Basketball Official at the Heart of March Madness

Ron Cole
News Editor - Youngstown State University

John Clougherty knows all about March Madness.

A 1968 graduate of YSU, Clougherty’s 30-year career as a college basketball referee has put him at the center of some of the most memorable basketball games in NCAA history.

He was in Lexington, Ky., in 1985 when Rollie Massimino’s Villanova Wildcats beat the Georgetown Hoyas, led by Patrick Ewing, for the NCAA basketball championship in one of the most historic upsets in college basketball history.

He was on the floor in the Seattle Kingdome in 1989 when Michigan beat Seton Hall, the first overtime in an NCAA final game in 26 years.

And he was in Indianapolis in the 1991 NCAA semi-finals when Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke Blue Devils upset the seemingly unbeatable UNLV Rebels of coach Jerry Tarkinian.

“It has been an incredible run,” Clougherty, 61, said from his home in Raleigh, N.C.

In all, Clougherty has refereed in 12 Final Fours and four NCAA championship games. In 1989, he received the James A. Naismith Award as the nation’s most outstanding collegiate basketball official. After officiating in the Southeastern Conference tournament in Atlanta March 10-13, he traveled to Oklahoma City to referee games in the first round of this year’s NCAA tournament. He then was assigned to second round games in Albuquerque, N.M.

And to think it all started at YSU.

A native of suburban Pittsburgh, Clougherty transferred to then Youngstown University in 1964 from Michigan State University. In a course taught by YSU Hall of Fame golf coach Bill Carson, Clougherty learned about officiating basketball and started officiating YSU intramural games for $3 a game.

After graduating from YSU in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in health/physical education, he earned a master’s degree in education from Kent State University. He then accepted a teaching job at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, N.C., where he got a license to officiate high school games.

In 1973, he moved into the college ranks, and two years later started working games in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Since then, he has officiated 70 to 80 games a year in nearly all of the nation’s major college basketball conferences, including the ACC, Southeastern Conference, the Big East, Big 12, Atlantic 10 and Conference USA.

“It’s a blast,” said Clougherty, who also owns a Honig’s store in North Carolina, which sells supplies for sports officials.

In his three decades wearing the stripes, Clougherty has shared the hardwood with some of the game’s best players, including Michael Jordan (“The best overall, all-round player I have seen.”), Akeem Olajuwon (“The best big guy. He was better than Ewing and Ralph Sampson.”) and Shaquille O’Neal (“A man among boys.”)

“It’s much harder now officiating a game,” he said. “At one time, it was more of an open, free-running game. Today, you have more physical, stronger kids. Every team wants to win the game in the weight room now.”
Keys to being a good referee? “There’s no substitute for experience, but you have to have good instincts and good reaction time,” he said. “This game is too fast. If you have to think too much, the game will run right by you.”

Printed with permission. Article appeared in Youngstown State University's YSUpdate.

Newsbits

Some interesting articles in Tuesday, March 29th newspapers

Jayson Stark - ESPN's baseball columnist looks in-depth of the new era without the bulging forearms and muscles

Chicago Tribune - This Illinois team is "special"

Louisville Courier - Louisville coach Rick Pitino looks for a way to beat Illinois

Detroit Free Press - Columnist Drew Sharp writes how Tom Izzo brought his team back from the brink

Raleigh News Observer - Former Carolina coach Matt Doherty's role in this year's success

Sports Illustrated.com - Stewart Mandel is dreaming of the dream match-up

Unfortunate views

Last week University of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summit recorded her 780th career victory....in her honor, the university named the court after her "The Summit"....however, some close minded males have complained....

It was reported that by naming the basketball court after Summit, that it could possible hamper the Tennessee men's program from recruiting top basketball players because they would not want to play on a court named after a woman....

First off, "top basketball players and Tennessee" is an oxymoron.....the Vols men's program has been putrid for as long as I can remember.....I cannot recall the last time Tennessee was ranked late in the season....

