Wichita Eagle Logo

You make the call | The Wichita Eagle

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • Archives
    • Buy Photos and Pages
    • Contact Us
    • Eagle+ Sign In
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Newsletters
    • Newspaper in Education
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Services
    • About Us

    • News
    • Crime & Courts
    • Local
    • Databases
    • Education
    • Lottery
    • Nation & World
    • Politics
    • Special Projects
    • Weather
    • Weird News
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Finger on the Weather
    • Prairie Politics
    • Sports
    • Wichita State
    • Varsity Kansas
    • Chiefs
    • K-State
    • Kansas
    • Outdoors
    • Royals
    • State Colleges
    • Wingnuts
    • NBC baseball
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Bob Lutz
    • Jayhawk Dispatch
    • K-Stated
    • Lutz Blog
    • Michael Pearce
    • Shockwaves
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • Business
    • Agribusiness
    • Aviation
    • Banking
    • Health Care
    • Small Business
    • Forward Wichita
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Air Capital Insider
    • Business Casual
    • Business Perspectives
    • Carrie Rengers
    • Living
    • Celebrations
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Fitness
    • Home & Garden
    • Pets
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Suzanne Tobias
    • Entertainment
    • The Arts
    • Books
    • Celebrities
    • Comics
    • Games & Puzzles
    • Horoscopes
    • Restaurants
    • Events
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Dining with Denise
    • Movie Maniac
    • Keeper of the Plans
    • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters
    • Opinion Columns
    • Submit a Letter
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Richard Crowson
    • Kirk Seminoff's Pivot Point
  • Obituaries

    • Classifieds
    • Auctions/Estate Sales
    • Garage Sales
    • Jobs
    • Legal Notices
    • Merchandise
    • Pets
    • Service Directory
    • Place An Ad
    • Merchandise
    • Jobs
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Apartments
    • Other Categories
    • Classified Support Center
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Mobile & Apps

News Columns & Blogs

You make the call

Paul Suellentrop

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 12, 2013 11:55 PM

Officials need to be flawless in the final minute. The first 39 minutes matter. The final one matters most.

That is the message from the Missouri Valley Conference after disciplining referee Rick Randall for his performance in last week’s Wichita State game against Southern Illinois. Randall made a goal-tending call in the final seconds that gave SIU a 64-62 win.“This particular disciplinary action was based more on the overall performance in the game by the official and NOT about a specific call,” MVC commissioner Doug Elgin wrote in an e-mail. “There has to be an understanding of game situation in making calls.  We particularly strive to be accurate in calls in the final moments of games – that way, the players ultimately decide the outcome of games.”The second part of that statement is more important than the first. The call Randall made was incorrect, but forgivable when seen in real time. The bigger issue is the timing – the final seconds of a close game. In that situation, the disciplinary action says, the violation can’t be a open for debate. It’s got to be obvious. Two other two officials seemed happy to let Ehimen Orukpe block the shot and send the game to overtime.“Good officials are those who take into consideration game situations when making calls,” Elgin said. “Using judgment and good common sense is required in those situations.”Let’s pause here for the disclaimers.

1) Randall may well be a good official who had a bad night. I’m not qualified to judge. I know he’s done NCAA Tournament games. This season, he worked MVC, Big 12 and Mountain West games, all of which suggests a high level of competence. I don’t pay great attention to referees, which WSU coach Gregg Marshall says makes me foolish and naive, and he may be right. I see referees as largely neutral forces, some of whom are better at their jobs than others and  subject to human emotions. Marshall, whose job depends on how those referees work, sees things somewhat differently. 2) If WSU plays better for the first 39 minutes against SIU, that situation never happens. 3) Elgin points out officials are human – capable of mistakes just as players and coaches are – and that most of their calls are correct.

While we don’t know how often officials are disciplined (the MVC rarely makes it public), you can be sure that Elgin and coordinator of officials Eddie Jackson exchange plenty of calls and texts from coaches and administrators at all 10 MVC schools. Ultimately, it is Jackson who judges an official’s performance.“Eddie watches every game and every play,” Elgin said. “There’s a lot of evaluation. There’s a lot of education when things aren’t handled right.”Elgin has a lot of high-profile history with WSU and officiating. He was at SIU Arena that night. Neither  item caused the disciplinary action, he said. Neither did WSU’s national ranking. Had Drake’s Seth VanDeest goal-tended that shot, the reaction remains the same, Elgin said.“Every game is important to the two teams that are in it,” he said.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Wichita Eagle

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

  Comments  

Videos

Last remaining speaker of the Wichita language dies at 89

VIDEO: Speaking the language

View More Video

Trending Stories

A Wichita business is ceasing operations after almost 120 years

February 21, 2019 05:47 PM

Dean Wade, Kamau Stokes miss K-State basketball practice with nagging injuries

February 21, 2019 04:10 PM

National Margarita Day is on Friday, and Wichita restaurants have salt-rimmed specials

February 21, 2019 05:01 AM

Wichita restaurant hires new chef, takes another pass at getting its food menu right

February 22, 2019 05:01 AM

K-State Q&A: Barry Brown, Bruce Weber, Chris Klieman and the Big 12 title race

February 22, 2019 08:10 AM

Read Next

KU's next NCAA opponent will have a priest on its bench. Meet Father John.

Mens Basketball

KU's next NCAA opponent will have a priest on its bench. Meet Father John.

By Dion Lefler

    ORDER REPRINT →

March 16, 2018 02:36 PM

Meet Father John Dennehy, the university and athletic team chaplain at Seton Hall, who will be on the bench Saturday when the team faces the Kansas Jayhawks.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Wichita Eagle

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE NEWS COLUMNS & BLOGS

Beatles love conquers 3 generations and counting

News Columns & Blogs

Beatles love conquers 3 generations and counting

July 13, 2017 06:45 PM
We’re not just Kansans, not just Americans

News Columns & Blogs

We’re not just Kansans, not just Americans

July 04, 2017 07:22 AM
Swimming with penguins in Kansas? Yeah, I did that.

News Columns & Blogs

Swimming with penguins in Kansas? Yeah, I did that.

July 03, 2017 01:55 PM
By the numbers: Bill Self’s Hall of Fame coaching career

The Story of Kansas

By the numbers: Bill Self’s Hall of Fame coaching career

April 01, 2017 12:32 PM
Tips for thwarting cybercrime

Crime & Courts

Tips for thwarting cybercrime

September 23, 2016 12:58 PM
BBB: Beware unscrupulous home security system pitches

News Columns & Blogs

BBB: Beware unscrupulous home security system pitches

June 03, 2016 08:56 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
Advertising
  • Information
  • Digital Advertising
  • Rates
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story