Summer no vacation for refs with big-league aspirations
Former official Mccutchen offers on-the-spot advice
It’s a fairly common occurrence during the NBA Summer League.
A break occurs in the action as the teams retreat to their benches, and then it’s time for Monty Mccutchen to create his own huddle. He walks onto the Thomas & Mack Center floor and offers suggestions to the game officials.
He knows what it’s like to be in their black athletic shoes, having served as an NBA referee for more than 25 years before moving to the league office in December to become vice president, head of referee development and training.
Mccutchen is working during Summer League with a group of G League officials who hope to make their way into the NBA or WNBA.
“We have a set of fundamentals that I want to see that they’re mastering, a basic mechanic system that we believe in in the NBA that we run through all three of our leagues,” Mccutchen said. “I want to see that they’re able to master the building blocks that lead to good officiating. Our mechanic system is really nothing more than where we stand, when to look and where to look at certain things that we want to get covered.”
Mccutchen said a checklist evaluates officials on measurables such as court positioning and their demeanor in working with coaches and players. All the information is compiled to determine which officials deserve a promotion to the NBA or WNBA or at least more work in the G League, the NBA’S feeder league.
“We have grassroots programs that lead up to Summer League,” Mccutchen said. “We’re evaluating officials that are even earlier in their development, and one of the resting places is for them to get hired into the G League and come and work here for the first time. So we have a really wonderful, layered approach to see where some of them might project.”
Mccutchen, 52, was one of the NBA’S most highly regarded referees. He worked more than 1,400 regular-season games and 169 playoff contests.
It’s that knowledge that he imparts to referees during the breaks in the game.
“We speak in terms of open looks and closed looks, and open looks mean referees are in a position in which they can see the action clearly and therefore can adjudicate the play properly,” Mccutchen said. “… We have to make sure that we’re seeing the play, not just that someone ended up on the ground and therefore it must’ve been a foul.”
Hart for the Aces
Lakers guard Josh Hart was in need of an A’ja Wilson No. 22 Las Vegas Aces jersey.
“Where they (the jerseys) at,” Hart asked Twitter on Saturday.
On Sunday, Hart arrived in a black Aces jersey before facing the Pistons. Wearing Wilson’s uniform led to good fortune for Hart, who scored 18 points in the Lakers’ 10178 win.
“Shoutout to the Aces. They hooked me up with it,” Hart said after the game. “Me and A’ja have been cool for seven years.”
Hart has taken notice of his good friend’s standout rookie season in Las Vegas and is a fan of the WNBA.
“You seen what she does,” Hart said. “She’s way beyond her years. Obviously she’s a rookie, but she’s really kind of taken the WNBA game by storm.
“Those girls do not get enough credit as they should. They’re great people, great players and a great league. Just trying to help support them and help get them more recognition. They’re the best at what they do.”