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How much do ncaa division 1 basketball referees make
How much do ncaa division 1 basketball referees make
More NCAA leagues to pay women’s basketball referees equally
The NCAA earned praise last year when it agreed to pay referees at its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments equally. The gesture only cost about $100,000, a tiny fraction of the roughly $900 million networks pay annually to broadcast March Madness.
Now, as the NCAA examines various disparities across men's and women's sports, pressure is rising to also pay referees equally during the regular season. Two Division 1 conferences told The Associated Press they plan to equalize pay, and another is considering it. Others are resisting change, even though the impact on their budgets would be negligible.
“The ones that are (equalizing pay) are reading the writing on the wall,” said Michael Lewis, a marketing professor at Emory University's Goizueta Business School.
The details of NCAA referee pay are closely guarded, but The Associated Press obtained data for the 2021-22 season that show 15 of the NCAA’s largest — and most profitable — conferences paid veteran referees for men's basketball an average of 22 percent more per game.![]()
That level of disparity is wider than the gender pay gap across the U.S. economy, where women earn 82 cents for every dollar a man earns, according to the 2020 census. And it is an overwhelming disadvantage for women, who make up less than 1 percent of the referees officiating men’s games.
Dawn Staley, the head coach for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks — the women’s national champions — said referees on the men's side should be “stepping up” and advocating for equal pay for women's referees. “They don't do anything different," she said. “Why should our officials get paid less for taking the (expletive) we give them?"
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The people who provided AP with data for nearly half of the NCAA’s 32 Division I conferences have direct knowledge of pay scales, and they did so on condition of anonymity because the information is considered private.
The Northeast Conference had the widest per-game pay disparity among the NCAA leagues AP analyzed, with the most experienced referees for men's games earning 48 percent more. The Atlantic-10 paid veteran men's refs 44 percent more, while the Colonial Athletic Association paid them 38% more. (Only the Ivy League paid veteran officials equally in the data AP reviewed.)
Of the conferences with unequal pay contacted by AP, two — the Pac-12 and the Northeast Conference — said they plan to level the playing field starting next season. A third, the Patriot League, which had a 33 percent pay gap last year, said it is reviewing equity for officials in all sports. “Pay is part of that,” commissioner Jennifer Heppel said.
The Pac-12 paid referees equally a decade ago, but allowed a disparity to build over time, according to associate commissioner Teresa Gould. She said returning to equal pay is “the right thing to do.”
NEC commissioner Noreen Morris said the decision to equalize pay was an easy one to make once it realized that basketball was the only sport where it was not compensating referees equally.
Relative to the amounts of money these leagues generate, the cost of bridging the pay gap can seem small.
For example, the SEC paid referees for men’s games 10 percent, or $350, more than those officiating women’s games. Over the course of a season, it would cost the SEC a couple hundred thousand dollars to pay them equally — a sliver of the $3 billion deal it signed with ESPN to broadcast all of its sports starting in 2024.
The most experienced Division 1 referees — for men's or women's games — are well paid. Some earn more than $150,000 in a season, officiating dozens of games across multiple conferences. Newer referees earn far less, supplementing income from another job.
All NCAA referees are independent contractors, with no union representing their interests, and all have to cover their own travel expenses.
The busiest referees can work five or six games a week in different cities, running up and down the court for 40 minutes one night, getting a few hours of sleep, and then waking up at 4 a.
m. to catch a flight to their next destination.
Dee Kantner, a veteran referee of women’s games who works for multiple conferences, finds it frustrating to have to justify equal pay.
“If I buy an airline ticket and tell them I’m doing a women’s basketball game they aren’t going to charge me less,” she said.
“Do you value women’s basketball that much less?” Kantner said. “How are we rationalizing this still?”
Several conference commissioners said the men’s and women’s games do not generate equal amounts of revenue, and that the level of play is not equal, and so referee salaries are set accordingly.
“Historically we have treated each referee pool as a separate market,” said Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman. “We paid rates that allow us to be competitive for services at our level. I think the leagues are entitled to look at different factors here. I don’t see it as an equity issue — I see it as a market issue.”
The Big East pays referees working its men's games 22 percent more, and Ackerman said there is no imminent plan to make a change.
