Introducing new contributor Nate Cearley, who you’ll get to know very well. Congrats to him, as he has been part of the NBA Grassroots program for 2 years, and has just been accepted and elevated to the Elite portion of the program, which is a step away from entering the G League. Aside from that, he is a Division 2 College Basketball Official, as well as a Division 2 College Football Official. In this 2 part series, he discusses his progression from his first year in the game of officiating, to the present point, as well as great information for new officials to focus on when you are early in your development. Part 1 includes his first two years in the game, as well as his mentors who have helped him get to this point, as well as some tips on what officials should master from the onset. Without further ado, Nate:
Year 1 (2015-16)
I grew up in a small town called Sublette, Kansas with a population of maybe 1,400. No stop lights, no fast food, nothing but a gym and ballfields. I played 4 sports in high school and loved being active in those. Unfortunately, I was not able to play a sport in college, which I was fine with, so I chose to attend my favorite place on Earth, Kansas State University.
On my first day of my freshman year, I got a call from Brett Holloway, who is from my hometown, just 6 years older than I am. He said, “Hey, what are you doing Friday?” Me, not knowing what even my next meal was going to be, I replied: “I don’t know, what’s up?” “I need you to be my umpire on Friday night” “Umpire? It’s August, don’t umpires work baseball?”
So, I got my start that way and took it and ran with it. From there, I got into contact with Armando Espinoza and Tyler Burroughs who are the co-coordinators of the Intramural Program at Kansas State. I’ll get to the importance of those two guys in a bit. I worked a year Varsity HS Football and a semester of flag football and attended Texas A&M University for a regional tournament and worked a championship game at that regional.
That following January, Intramural Basketball began, and I didn’t know a dang thing about what I was doing. However, I made it seem like I did with confidence and strong signals. Armando and Tyler got with me and started honing in on developing solid fundamentals and eventually sent me to the Nebraska regional. It was at this regional that an instructor, Jason Gant, informed me that I should try and take this “refereeing thing” as far as I can take it, and even mentioned I could be an NBA ref. This was my first experience where I realized that if I took this seriously, I could potentially make a living out of this “referee thing.” I finished #3 at that tournament and earned a bid to the National Tournament at [the] Ohio State University.
I was the only Freshman at the National Tournament that year, which was a cool honor, but this was my first experience working with more advanced referees than I had up to this point in my short stint as a Referee. I became obsessed with wanting to be the best after just missing out on being named All-American. This was the turning point of my dedication to be a REAL referee. Additionally, my dad traveled with me to Columbus and this was the first time that he saw me in action. That was a special bonding trip and experience with my father and would prove to him that I was passionate about refereeing and that it was not just a hobby but rather a pursuit.
That summer I went to my first HS hiring camp and picked up a full varsity schedule at age 19. The next weekend I attended my first College Men’s camp and got hired into the KCAC and KJCCC, NAIA and Juco conferences in Kansas at age 19.
Year 2 (2016-17)
Second year of HS Varsity football. Moved positions to Line Judge, and this is where I learned how to develop my communication skills. As a line of scrimmage guy, I can’t just give a coach an explanation and run away. I must effectively communicate what the ruling is, why we ruled what we did, and even communicate what others see to the coach even if it is on the other side of the field. We use radio communication headsets so that makes that a bit easier getting the information. But, unlike in basketball, we can’t just run away or rotate away from a coach that is being unreasonable or riding my tail. That was my first taste of how to really communicate with coaches and I am glad that my mentors Tyler and Armando suggested that I move positions. That was very beneficial to my development.
We worked a state quarterfinal that year, as well, my first postseason game, in Troy, KS. Won’t ever forget that brisk night in the middle of nowhere!
I then attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for a regional flag football tournament. I was named the #1 overall Referee at the tournament and earned a bid to the National Flag Football Tournament in Pensacola, FL. At Nationals, I once again finished just outside the top 10 and was NOT named an All-American. I was done with giving instructors, evaluators, and decision-makers ammunition to keep me from achieving the goals I had set out for myself. This was another turning point in my development as a referee. I had depended on my TALENT over my WORK ETHIC for too long, and it cost me a chance at being named an All-American. This is the time where I bought in and became process-oriented.
