I Joined the Dark Side

A Proactive Coaching podcast interview with Mike Cashman — longtime high school basketball coach and Division I assistant who became a basketball official and officials-association leader — hosted by Bruce Brown. Topics covered: how and why he became an official; the national shortage of officials and the verbal abuse driving young officials away; building relationships between coaches and officials (the Norm Lowry Coach of the Year Award and the preseason coaches' social); what makes a great official (communication, preventative officiating, angles, humility, and humor); advice for coaches from an official's perspective (pick your battles, learn the rule book) and for officials from a coach's perspective (learn what teams are running); recruiting the next generation of officials; the playing-time policy that stops parents from yelling at refs; memorable officiating stories; and the story of Scott — the player who called him a liar — and the trust lesson that changed his coaching.