Gary Zielinski, who was a referee in the NBA for 18 years, taught a group of 11 students on Wednesday, Oct. 22, as part of a new sports officiating program offered at Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School. (Photo Courtesy Southeastern Regional School District)
SOUTH EASTON — Amid a shortage of officials in youth sports, a retired NBA referee with 18 years of experience under his belt visited Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School on Wednesday to put on a clinic for a group of students now training to become the referees of the future.
Gary Zielinski, who once officiated games played by some of the greatest basketball stars of all time, such as Michael Jordan and LeBron James, taught an afternoon lesson to a group of 11 Southeastern students who are going through the school’s new sports officiating training program.
Held in partnership with Good Call Officiating Academy, the training program was first offered at Southeastern in May as an after-school activity. It is now available to students there during school hours as an elective for physical education.
Upon completing the training program, which is based on a curriculum called RefReps, students are eligible to receive provisional certification through the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), allowing them to start earning money by working as referees for sub-varsity games.
“For kids, I say it’s the best job ever,” said Zielinski. “We don’t have enough kids coming into this. We have no pipeline and no farm system. There’s a real shortage.”
Zielinski explained that high school students with access to a RefReps curriculum training program have a significant advantage over others in finding good refereeing work as newcomers to the field.
During the Wednesday afternoon clinic, Zielinski taught the 11 Southeastern students about some of the most important fundamentals of refereeing, such as positioning and court awareness, along with some of the nuances of the rules of basketball, including the differences between rules in high school and the NBA (like when players are allowed to rush for a rebound during a free throw).
Zielinski also provided advice and perspective to the students about how to respond to complaints from coaches, players, parents or even the spectators in the crowd. He told the students that most of the time, the people who are yelling at them don’t understand the rules.
“I try to teach them why they yell and what they yell about,” Zielinski said. “Once you learn that, you realize they’re just yelling because they don’t know the rules or what a referee does. It’s not so much the performance. … If you learn where to stand, where to look and what to call, and understand why they’re yelling, you go, ‘This isn’t so bad of a job.’ But so many kids don’t get the opportunity to get taught in a class like this.”
Southeastern is now planning to potentially expand its RefReps training programming through Good Call Officiating Academy to include training for soccer referees during the spring, as well as training for volleyball referees at the end of the school year.
“Schools like Southeastern that offer sports officiating training using a RefReps curriculum are opening many doors for their students to become knowledgeable, qualified referees and begin earning money by doing so,” said Mark Ottavianelli, who operates Good Call Officiating Academy together with Chris Green. “We look forward to continuing to support the school as it offers training and certification to its students.”
Two students who completed the sports officiating training program at Southeastern last spring, and are now working as referees at youth basketball games in Taunton, attended the training session with Zielinski on Wednesday.
“I was very blessed and grateful for the opportunity to go through the training,” said PaReese Rosario, 18, of Stoughton. “I liked watching the games, I liked reffing the games and I felt like it was a new experience that could be fun.”
Vice Principal of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Catie Tuccinardi, who has been integrating the sports officiating program into Southeastern’s course offerings this school year, said the initiative supports both student growth and community needs.
“This program gives our students another opportunity to build real-world skills and explore potential career paths,” Tuccinardi said. “It’s an innovative way to meet a growing need in our local communities while giving students the chance to take on leadership roles and earn income.”
Superintendent Holly McClanan congratulated all of Southeastern’s students who have been through the officiating training program so far, as well as those who are now completing the training this school year.
“It’s inspiring to watch our students develop both professionally and personally as they engage in hands-on learning opportunities like this. We thank Gary Zielinski for visiting Southeastern and offering his experience from his time as an NBA referee,” Superintendent McClanan said. “At Southeastern, we are committed to preparing our students for success, whether through career-focused training or college preparation. Becoming skilled in sports officiating is not only a great way to earn income, but it’s also a life lesson in responsibility, decision-making and leadership. Developing a competency in sports officiating is a valuable skill that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.”
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Students in Southeastern’s sports officiating program got to ask questions to retired NBA referee Gary Zielinski. (Photo Courtesy Southeastern Regional School District)
Former NBA referee Gary Zielinski provided a hands-on lesson for Southeastern students in the school’s sports officiating pilot program. (Photo Courtesy Southeastern Regional School District)
Retired NBA referee Gary Zielinski taught the 11 Southeastern students about some of the most important fundamentals of refereeing, such as positioning and court awareness, along with some of the nuances of the rules of basketball. (Photo Courtesy Southeastern Regional School District)
Gary Zielinski once officiated games played by some of the greatest basketball stars of all-time, including Michael Jordan. After refereeing NBA games for 18 years, Zielinski also held the role of Director of Youth and Amateur Officiating Development for the NBA. (Photo Courtesy Southeastern Regional School District)
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