NBL referee marks milestone with whistle
Referee Sean Cronin’s involvement in the National Basketball League now spans five different decades.
Cronin achieved the feat when he took to the court with whistle in hand in Invercargill on Thursday night for the Southland Sharks-Taranaki Mountain Airs fixture.
He officiated at his first NBL game in 1989 when he was a late call-up for a fixture between Wellington and Canterbury, which featured Kenny McFadden.
Cronin has since refereed games in decades 1990-99, 2000-09, 2010-19, and now in the 2020s. Cronin was initially set to achieve the feat last year, but the emergence of Covid-19 meant the NBL was put on hold and replaced by the condensed ‘Showdown’ competition.
He is the first to referee across five decades in the NBL and it will take a monumental effort for someone to join him in that club.
So just what keeps the 54-yearold Queenstown-based referee coming back for more?
‘‘For me, it’s a reason to stay fit. We have to do a fitness test at the start of each season, so it’s a reason to stay healthy,’’ Cronin said.
Secondly, Cronin wants to play a role in helping the next group of young referees develop.
On Saturday night he refereed the Otago Nuggets-Taranaki Mountain Airs game in Dunedin alongside Reagan Ashley, who was officiating in his first NBL game.
‘‘It’s nice to be able to help set them off on their careers,’’ he said.
Cronin urged anyone who has a passion for basketball, but might not have the ability to make it as a top-level player, to consider taking up refereeing.
He said it was enjoyable but added that over the years more and more international opportunities had become available for referees to chase, which he wished had been an option when he was younger.
NBL referees are paid a game fee, but Cronin said it was ‘pocket money’. With time off work factored in, they potentially lost money.
‘‘It’s got to be a passion.’’ And passion it is for Cronin. He was born into a basketballmad family as the youngest of seven.
His late father Bill represented New Zealand after World War II and was a referee and New Zealand’s first rules interpreter.
So how long does Cronin plan to continue?
He said he had no intention of hanging up the whistle but conceded it was now a year-to-year prospect and he was wary of going too long.
Basketball coaches are not traditionally known for taking it easy on referees. But Cronin, who works as an operations manager for Waste Management in Queenstown, said he did not cop a lot of abuse and felt he had a relationship where he was happy to chat with coaches throughout games.
He conceded there were occasions when basketball referees were unfairly provided advice from the sidelines, but added that it happened across all sports.
He has seen the game evolve during his NBL refereeing career since 1989. It has included rule changes, which Cronin said in most cases have been for the better.
‘‘Some rules have gone the full circle,’’ he said.