Atlantic-10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade said the market-based approach is what enables her to offer some of the highest per-game rates across the NCAA. “We get the most experienced, most qualified officials in the country,” she said.
Veteran referees officiating in the Atlantic-10 are paid $3,300 for men’s games, compared with $2,300 for women’s games, according to data reviewed by AP. Seven other conferences had higher per-game rates — and narrower gender gaps — last year, the data show.
Of the roughly 800 referees officiating women's basketball this past season, 43% were female, a proportion that’s been relatively consistent over the past decade. But just six women officiated men’s games last year — a number that has slowly grown over the last few years.
Penny Davis, the NCAA’s supervisor of officials, said conferences are trying to recruit more women to officiate men's games, which is another way to help bridge the gender pay gap.
But Davis says she would hate to see even fewer women refereeing women's basketball.
“We don't want to lose our best and brightest,” she said.
A decade ago, referees working the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament were paid equally. But as the profitability of the men’s tournament skyrocketed, it’s budget grew too -- and so did pay for referees.
Both McGlade and Ackerman praised the NCAA for restoring equal pay at the March tournaments. “We’re mindful of what the NCAA did for the tournament,” Ackerman said. “NCAA Tournament games are closer but not entirely a common officiating experience.”
Ivy League executive director Robin Harris disagrees. “We decided a while ago that it was the right thing to do to pay them the same amount. They are doing the same job.”
How Much Do NCAA Referees Make? (Quick Answer)
Referees are a huge part of sports. While their main objective is to regulate the game, the ref’s goal is to go relatively unnoticed in their efforts to control the pace and rules of the game. We all know, however, that sometimes they have to make tough calls that could swing the game one way or the other.
For all of that responsibility, including staying in shape in order to keep up with these world-class athletes, they must be compensated pretty nicely right?
An NCAA basketball referee is compensated pretty nicely for their efforts, although the pay range for every working official varies between $10,000 to over $200,000 per season.
Why are the salaries so different, and what does their schedule look like to get such a hefty salary? We will cover all of that and more below.
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Breaking Down Referee Schedules
An interesting aside on the referee lifestyle is that most of them have a full-time job on top of their officiating gigs. In a world where sports is everything, it is worthy of reminding yourself that these guys (and gals) usually come from another job to make some of the most crucial calls during a college basketball season.
Sports Illustrated did a piece on legendary referee John Higgins and his enormous workload.
At one point during the season, Higgins traveled 4,800 miles in three days while reffing three different games! In the piece, Higgins called himself a “professional traveler” and joked that the games he refs was the easy part of his job. Oh yeah, Higgins owns and operates two businesses on top of reffing.
In a roughly 5-month NCAA basketball season, most refs officiate between 70-100 games. That breaks down into up to 20 games per month! Referees make their own schedules meaning they can officiate as many (to an extent) or as few contests that they want. The only catch is that if you turn games down, you may get called less to officiate.
This makes referees independent contractors which means no benefits from the NCAA. If they hurt themselves or have to take time off from the sport, they are not compensated in any way. No pensions and definitely no health coverage if they go down on the job. Most referees use their full-time jobs as methods of retirement and health insurance and roll the dice out on the court.
Referee Pay Breakdown
While the top-tier refs make up to $2,000 for a regular-season game, their counterparts in the smaller conferences aren’t so lucky. The average salary for NCAA refs across the board is only $33,000, before taxes. It seems like a lot of hassle for that amount of money, but many in the business simply love it enough to make the sacrifices.
Referees in a small conference can still make up to $50,000 doing a better side gig than washing cars or delivering pizzas. Also, just because they aren’t playing or coaching, being assigned to a big game is a rush for the officials too.
Power conference refs – those in the ACC, Big East, SEC, Big 12, Pac 12, and Big 10 – can pull in up to $2,000 per game and free travel and hotel expenses. Their jobs are higher profile which leads to more scrutiny on the media and fans’ parts, but big time refs can’t complain about the pay.
If you are lucky enough to be selected to ref in the first three rounds of the NCAA tournament, you will get around $1,000 per game.
NCAA Regional games will get you $1,400 a game and Final Four contests are worth about $2,000.
How Much Do Other Refs Make?
NCAA Football
NCAA basketball is the second most popular college sport behind football, so you might be wondering how much their refs make. It is no secret the millions of dollars college football brings in each year, so even though their season is one third of an NCAA basketball season, the referees still do very well.
