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Message: [QUOTE="YKCornelius, post: 5312113, member: 9864"] Well, I do not share the opinion that all of the refs in the WNBA are incompetent. Take Maj Forsberg for instance, who not only has refereed numerous WNBA Finals and NCAA Final Fours, she also has worked bunches of FIBA tournaments - including several World Cups - and even the Olympics. IMO, Maj is the best woman referee in the US basketball environment, and one of the best in the world. That said, if she is paired up with two weak officials, it might be hard for some to differentiate amongst the crew as a whole. IMO, the issue is lack of consistency - as many coaches and fans continue to rail about. Not only how games are officiated from one game to the next, but also inside the three man crews that are often a mixture of experienced and less-experienced refs. The WNBA can't just fire all of the refs midway through the season, so I am curious to understand what folks think should be done for the way forward. IMO, a two pronged approach from the Commissioner's office is needed - one for the short-term and another for the long-term. The short-term involves, as mentioned previously, a communique to the cadre of head referees, spelling out expectations for the rest of the season. The easiest expectation to convey is to start calling freedom of movement violations - these are obvious and have been called at every level of WBB, from grade school to the pros. Also, immediately add a rule change that allows an additional 2-3 challenges per game (or two per half). It won't lengthen the game noticeably, and will give the appearance that the league office is committed to getting the calls right. At the same time, the extra challenges will act as teaching moments in the game amongst the three-person crew, thereby shaping better officiating. The long-term approach requires better planning, better pay (to include incentives for better performance - however measured), and training events for crews to work on working together consistently. I haven't done a deep dive into the WNBA referees this year, but I can attest that LAST season there were at least a dozen refs who worked the NCAA D-I tournament as well as WNBA postseason. I would contend that professional referees need transition time to adapt from from one construct (NCAA or FIBA) to the next (WNBA). Just like the players need pre-season practices to get in sync with their new teammates, the refs would/should benefit from the same. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach