Ten basketball officials took part in a clinic introducing the three-man officiating method at Kennett High School on Saturday. Gary Jenness (far right), N.H. state supervisor of officials for IAABO, and longtime official and IAABO executive board member Dennis Ordway (sixth from left) say there is a shortage of referees in the Granite State at the moment and it may impact the scheduling of games. (LLOYD JONES PHOTO)
Johnny Eastman of Albany was a standout basketball player at Kennett High (Class of 1982), and is still involved with the sport as a referee. (LLOYD JONES PHOTO)
Ten basketball officials took part in a clinic introducing the three-man officiating method at Kennett High School on Saturday. Gary Jenness (far right), N.H. state supervisor of officials for IAABO, and longtime official and IAABO executive board member Dennis Ordway (sixth from left) say there is a shortage of referees in the Granite State at the moment and it may impact the scheduling of games. (LLOYD JONES PHOTO)
Johnny Eastman of Albany was a standout basketball player at Kennett High (Class of 1982), and is still involved with the sport as a referee. (LLOYD JONES PHOTO)
CONWAY — Another winter of high school basketball is about to tipoff, and while teams are getting in their final practices or scrimmages, another group — the referees — are gearing up for a busy winter. And, with the number of officials dramatically declining in recent years, some games simply may not take place or at least not on the originally scheduled date.
“There’s definitely a shortage,” Gary Jenness, N.H. state supervisor of officials for IAABO (International Association of Approved Basketball Officials) and a longtime coach at Groveton High School. “I think there's a number of reasons why. I think people are retiring and getting older. I think with the (COVID-19) pandemic, a lot of people decided not to come back. You know, just because they took a year off and, and maybe didn't miss it and just decided that until this straightened out, whether it ever does, they just didn't come back.”
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