Basketball games require a good referee, especially when it comes to upper levels of play, such as high school. Officiating is sometimes a factor in how a game may play out, especially in a close game when every reach-in-foul and traveling call could alter the game’s outcome. For this reason, referees like Mike Peters are essential.
Peters recently refereed the KHS vs. Webster girls’ JV basketball game, with the KHS girls’ team topping the Statesmen.
“I started off doing CYC for about two years. Then I got into high school, and I have been doing high school for seven years now, boys and girls,” Peters said.
Peters is usually scheduled for 7 p.m. varsity games, however at times his assigner will give him a 4 p.m. game at a near y high school. Peters also owns his owns business and referees in his spare time just for the love of the game.
Any ambitions Peters had of becoming the next Larry Bird were crushed after he was cut from the ninth grade basketball team.
“I was too short,” Peters said. “But I still enjoy watching athletes play and I still like basketball even though I got cut.”
Despite his love for the game, he admits that the worst part of his job is watching bad basketball and according to him there is a lot of it. Yet, just like players have bad games so do referees.
“There’s just some days where you just don’t see the travels as sharp and you call a bad game and make some bad calls and believe me, I have,” Peters said. “Sometimes I blow the whistle and I say I wish I could have that one back, and, luckily, I maybe only have one [bad game] a year.”
Peters said even when he makes questionable calls most fans are pretty respectful. However, he believes that catholic schools’ parents are worse on this matter than public school parents. Peters says he does not let any criticism get to him though.
“We just have to have a thick skin.”