The averages are fairly similar, albeit the college football officials workload is significantly less. College football refs make between $11,000 and $300,000 per year. Newer officials in the power conferences can take home around $800 per game. Their travel and expenses are usually covered as well.
NBA Referees
The life of an NBA ref is much different than a college hoops official.
Reffing at the professional level is a full-time seven-month out of the year job. With 82-game seasons for all 30 NBA teams, not including preseason and the playoffs, an NBA referee could be on the road up to 25 days a month.
You may be thinking, “I’ll take a seven month a year job!” The NBA schedule, however, is no joke and can take a huge toll on a referee’s body.
Luckily they are compensated nicely.
An entry-level NBA official makes $600 per game and can bring home around $250,000 a year. Once you move up, your pay increases. Senior officials can make up to a half-million dollars a year! You also get ranking bonuses as a ref, based on your performances throughout the year. Essentially, if you are good at your job, you get paid more on top of your per-game salary. Read more from our NBA refs salary article.
Also Read: How to Become an NBA Referee in 9 Steps
Below are some other referee salary numbers in case you are curious:
- Major League Baseball umpires: Approximately $300,000/year
- NFL referees: Approximately $205,000/year
- NHL referees: Approximately $275,000/year
Final Thoughts
While being a referee has plenty of drawbacks – the scrutiny and harassment you can get on a nightly basis jumps out first – you are being compensated quite nicely for your troubles.
By design, referees are behind the scenes as much as possible. It makes what they do a mystery, especially in NCAA basketball. They seem to just show up out of nowhere, officiate the game, and then disappear as fast as they came. No publicity, no pre and post-game press conferences. Nothing. Hopefully you learn a bit more about their schedules and salary from this piece.
Have you ever known a big-time college or professional referee? What did they have to say about their schedules and pay? Let us know in the comments section below!
ASB History / Collegiate Basketball Association
Collegiate Basketball Association was founded in 2007. The association holds the official Russian student basketball championship. It is attended by 800 men's and women's teams from 450 universities and colleges from 71 subjects of the Russian Federation. During the season, the ASB hosts about 5,000 matches, the total number of players in the championship exceeds 10,000.
The ASB is the largest student sports league in Europe and the second in the world.
We are second only to NCAA (USA, 1,700 teams), ahead of NJCAA (USA, 750), CUBA (China, 617), NAIA (USA, 450), PCCL (Philippines, 250), CCAA (Canada, 170), RCBL ( India, 160) and AJB (Japan, 80).
The ASB Championship is included in the unified calendar plan of mass sports events of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation and the consolidated calendar plan of events of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.
Chairman of the ASB Supervisory Board - Alexander Vladimirovich Konovalov. The permanent sports director of the ASB is Sergey Aleksandrovich Belov.
SPORT COMPONENT
The ASB Championship is held in two stages from October to June. The first stage is divisional. The second is the Belov League, an all-Russian playoff with the participation of 32 best men's and women's teams.
At the first stage, teams play in divisions formed according to the territorial and competitive principles. Games are held from mid-October to the end of February with breaks for the session and winter holidays.
Each team plays at least 8-10 matches in the division.
CSB divisions are divided into two types - regional and higher.
Regional division - a group of teams from one, less often - 2-3 neighboring regions. The goal here is to attract as many students as possible to the championship, to accustom them to regular sports. To solve this problem, we removed the entry barrier: minimal financial costs, travel and accommodation costs for teams are reduced or reduced to zero by their geographical proximity, the ASB takes care of the matches. As a result, even a university without serious basketball traditions has no reason to refuse to participate in the championship.
Universities and institutes that are ready to assemble strong teams and partly finance them apply to the top divisions. As a rule, they include teams from three or more regions. This is a platform for the growth of sportsmanship.
In 2016, the VTB Student League, an elite division of the Student Basketball Association, was created with the participation of 16 of the best student teams in the country.
And in 2017, by analogy with the men's elite division, a women's division was created - the Student Superleague. In 2020, both of these tournaments were renamed the Russian Railways Student League - the flagship division with the participation of the strongest teams in the championship and permission for professional students to participate. And in the 21-22 season, teams from the regions, as well as the first foreign team, the Belarusian Tsmoki-Minsk, were allowed to participate in the Russian Railways Student League.
