise others who are interested in doing the same to also take the personalities of the referees into account when pairing them to referee games, and create good working pairs so that all referees can progress.

The lack of officials has been a persistent problem, but has been exacerbated in the last few years. According to a 2022 survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations, approximately 33,000 high school officials across 43 states left their jobs compared to the pre-pandemic 2018-2019 season. Accounting for non-reporting states, that number is estimated to be as high as 50,000.

Murphy said that basketball has become a year-round sport between school, travel, recreation and youth leagues, and there are not enough officials to go around. There are only about 350 to 400 IAABO officials across the entire state, and an aging population of existing referees.

He said IAABO implemented a junior referee program a few years ago, hoping to spur some young blood to join the organization officially as adults, but in southern New Hampshire, aside from Griffis’ program in New Ipswich, the only other community he’s aware of that has implemented the idea is Portsmouth.

In the offseason, Cayden has texted with Griffis about game footage and what calls were made, or what calls he would have made.

“With reffing, you have to be very specific,” Cayden said. “I definitely still miss a lot of calls, and part of that is just needing more experience. Bobby [Griffis] still sees a lot more than I do. 

Griffis said he has been proud to see his students grow, and gain confidence, to the point they can handle defending their calls.

“There was one point I was getting ready to stand up and have someone back down, and the ref turned around and said, ‘No, coach, here’s what we’re doing, and why we’re doing it,’” Griffis said. “By the end of the season, they had real court presence, and the confidence to back up their calls. They belonged out there. That part made me the happiest.”