This ignorance by some just shows that at times a person's sex, race, or creed still matters.....Pat Summit has done more for the University of Tennessee than any other coach (including football).....and it is ashame that someone had to question an honor that she so richly deserves....

Incredible Games

Saturday's tournament games were ones for the ages....Arizona and West Virginia have to be sick today as each let a sure trip to the Final Four slip through their fingers....check out what others are saying:
ESPN.com - Trying to explain Arizona's collapse

Mike Wilbon - Writes about Illinois comeback

Thursday Night's Showdowns

Chicago Region
Illinois -11.5 vs. Wisc. Milwaukee - I love the Panthers high energy . . . they are the Cinderella story of the tournament . . . but now it is pumpkin time . . . the Illini looked good last week . . . Augustine was a force inside . . . Dee Brown must get untracked though - Illinois

Oklahoma State -1 vs Arizona - it is unfortunate that Okie State and Illinois are in the same bracket . . . John Lucas is the man . . . Arizona will battle tough for 35 minutes . . . then the Cowboys prevail - Oklahoma State

Albuquerque Region
Louisville - 1.5 vs. Washington - the selection committee may get egg on their face by making Louisville a four seed . . . Louisville is kicking it right now as they dismantled a very good Georgia Tech team on Sunday . . . nice run by the Huskies, but it ends here . . . go with Rick Pitino - Louisville

Texas Tech - 2 vs. West Virginia - he's back in the spotlight - Robert Montgomery Knight . . . this is a game that most feel Tech will win . . . not so fast . . . Knight has a habit of losing the tournament games that he is expected to win . . . and the Mountaineers may be one of the hottest teams in the country . . . Jerry West will get a smile on his face - West Virginia

Stories of interest

ESPN.com - Andy Katz writes about how each team left in the tournament has survived a scare:

Washington Post - article about steroid use with high school athletes:


N.Y. Daily News - Do you know who is teaching your children?:

Durham Herald - Is Duke vulnerable in the Sweet 16?:

Louisville Courier - The Cards blue collar player

Cleveland Plain Dealer - Livingston's take on new Cavs coach:

Sweet 16 - Top 8 Ranking

Here is my ranking of the 16 teams left in the tournament:
1. Illinois - the Illini are playing smooth . . . still the team to beat
2. North Carolina - may have finally gotten over the slump of a few weeks ago . . . Iowa State win was impressive
3. Kentucky - the Cats handled the pressure put on by Cincinnati . . . if Sparks keeps hitting the 3 ball, Kentucky will win it all
4. Louisville - the committee overlooked Pitino's bunch . . . this team may just win it all . . . imagine a Kentucky-Louisville final . . . look how the Cards handled Ga. Tech
5. Oklahoma State - I love this team because of Eddie Sutton . . . Sutton is a wiley old coach . . . Lucas is one of the toughest point guards in the nation
6. Washington - the Huskies have their work cut out for them against Louisville . . . Washington was impressive when they dismantled Pacific
7. Duke - the Devils struggled against Miss St. . . . Sheldon Williams is a force on the inside . . . Devils will lose to Kentucky if they meet
8. Wisconsin-Milwaukee - yeh, I'm going with the unknown Panthers at the 8 spot . . . this team plays with so much energy . . . these guys are "ballers"

Knight Rider

It's interesting that Bobby Knight has made it back to the Sweet 16 after such a long dry spell . . . the Red Raiders have a good shot at making the Final Four . . . Knight and company should get by West Virginia . . . but waiting for them in the Elite Eight will either be Washington or red-hot Louisville

That brings us to the Louisville head coach Rick Pitino . . . the Washington Post's Mike Wilbon had a nice column in today's Post about Rick . . . http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50273-2005Mar19.html

Good stories

Here are some interesting articles:

Story about Tennessee women's coach Pat Summit:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/ncaatourney05/news/story?id=2016423

Story about Mark McGwire (by ESPN's Jayson Stark)
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=2015801