I
t was a small play in a big game. With a little more than nine minutes left in the third quarter of an NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse
semifi nal between Cornell and Duke, Big Red defenseman Tom Freshour shoved a Blue Devils attackman into the crease away from the ball. A yellow fl ag fl ew into the air. It was an easy call, and one keeping in line with the pregame directive of Tom Abbott, the referee: “If you see a foul, throw a fl ag. If you think you saw a foul, you’re thinking too much. Keep it in your pocket.” The genesis of the call, however, dated back more than two months to a Cornell regular season game in which the opposing coach had alerted Doug Donovan and P.J. Calello — who worked alongside Abbott as the umpire and fi eld judge, respectively, in the semifi nals — of Cornell’s penchant for bumping opponents into the crease. The coach noticed the tendency in game fi lm. There were no interference calls in that particular game, but when the three offi cials reunited for the NCAA semifi nal, the topic came up during an exhaustive pre-game debriefi ng. Cornell’s inside pick game, along with
Duke’s tendency to drive to the net, meant that lead and single-side offi cials would have to operate closer to the goal than normal. “Duke is aggressive around the cage,” Donovan said during the pregame confab. “We’ll have to keep a close look on the crease.” In the later semifi nal between Denver
and Syracuse, Kevin O’Leary stressed the importance of timer-on situations with crewmates Tom Sutton and George Wattles, especially staying consistent. “We don’t want to go into this game and this arena and have one team completely take the air out of the ball, but you don’t want to overreact to that,” O’Leary said. Because Sutton had offi ciated Syracuse on several occasions, he gave his breakdown. O’Leary, who had offi ciated Denver twice, including the weekend before in Indianapolis, provided insights on the Pioneers.
On it went for nearly an hour prior to each
contest. The scouting reports were not just limited to tendencies, but also individual players. When Hans Wittelsberger, the referee for the NCAA championship game, went through his laundry list of potential trouble spots, he talked about keeping a close eye on the faceoff wings, where players had a tendency to hold opponents driving toward the middle. Wittelsberger noted specifi c players on both teams and possible matchups that might merit the closest scrutiny.
Nothing ever came of it, especially
with Wittelsberger’s suggestion to his crewmates Brian Abbott and Jason Parks that “we’re looking for felonies, not misdemeanors.” In the Denver-Syracuse game, the crew felt faceoff matchups needed scrutiny. With Denver boasting Chase Carraro, one of the top faceoff men in the nation, and the Orange struggling with that part
of the game, Syracuse would look to gain any advantage possible.
The scout on teams doesn’t just come from the occasional fi rst-hand offi ciating experiences. These offi cials spend hours watching fi lm and garnering feedback from peers about teams they have not seen. This in-depth analysis of competitors and situations occurs before every collegiate game — not so they can insert themselves into the action unnecessarily, but rather the opposite. At halftime of the championship game,
the offi cials sat at a conference table talking about play interpretations and the quickness of Duke faceoff man Brendan Fowler when Warren Kimber, the NCAA’s supervisor of offi cials, said, “You guys are completely absent from this game.” Kimber meant it as the highest of compliments. The crew took it as such. While they are a huge part of any game in their role as adjudicators of the rules, offi cials want to be invisible. “If you can walk off that fi eld and no one knows your name, you are in great shape,” Kimber said. At this level, offi cials develop tricks of the trade that can save headaches down the road. Messages sent early in a game, via a fl ag or brief conversation, can prevent tough situations.
“Stay out of their way as much as possible,” Tom Abbott told his crew before the fi rst semifi nal. “It’s their game. Let them fi gure it out until they make us a part of the game.”
62 LACROSSE MAGAZINE July 2013>>
Hans Wittelsberger was a member of the 2013 Men’s Division I championship umpiring crew.
A Publication of US Lacrosse
©KEVIN P. TUCKER
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