The second stage of the championship ASB - Liga Belov. It was named after Sergei Belov, the legendary Soviet and Russian player and coach, Olympic champion, founding father and permanent sports director of the ASB.
Belov League is the final tournament with the participation of 32 best men's and women's teams, which receive tickets directly or through a sieve of qualifications. It is played from March to June. Universities get into the LB according to the results of their performance at the divisional stage.
The Belov League is played in a playoff format, after each match the losing team is eliminated from the competition.
COMBINING SPORT WITH EDUCATION
The most important task of the CSA is to provide the most comfortable conditions for combining sports with the educational process. The league calendar takes into account periods of peak academic workload, mandatory breaks are provided for during sessions and holidays. Matches of the top divisions and the Belov League are usually held on weekends, which allows teams to travel to other cities without compromising their studies.
The league's regulations state the principle that students with academic debts are not allowed to participate in competitions. Based on this clause, individual players and entire teams were repeatedly suspended and disqualified. Today, everyone in the ASB knows that an open session means forfeiting the right to play basketball.
Digital protocols are kept for all matches of the Association.
Statistics are promptly posted on the official website. The system of formation, storage and processing of digital protocols allows you to keep a detailed history of the tournament. Each player of the Association at any time can find out the statistics of his own performances in a particular game, season or all the time in the ASB.
Based on the top divisions, game organization practices are modeled and tested, which are then extended to the entire league. In recent years, student sports and student basketball clubs have been created in a number of universities. ASB works closely with them. We help teams create attractive brands with all the necessary attributes - from naming, logos, colors and fonts to banners, mascots, musical compositions, cheerleaders and corporate merchandise with team and university symbols.
All this makes it possible to attract a new audience and form in them a sense of emotional involvement in what is happening. Thus, the league contributes to the formation and promotion of the brands of teams and universities.
EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES
We use the CBA championship as a platform for training managers, judges, statisticians, journalists, photojournalists and video makers from among students. The CRS training program is currently being implemented in offline and online modes.
Offline events include seminars and congresses. Seminars are held during the academic year on the basis of universities participating in the league. Managers of basketball student teams from several regions come to each seminar, well-known practical speakers are invited, who are able not only to analyze specific cases of organizing games in student basketball, but also to motivate, “ignite” the audience.
ADDITIONAL PROJECTS
ASB is implementing several additional projects and initiatives. Here are the most important ones.
ASB All-Star Games. Are held every year. They mean the game of the best Russian basketball students in the East-West format and the most intense show program with competitions, prizes, gifts, and performances by student support groups.
In 2015, the ASB All-Star Game in St. Petersburg attracted more than 5,000 spectators, a record figure for Russian student basketball.
ASB 3x3. 3x3 is a bright new Olympic sport that was included in the program of the Olympic Games in 2020. 3x3 is an extremely democratic format that imposes a minimum of infrastructure and inventory requirements. To date, the ASB 3x3 project is being implemented in the format of regional tournaments, the winners of which come to Moscow for the annual final. The best student teams of Russia in 3x3 basketball represent our country in international tournaments. And at the 2022 Olympics, Stanislav Sharov, a graduate of the ASB, became the silver medalist of the games as part of the Russian team.
CRS team. This is a system of training camps and classes to develop individual basketball skills for the best ASB players and all students in Russia. Camps and training camps are held during the holidays, and based on their results, a team is formed that represents the ASB at international student tournaments.
ASB Fest. The University Sports Festival was first held in Crimea in the summer of 2016 with the participation of 400 of the best players, coaches and managers of the ASB. They were offered a specially designed format that combined sports and educational components with the opportunity to take advantage of the undeniable advantages of the Crimea - excellent sea, unique climate and resort infrastructure. Participants competed in 11 disciplines with elements of the GTO, basketball, rowing, football, table tennis and other sports. Everyone could acquire important management skills in the classes of the School of Managers. But the main distinguishing feature of the fest was its atmosphere, which was formed from joint support for friends and acquaintances, enchanting endings of games, informal communication and many fun activities. It is significant that the students who visited the festival themselves launched the eloquent slogan “My best holidays!” on social networks. Summer 2019th we have already held the fourth ASB Fest in the Crimea.
