As the start of high school basketball season approaches – the college and the pro games are already under way – I couldn’t help thinking about all those basketball referees and the inherent abuses the sport brings upon them.

High school hoops are big business in Maine. Just ask any other basketball operation, which attempts to compete with high school basketball, and you’re likely to hear just how popular the interscholastic game really is.

I learned firsthand about that type of competition when I ran the old CBA franchise, the Maine Lumberjacks.

Our average-sized home crowd of 800 or so folks ran head-to-head with the local high school game. Oh, occasionally we drew more than the aforementioned figure, but most nights, it was the high school hoops which outdrew us.

In Maine, all these games are officiated by certified, IAABO officials.

Thoughts today turn to the men and women who diligently go about the business of arbitrating all this basketball.

Appreciation of game officials is something that often goes by the boards.

As we head into another season of high school play, any participants in the aforementioned proceedings should pause to appreciate the work these people with the whistles do.

Consider this if you are a player or a coach.

Crowd mood and the subsequent noise which develops are usually proportional to two things.

First of all, play of the teams or individual performance affects the crowd.

The other variable which affects the people in attendance is the number of calls made by the referees which can help one team or the other.

Let’s break that variable down even further, shall we?

There are two important components to reaction by the crowd in attendance to officiating.

First of all, there are the coaches.

If I had to point to one crowd barometer for behavior in the high school gym, I would point directly at head coaches.

Why, you’re asking?

It’s simple, really.

Coaches are watched as closely as players sometimes, and the inherent danger in all I is that coaches’ behavior can change a crowd reaction to a questionable call.

Problem is, most people in the stands fail to understand the nuances of the game the way officials do. Let’s face it. These men and women are trained officials. Most spectators would flunk a written referee’s exam, to say nothing of the mechanics of the game on the floor.

Next up are the players.

Their reactions to calls by the men and the women in striped shirts also can change crowd reaction to a call.

I blame coaches for poor player conduct at games. People in the bleachers are watching how coaches and their teams react, and the end result is often not pretty.

As we approach another season of high school basketball in our state, keep in mind how important the game officials are.

A smoothly run contest is usually the direct result of good officiating. Consider that, then consider how difficult it would be to chase 10 teenagers up and down an 84-foot piece of hardwood and keep the proceedings under control.

BDN columnist Ron Brown, a retired high school basketball coach, can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net