First full year in HS Varsity Basketball as well. Being the “new young guy” on the block, I was paired with exclusively veteran referees that were established in the state. Thankfully, having that experience as a line of scrimmage football referee taught me lessons in effective communication, so when coaches came after me, I had answers. They may not have always agreed (and still don’t for the most part), but I listened attentively and responded appropriately. My hard work paid off, and I refereed a full 3A sub-state postseason tournament, including the Girls 3A Sub-State Championship Game at 19.
I finished my first season in College Basketball working 11 KCAC JV games. This gave me repetition with college rules, shot clocks, and rotations without being completely thrown into the fire. I wanted to work the actual KCAC conference games, but the assignor knew I wasn’t ready, even though I thought I was. In hindsight, I am thankful for his knowledge of where I was at that point in my referee ability. That instilled a hunger within me to get after it and work conference games the next year.
I went to the University of Illinois-Champaign for a NIRSA Regional Tournament in February 2017. Having been to a regional tournament before and finishing #3 the year prior, I wanted to show that I improved significantly. I ended up working the Men’s Club Championship game and was named #1 overall referee at the tournament. That earned me a second-straight trip to the National Tournament at [the] Ohio State University.
Just as I mentioned about the Regional, I had been to the National Tournament before. The goal remained the same: show the instructors and evaluators that I had improved significantly. JB Caldwell, the lead scout for the NBA Scouting Team, was the keynote speaker at the tournament and he began the weekend with his keynote speech. I had vague aspirations toward becoming an NBA Referee, but after listening to his speech and jotting down nearly 3 full pages of notes, I knew what my new goal was: I want to become an NBA Referee. What I did not know, is that Nelson Santiago, an instructor at the tournament (and North Carolina State Intramural Coordinator), was paying attention to how attentive I was and admired that I was transcribing nearly the entire speech that Mr. Caldwell was giving. That told Nelson that I had the passion, the drive, and the want-to to be great. He became my mentor and go-to-guy with all things refereeing, and he still is to this day. I am forever grateful to have run into him at this tournament. I ended the National Tournament as the #1 Referee and was named an All-American Referee, becoming just the second All-American in Kansas State Intramural history.
NATE’S MENTORS: the list is growing by the day, but
everyone has their go-to-guys
- Nelson Santiago – D1 and G League
- Dannica Mosher – G League
- Armando Espinoza – Division II Football and Juco Basketball, Boss
- Tyler Burroughs – Division II Football + Basketball, Boss
- JB Caldwell – NBA Scout
- Mark Lindsay – NBA Referee
These six really have developed me more than any other people I have come into contact within the referee world. I can send plays, watch and study film, and ask questions to any of these six and I am so thankful for their role in my development. These people teach me how to be an effective mentor to younger referees, as well. It is vital for my development to have these people in my back pocket and know that anything I need I can contact them at the drop of a hat. Their knowledge is so much deeper than I can comprehend. I am not the referee I am today without listening to each word these six have to offer me. I tell people all the time: “I’m not a great referee, I just have great teachers.”
Leading from Behind – what this means for young referees + JEALOUSY!
An important concept for young referees to master: When young referees “arrive,” or become more prominent in leagues with established veterans, there is some hostility and judgment, and that is natural. Some get jealous of a younger referee being provided opportunities that they did not earn or get until much later in their careers. That is why I go back to what I mentioned in the podcast: everyone’s path is different. We cannot latch onto the age or the gender of a referee to determine their worth or ability. So, instead of firing back at these jealous comments or judgments from those within the referee world, it is important for young referees to “lead from behind.” What I mean by that is to:
- Carry Your Weight – don’t be a liability on the court/field and have your partners think that they will have to carry you or compensate for your limitations. Be prepared to take care of your pre-game, during-game, and post-game responsibilities without the veterans having to hold your hand to do so.
- Ask Questions – especially with established, seasoned veterans, sometimes a pre-game is not important to them. Bring an iPad with you and have some clips to show them and ask questions like “how would you rule on this play? Who’s primary is this? What are your thoughts on X, Y, Z?” This way you are creating dialogue and figuring out how your partners work the game so that you can adjust to their personalities. We get on the same page before we ever throw the ball up. This gives off the impression that you are genuinely interested in learning from the veterans rather than pretending that you have all the answers.
Part 2, Next Week.
Until tomorrow.
