College basketball Official Ed Hightower talks EXCLUSIVELY With Spartan and Answers Some of your Email Questions…
Q: Is it hard sometimes not to shake your head when you see some of the athleticism that you get to watch from three feet away?
A: Let me tell you, you hit it on the nose. I’m a fan of the game. When I’m out there on the floor and I see a coach make a great coaching move, and change the order of the game just by that strategic move at that moment I say, Wow great move. Switch from a zone to a man-to-man and back. Or switch one player to another one who happened to be lighting it up that night. I say, Man what a great move. And when I see a player shutdown an offensive player in great defense, and he’s defensing that kid’s butt off for 4 seconds and getting close to a 5 second I say, Wow what great defense. Or a great athletic move on offense. Yes, I’m a fan of the game. Yes, I enjoy it. But then I have to realize I have to go back to work and make sure that I don’t get caught up in the game.
Q: I would like to see Conferences step up and pay officials more and have them work less games. As an official would you like to see that?
A: I would love something like that. Bob Knight…you talk about a Tom Izzo and Jud Heathcote, way back then when I broke into it years ago, they were advocates of it then. I know that they’re out there. I say keep pounding that. I think it should be. And I think you’re seeing a move toward that regionalization. I know that Commissioner Delany has pushed for regionalization with officials so they’re not traveling all over the country. I work in the Big East. I’ve cut back on my schedule. I’m cut my two Conferences basically. I used to do a lot of games in the Big 12. I now work primarily in the Big 10 as my #1 Conference, Big East. Many of the Big East schools are in the Midwest…Marquette, DePaul, Notre Dame, Louisville, Cincinnati. I’m right there close by in the Midwest. Now I do make a couple trips out east, but primarily I’m in the Midwest. Every now and then I will take a game out in the Mount West or something like that, but that’s not my normal Conference. So I would welcome something like that. And I think you talk to other officials, many of the other officials, they would feel the same way. So keep pounding that practice that you have there.
Q: Interesting question from a fan: How much does the crowd’s booing or heckling even matter? Or do they do it so much it really just goes in one ear and out the other?
A: Excellent question. When you become a veteran like I am, you’re unmoved by that. Here’s the thing…the greatest compliment to an official is when the coach wants that official on the road. Why? Because in the Big 10 you have 15-16,000 people at every game in the Big 10. There’s a sellout so you’ve got that atmosphere. But let me be clear… That Izzone, that’s a special group of young people out there. They like to have fun and certainly they do make a difference when they get that auditorium, that gymnasium rocking and rolling. The enthusiasm is loud. But please believe me, it does not impact when a Steve Welmer’s doing a game and a Jim Burr’s doing a game. When those veterans… It’s unmoved. Again, you’re getting the young kids who are breaking in, that’s where you have to tell them don’t get caught up in this emotion. Let it go. You’ll see a veteran at times go to a first or second year official when that first or second year official makes that tough call and the crowd starts booing and all, you’ll see it alot of times where that veteran official will go to the younger official during the right time, timeout, and say, Let it go. Keep your head up. Just don’t get caught up in the emotion. It too shall pass. But is it good for basketball? Yes, it is. It’s a great, great sixth man. And that sixth man is very, very special when you go into a Michigan State and other universities.
Q: Another question from a fan: I teach my players that I coach to keep their mouth shut if there’s a problem with a call by an official. I’ve never seen an official change his call because a coach screamed and yelled at him. Am I wrong? Can a coach’s arguing change a call? Have you ever changed a call?
A: That’s a great question and there’s a lot of truth to what he’s saying. No. This nonsense about officials making up calls...no, you don’t make up a call. Here’s what can happen. It’s a great thing that the legendary Dean Smith taught his players when he coached at Carolina. Those players knew every official, every official when they walked out there. Coach Smith would always say, Mr. Hightower, it’s good to have you here tonight. His players would address you as Mr. Hightower, for example. But you don’t catch very many coaches, there are very few coaches, as a matter of fact there are not any in the Big 10, that you will see their players get out of hand and want to argue with the officials. That’s a coach’s job. The coach will argue and then it’s up to the official to say, I’ve had enough and we’re gonna play on now. But let me be clear. An official who cannot tolerate some criticism from a coach, then that official has problems. We are not right all of the time. I had a play, it was with Michigan State, it was on a goal tend and I knew I was 100% right on that call. And I’ll be dadgummit, I got back to my office the next day and the first thing I did was pop that DVD in, and dadgummit, I missed that call. But I thought at the time that I was 100% right and Izzo… He didn’t go nuts on me but he said, I think you missed that call. Now if I turn around and say, You know I’m right. I didn’t miss that call. All I’ve got to say is, Coach I’ll take a look at it. Coaches respect that and they will accept that. They may not like it at the time but they will accept that. That’s what we have to be about. We’re not always right. Accept the fact that you’re gonna get criticized at times out there on the floor, move on and then if the coach wants to stay with that griping and crying, then it’s up to you to deal with it after the fact.
Q: I just want to say thanks. I hope this hasn’t been too bad an experience.
A: It’s been a great experience, Hondo. Anytime you want me on your show you give me a call, we’ll set it up and we’ll do it again. Okay?
Q: Thank you, Mr. Hightower.
A: You’re kind and I’ll see you during the season.
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