OBJECTIVES AND PROSPECTS
The main goal of the ASB is to involve the maximum possible number of Russian students in regular sports and in particular basketball. Sport is an excellent tool that allows you to cultivate in a person the desire for self-improvement, the ethics of social behavior, the ability to develop methods for achieving goals. We strive to create an optimal platform for implementing creative initiatives and ideas, gaining experience and knowledge.
Goal number two is to create conditions on the basis of individual divisions and universities for improving students' sports skills. At the same time, we emphasize the priority of the educational process and the need to organize training sessions and matches without compromising academic performance.
This is how we see the Association in the future. This is a mass league that allows each student to experience not sublimated, but real feelings of struggle, excitement, euphoria without getting into extreme situations.
The best of the best at the same time can improve sportsmanship and, if desired, move into professional sports. Managers, journalists, photographers and videographers will receive their first professional skills and socialization opportunities here. Everyone, without exception, develops a powerful sense of belonging to their university, which then accompanies a person throughout his life.
"If you become a national team coach but don't want to help others, what's the point of your success?" / Student Basketball Association
Assistant head coach at Montreat College in an exclusive interview with the ASB spoke about the specifics of the American work, the development of mental strength, the responsiveness of top NCAA coaches and much more.
Daria Sharova changed her residence permit from Russia to American eight years ago and has been working as a coach in the States for five years now.
- Tell us when you moved to America and how did your career develop?
– I started playing basketball from a small town, Norilsk, back in Russia. She was in the RUDN team, and then she began to help coaches at Sparta & K, in Vidnoye. I started looking for options to go overseas, and then it was not very popular, and I had to figure everything out myself, study what, how, where. As a result, I entered Bryan College, where I played for three years, but in the last season I got injured, the coach offered me to become a Student assistant - there is such a position in the USA. After graduating, she completely went into the coaching profession. At first she wanted to work as a fitness coach, became an assistant coach in Tennessee, a strong program in the NCAA Division I. But after six months of working there, observing the work, I realized that I wanted to be a basketball coach. Finished the season, went back to my university, worked there for two years, and then got a job here in North Carolina at Montreat College.
- Your team plays in the league NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). What is the level of this tournament?
– NAIA level is very high! We have players who play for the national teams of their countries. We are in the first division, in a very strong conference, next season the guys will play three teams against the first division of the NCAA. If you compare by level, then in general the NAIA is the second division of the NCAA, but there are teams that beat the first. It must be understood that the choice of a league in America depends on various factors. Many universities decide to move to NAIA or vice versa, depending on the goals of the university. Our league is freer in terms of recruiting, we do not have a restrictive period when coaches cannot contact potential players, this gives more opportunities.
– Are there any serious organizational differences?
- No, in principle.
Of course, we will not compare with Duke, they have a completely different budget, but many universities in different divisions of the NCAA have more financial problems than we do. Of the significant differences were scholarships. NCAA I gives 12 full scholarships per team, the second division - 9. We had 7 for a long time, but now also 9. And so, halls, equipment - everything is the same. When I first arrived after Sparta & K, my jaw dropped.
– What is the fundamental difference between working as a trainer in the USA and working as a trainer in Russia?
– A lot of people don't really understand how big the work of a coach in college is, we almost don't have a free minute. We must understand that we are not only training. We have 28 girls in the program, so they come, we are fully responsible for them. For their studies, for their behavior on campus… Plus applications, scouting, recruiting… It's a never ending job. We have two coaches and student managers and assistants, the guys have three coaches.
Someone has five, and, of course, it would be easier, but, on the other hand, there are pluses: if you decide to go to the first division of the NCAA, you will be as prepared as possible.
– What is the fundamental difference in the training process?
– Our trainings have a different structure. Students have a very busy schedule and we don't like wasting time. Training is faster, we do not walk around the site at all. If the training starts at 5, then at 5 you are already ready. We just have different standards, the players know our pace of basketball.
– How often do you exercise?
- If it's pre-season, then, for example, three days a week we will have individual training or group work in the morning, and in the evening, as we say, an open gym where we give players some tasks and sometimes play 5x5. Gym and strength training three days a week, plus throwing workouts twice a week. Sometimes, if the girls come after a break in not very good shape, we additionally work on their physical condition.
The pre-season is a great time to work on the specific skills you need, separately for the guards, separately for the “big ones” ...
