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March 15, 2007 | Issue 4-16

FISHERS, Ind.--For 19 seasons Bill Arkoff has officiated the action on basketball courts from grade schools to the Indiana high school state tournament. He says the secret to a long and successful career as a hoops referee is having a consistent whistle and harboring extreme grudges against coaches, players or entire communities.

Arkoff said his years on the court have brought him an abundance of basketball knowledge and a feel for the game’s intricacies. The 44-year-old ref believes the grudges acquired in those are key to calling and managing game effectively.

“You really need someone to dislike at every game,” said Arkoff. “It can be a coach or a player that complained about a call in the past, or you can just simply despise an entire town of people.” The Fishers, Ind., referee says some calls would simply be too difficult if you didn’t have an interest one way or the other.

Long-time friend and fellow official Joel Marker echoes Arkoff’s outlook on how to successfully maintain a career as an official. “You really need to be patient with your whistle and manage the game,” said Marker. “You have to keep these things on your mind before you blow that whistle: Did that affect the outcome of the play? Did I call that on the other end? Is this a player I really hate?”

Arkoff recalls a collision under the basket in a game last year. “It could have gone as a foul on the defense or a charge on the offense. Since I had prepared well for the game, I knew to immediately call the offensive foul because that team’s coach is a real jerk.”

The Indiana Officials Association, of which Arkoff is a member, advises officials to hold grudges against at least 15 to 20 players and coaches to make on-court decisions easier and help the overall flow of games.

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