the journey

I grew up on a small town farm in west Texas where few people knew, or even cared, about professional basketball. I played basketball as a kid and quickly grew a love for the game. My career as a player ended on the final buzzer as a senior in my last high school game and by the fall of that year I began officiating.

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I started out officiating junior high basketball in late 1988 while in college. Junior high games quickly led to sub-varsity and then varsity high school games.  By the fall of 1994 I had moved on to officiating in the CBA, (now the G-League). I also got married to the love-of-my-life in '94, and by '95 we had two kids. Life was busy.

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Early life as a ref was fun, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a grind.  My wife worked as a full-time educator and I worked full-time jobs at places like Home Depot.  Thankfully, that flexibility allowed us to make enough money to pay the bills and also provided the opportunity for me to continue to follow my passion of becoming a professional referee. 

At the time, most referees were hired into the NBA within the first 4 years of working in the CBA. By the end of my 3rd season I hadn't made any progress. My wife and I sat down and decided I'd stick it out one more season. If nothing happened by the end of my 4th year then I would say "thank you" and move on to focus on a different career.

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At the end of my 4th year in the CBA I was selected to work the CBA Playoffs and also got hired to work in the WNBA that summer. I was making some progress. Not much, but it was something. We decided we'd give it another year. At the end of my 5th season, I was selected to work both the CBA and WNBA Finals.

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Okay, another step forward but we still weren't sure if I'd ever make it to the big show. Guys were getting hired into the NBA out of college and they weren't showing me much love. Again, in most cases, if you didn't make it to the NBA after 4 years in the CBA, you probably weren't going to make it.

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Here I was in my 6th, and decidedly, final season in the CBA. If I didn't make it this year I was going to do something else. Life at home was tough on my wife and kids - I was traveling a lot and not making much money. 

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After 6 seasons in the CBA and 3 in the WNBA I remember getting the call, I had finally made it.  Now, 22 years, 1,100 games, two All-Star Games, 94 Playoff games, 6 Finals, and 3 years as Vice President of Referee Operations, a successful career in the NBA had come and gone.

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I didn't have access to mentors in the NBA until I made it to the NBA. But man, I wish I did. The value I received being able to reach out and ask questions to NBA guys like Steve Javie, Bob Delaney, and Danny Crawford was invaluable. Their knowledge and experience they passed on to me was priceless. It accelerated my learning curve tremendously.

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Now, I want to share my 30+ years of experience on and off the court as an official, a spouse, a parent, and leader to help you balance life, and achieve your dreams just like I did. I'd love to hear from you - use the contact form below to reach out.