– Is the training process the same for boys and girls?
Absolutely. Even in the pre-season, sometimes boys come to training, to sparring. It's just that America is one big family. Although in fact we have two basketball programs, in fact - one. They are all our children. For me, the boy from the men's team is as important as my girl. And if, for example, a guy comes to an individual training and asks: “Coach, can I join?”, then always yes, of course! His success is as important to me as the success of my daughter. In principle, the same story in coaching life, everyone somehow tries to help each other, even if we play in the same conference. For example, we went to recruiting - saw each other - approached, talked. Rivalry on the court, but off the court everyone is trying to develop each other.
– About the community – is the team popular in your city? How is attendance?
- In general, basketball is the #1 sport in North Carolina, everyone has basketballs in their blood! We have a principal rival - Milligan University.
We call it "Battle of the Neighbours". And there are no tickets for a week! Issued only for students, one ticket in hand, and then you need to order in advance. And when we have double games - first girls, then guys, then by the end of our game the hall is already full! And now we have an office near the hall, and after our game I can’t sit on the podium, and I can’t even sit on the floor. (laughs) And I watch the game from the office.
- Is the college somehow involved in promoting the team, or is it just historical?
- When we took this program, we had a goal - perestroika. And one of those big challenges is building a community. And we do a lot of things: children's camps, posters of girls all over the campus ... Our city is small, there are many tourists who come to camp in the mountains, but the people who live here live a very long time. And it's just very important for them to support the team, and we try to involve them. Sometimes people can call themselves and say that they want to invite the whole team to dinner.
And it's not just us. I sometimes come for recruiting, and I have nowhere to sit! And my husband grew up in Tennessee, I love to go to their games, especially football. And I was rooting for UConn back in Russia, he re-educated me for a couple of years. And it’s cool at matches, everyone is in equipment, I myself have already become a fan. Or we have in North Carolina: half UNC, half Duke, and God forbid someone in the family is sick of the wrong people. (laughs) It's just a song, and it's very cool!
– One of your most important tasks is recruiting. How is this process organized in NAIA?
- This is the most important task in college! If it weren’t for the virus, we would now go to different tournaments, summer leagues, look after players. Whenever possible, we always watch the games, they send us videos, because we can’t always come. It's also important to build relationships with high schools so you know who you can trust and who you can't, and that coaches recommend their players.
– Do you have foreigners in the program? And are there Russians?
- We have a girl from Cameroon, guys from England and Brazil. There are no Russians in our teams, but there are in NAIA. I always, when I see Russian guys, I try to approach, offer help if it is needed. Because someone adapts easily, and someone very hard. For example, it was not easy for me, it's just a different style of basketball. So sometimes it's good to go to a two-year college just to get used to it.
– Is physical condition the main difficulty in adaptation?
- Definitely. To be honest, it's hard for me to watch Superleague-1, everything seems very slow. And here the girls are powerful, we have 50% African American, 50% white. And they are such that they will devour on the site. It's just a different system. For example, even France or Spain, they also have smart basketball, but they are still physically stronger. And here everyone knows that if you want to play in college, you have to be physically strong.
We have those who are physically unable to play sit on the bank or leave.
There was one point guard, very good in terms of skills, she would have played in Russia without any problems, but she was sitting on the bank with us. Because I just couldn't keep up. For example, we go to South Carolina, Allen University, it's every season, sorry, pain in my butt. They are all black, pressuring the whole game! And she can't handle the pressure. Everything is in the shoulder, everything is in contact, and the girls have known this since high school.
- Is it laid in children's basketball?
- I think so. They offered me here in the fall to train at the summer league, I never usually took it, because it's June. And then a friend called, offered to take the seventh grade. Well, I agreed, I had the idea to prepare local girls, so that later they would be signed when they grew up. And I made sure that this is the most important age, 11-13 years old, to teach them this manner of playing.
Indeed, often the problem is not that the girl is physically unable, she simply does not have enough skills.
A simple example. If a little girl takes two steps, then everyone is taught to jump on two legs and make hard contact. If you don't teach it at school, then it becomes a habit. And so she goes to high school or college, and there, under the basket, the players are higher. Nobody needs a lay-up: block shot, goodbye! Even the judges teach us this, and if a girl takes two steps and she is “blocked”, no one will whistle. Don't even turn around and argue. We say, well, what do you want? Stop two steps, jump out, and you will be whistled 100%! She taught my little ones a lot how to be tough. If you are under pressure, you have no balance, then goodbye.
