Hi everyone!

Currently I'm enjoying the experience of officiating several different summer basketball leagues. To varying degrees I'm getting to help with the operations, depending on the league.

One league in particular I'm helping has me setting the game schedule and the assigning of officials to work the games. This has been fun and challenging. The challenge has largely come in trying to identify precisely what the league commissioner wants and getting assured that this commissioner has properly communicated to everyone involved all the necessary details.

So, getting more and more into the depths of this experience, it is fun learning how to make the league the best it can be with the measure of responsibility I've been allowed to take on. And I'm thinking to write about this regularly so as to get comments and consider how I might one day myself create the ultimate basketball experience. This experience would be something to benefit everyone involved (parents, coaches, players, officials, sponsors, vendors of concessions, and anyone else participating in some way). [Did I leave anyone out?] I invite all readers here to write back their comments and thoughts.

Now here's a tidbit I'll start out with... One thing I really appreciate about this one league is how they're treating the youngest players, those just learning how to play the game of basketball. They have made special arrangements for each game played at this level to have lower hoops to shoot at AND to use the smallest ball I've ever seen! Yes, they're using a 27.5 basketball, which is even smaller than the women's ball, which is a 28.5. I'd not so much even known that there was such a small ball that was manufactured. But indeed there is! And to help very young players develop skills, the smaller ball that fits the size of their hands is absolutely great! The small ball and lower rim for young players gives them a greater opportunity to develop a proper form for shooting, among other things. So to anyone else that would be creating opportunities for the very young to learn basketball, I highly recommend using the 27.5 ball!

I hope you've liked this little tidbit and I eagerly await your comments. Thanks for reading!