– How do you teach them to be mentally ready to play like this?
– We are working very hard on this. There are special exercises for mental readiness. In principle, we do not have exercises that we do just to do.
We always have a goal. If it’s a throw, then you need to score so much, if you don’t score, it’s a punishment. If we divide into teams, then everyone is always in competition. Either we count by goals scored and offensive rebounds, or by stoppages in defense, the losers are punished. And they are so messy with each other!
One of our most favorite exercises, which the girls hate: two teams 5x5, exercise - 3 minutes. You line them up: offense-defense-attack-defense. They make passes to the shield and, at the signal of the coach, begin the attack. This exercise is for defense. If they scored, then the timer is unscrewed again for three minutes, we start again. Scored? Three minutes. Have you scored yet? Three minutes. If the protection stopped, then time stops, then we continue. If we crossed in a minute, then we return it when it is scored for two minutes, then for one. And so - until we finish. It's insanely difficult, and the defense girls work hard! There is a theory that batting three times in a row on defense can turn the game around.
And we want to teach them how to defend in a row. And this exercise can take 40 minutes! We try not to keep them in the hall for more than two hours, but if we started to do this, then until they finish, we will not leave the hall.
Or there is a closeout drill: attackers in the corners, defense on a signal from the center, at a frantic pace, this works great for communication too, some went into defense, the next are ready, and there the fight is crazy, I love it very much!
- How long does it take to play just a 5v5 game from practice?
- We play for the last 20 minutes, but very rarely play 5x5 without any goal. Because the collective farm begins. As an example, sometimes we play 5x5, the girls themselves collect timeouts and decide everything, so they can show their leadership qualities. And we are with Tim act as referee and we can decide to whistle every touch because there will be a goal to prepare them mentally for that. See how they will cope when there was no foul and I whistled.
And if the girls start something like: “Yes, coach, why are you helping her?” Then everyone immediately runs, we don’t deal with such conversations. We can, for example, decide to whistle offensive fouls. Someone starts to argue, but if you do this in the game, you will sit on the bank! We can give a game when the starting five have "-5" or "-10", put them in game situations.
- In one of your speeches recently, you talked a lot about communication, about how you devote a lot of time to this issue in a team. Why, in your opinion, is it important to work on this so much, and why do many players in Russia have communication problems?
- We work very hard on communication, it's true. We have such a rule - one said, everyone repeated, everyone! And we in Russia, firstly, have such a mentality that our people are open, but closed. We love to judge. Like, Vanya is loud, Vanya is a fool. For the first two years in America, I also got used to it, it happens that people come and greet me, and I think: “What are you saying hello to me? I do not even know you!".
(laughs) This barrier has to be overcome.
And secondly, our coaches simply do not teach this. It is our responsibility to educate the players. Girls come different, they are from 18 to 24, they are from different families, different states, grew up in different conditions. How can I expect her to immediately be able to do everything I say, if she is not used to it, if she was not taught at school, mom and dad were not taught? My job as a coach is to teach her and it's not easy. We have a point guard, Taylor, when she came in the first year ... She runs and whispers a combination there. We tell the girls that at the game, sometimes we don’t hear ourselves! Here you are buzzing something, it’s not like the player is nearby, you won’t hear yourself! But they don’t teach us, my brother played in the SDUSHOR, they didn’t teach him. So where do the players and at home behave there!
A simple example. There is a girl, the first year, she broke up with a guy. We bring her to the office, we have a sofa there, she sits down, her eyes on the floor.
We ask what happened, and she tells us nothing. This is the first drama on campus and she can't even talk about it. They tell me, well, they say, Russian children just sit in computers. Everyone is sitting! This is such a generation, and they need to be put in situations so that they get used to hearing their own voice. Then they grow up, family, children, the husband did something unpleasant, and she will never tell, because she is not used to it!
– Do coaches have many opportunities for development? How is the training process for specialists structured?
– We have a lot of seminars. When COVID-19 started, everyone started doing free seminars, and generally for everything: basketball, leadership, seminars for assists... And coaches who work at the top level are always ready to help a young coach, they are always happy! Nothing is hidden here. Russian coaches tell me that in Russia it is very difficult to get to training. Now, if there were no quarantine now and I would want to go to training in Tennessee, I would write to the coach now, and she would answer: “Okay, come tomorrow.
”
Or another example, it happened just recently. Kelly Graves is one of the nation's top professionals, an Oregon coach who should have won the women's championship this year. We had a seminar with him, and he gave his number, they say, if you need anything, write. After the seminar, I think they won’t take money from me, I’ll write. And I don't think he will. 40 minutes have passed, I have already decided that I will not write. And then we texted all evening! And he didn’t just unsubscribe to me for show, we discussed it, he sent the video, then he wrote, they say, thanks for the communication, good luck, happiness and all that. And this once again proved to me that people of high status do not have this ego here. And when someone calls me from Russia, I will always help, to find a child or something else, because I know how difficult this path is, no one helped me. And we have this ego in Russia.
I was born in Norilsk, I know that people from small towns often do not have the opportunity, and how can you not help if you have such an opportunity? And here everyone is open, this is a real community where everyone is together.
I realized this after a while, and my life has completely changed. Everyone here says they're in the same boat.
– Can you single out the top coaches with whom you had the opportunity to communicate and whose thoughts especially influenced you?
– Gino Orimma . I have been a fan of his since Russian times, and once I was lucky enough to talk to him. Do you know the song Tim McGraw "Humble and kind"? Should be our anthem in Russia. (laughs) There is a phrase in this song that once you reach your goal, don't forget to turn around and help the next one behind you. And when I talked with Gino, I was convinced of this. For 4 years on recruiting, I saw almost all the coaches, but I never crossed paths with Orimma, and then one day in Charlotte, in an old such hall, at a small tournament, I go in - there are Gino Orimma . I write to my head coach: "Tim, Gino Orimma in the gym.
" Tim writes: "Come!". I say: “What am I going to go like a fool, he is recruiting, I am recruiting.” In short, it didn't fit. As a fan, I'm afraid of being pushy. And at recruiting there is a room for a coffee break for trainers. And I go in, and there is only him. It was a sign from above. (laughs) I approached, they say, hello, coach Orimma, I am such and such ... And so we talked for 20 minutes, and I had the feeling that I was talking with my grandfather. He is very open, very friendly, always with a smile, he asked me so many questions: where am I from, how is it in Russia, what do I do ...
After this conversation, I told Tim that one day when I am successful, I will always remember to be down to earth. This is one of the biggest life lessons. Each person has their own path, and it is special. My path is no better than yours. If I work in America, this does not mean that I should not respect the young Russian coach. We all have a story, we all have something to share. My story is special, yours is special, and you have to stay humble and simple.
If you become a national team coach, but don't want to help others, then what is the point of your success? Do you think that you are better than some young coach from Syktyvkar? Yes, we have so many chic coaches from the outback who simply did not have the opportunity to prove themselves and rise!
I also have a good friend, one of the top personal trainers. And so he made it clear to me that no matter what level you work at, you will have emotional burnout, and this is normal. Last summer I had some kind of severe fatigue, we worked at the camp, and in the last days I told him: “Listen, I can’t anymore. But you work with top NBA players, have you ever felt that? Do you know what he answered me? "Dasha, every day!" And he earns a lot, a very cool specialist! Then in March I applied for an assist position in the first division, they didn’t take me. I sit upset, writing to my other coach friend. He says: "Dasha, be patient." But I can’t already, I ask if he had ever had enough of everything? The answer is the same: every day.
- Does the head coach in Montriit support your desire to move to the first division?
– Tim? Yes, he always supports. Coaches who don't support assists are not respected here. And they don't want to work with them. They say they want to train their assists so that they can go to the NCAA Division I or become the main one. And I am very grateful to Tim that we have such an open relationship, I always tell him if I submit something, and his support is always important.
- In the ASB, the championship structure is now much like NCAA. And everyone has blue dreams to reach a similar level. It is clear that it is too early to talk about this, but if you dream - what is missing, in your opinion, and what is quite feasible?
- I generally follow the CSA, they are great. They started when I was still living in Russia, and now there are already many divisions, a national tournament ... It seems to me that the problem is not even in the ASB, but in the system.
