Sports

Refs Cheer New High-Def Replay System for NCAA Tournaments

Published

10 years ago

March 17, 2015

In this March 12, 2015, file photo, referees Mark Whitehead, right, and Terry Oglesby look at a replay during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game between West Virginia and Baylor in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Conference tournament in Kansas City, Mo. For the mens and womens basketball tournaments that begin this week, the NCAA for the first time will use a replay system that captures live high-definition video from multiple angles for immediate review. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner, File)

STEPHEN HAWKINS, AP Basketball Writer

The NCAA is going all in on high-def video reviews during March Madness.

For the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments that begin this week, the NCAA for the first time will use a replay system that captures live high-definition video from multiple angles for immediate review. That means officials will be able to see much more quickly some of the same replays everyone is seeing on TV — and just maybe some of those delays to get a call right won’t be so excruciatingly long.

“The last thing you want at the end of the game is a four-minute delay that takes the energy out of the building and cools the players down and all that,” said Kim Jackson, director of basketball operations for DVSport, the system’s developer. “No. 1, you’ve got to get the call right, but No. 2, we need to be hopefully as efficient as possible. … Delaying a game can change momentum and impact the game.”

No longer will there be extended delays in the tournament because an official has to go to a monitor with only a network feed, put on a headset and try to explain to a producer in the TV truck outside exactly what he or she wants to see — a familiar scene in many smaller conferences lucky enough to have a TV feed to rely on.

That process usually led to the officials seeing the back of their heads on the monitor while the video was being cued, and cameras showed them waiting to see the replay the TV audience had already seen multiple times and was already tweeting or posting Vines about.

With the DVSport system already used by several leagues during the season, game officials generally have instant access to the main TV feed and three other angles.

They have a pad with a shuttle control that allows them to watch from different angles at different speeds. They can zoom in on individual frames and, if necessary, can then request views additional cameras might have captured.

“The most important thing is that we can get all the angles and make sure we see what people see at home on TV. … We utilize replay to make sure we got it right,” veteran official Joe DeRosa said. “It’s really a valuable tool.”

DeRosa, one of only two officials who has worked both the NCAA Final Four and the NBA Finals, did Big 12 Tournament games last week. His regular-season schedule included games in the Big 12, SEC, American and Conference USA, which also use DVSport. The ACC also uses the system, and the Big East men had it available during their tournament last week.

“Our officials have the same passion as our coaches — they want to make their team play better and make minimum mistakes and continue to improve,” said John Underwood, the Big 12 associate commissioner for men’s basketball and game management. “They want to get the plays right.”

DVSport is already well-known to many pro and college sports teams for its custom software packages that allow coaches and players to use iPads or laptops to break down film of themselves or opposing teams. The Pittsburgh-based company got into football replay after the Big Ten had a pilot program, and then got NCAA approval on a proposal to allow conferences and independent institutions to experiment with the use of video replay during the 2005 season.

Now common in football, a replay system specific to basketball was introduced five years later and is now going to be used in the Big Dance for the first time.

Jackson said basketball officials they consulted during development asked for control of the video and standard-sized monitors showing HD video.

“Sometimes they would go to one school and they would have a 7-inch monitor that’s black and white,” he said. “And they’re expected to make a decision that affects the outcome of the game, and then you have got everybody at home watching it on 50-inch HD TVs.”

The NCAA will also use DVSport for replays in all Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff games, and the semifinal and championship games in Division II and Division III football.

Division I basketball tournaments will also debut Precision Timing Systems technology already used by most Division I conferences in which officials stop the clock simply by blowing the whistle. The clock restarts when a switch is flipped on the ref’s belt pack.

Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s vice president of men’s basketball, said the new replay and timing systems “will allow us to use the best available technology to be as accurate as possible with regards to timing and reviewable plays.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Should Tiger Woods Skip the Masters?

Don't Miss

Hawks Spoil Kings Return Home

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Bay Area

Love Life Organization Shows Love

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day. It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

Published

5 days ago

October 28, 2024

Oakland Post

Members of the 1975 NBA championship team, Charles Dudley (left) and Clifford Ray (right) embrace Love Life Foundation leader Donald Lacy for his antiviolence mission. Courtesy photo.

City of Oakland Celebrates 1975 NBA World Championship Team

By Donald Lacy

Special to The Post

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day.

It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

The 1975 NBA World Championship team were invited back to the City of Oakland last Friday, to be properly celebrated for their ground-breaking performance in 1975.

The heartwarming ceremony highlighted the recent passing of the legendary coach of that team, Al Attlles, and his former players Clifford Ray and Charles Dudley were on hand to represent the “Cardiac Kids” as they were called back then for their ability to make great comeback victories during their run for the title.

Warriors great Chris Mullin and former spiritual advisor Gary Reeves gave heartfelt testimonies of their experiences under Attles’ leadership and their relationship with the inspiration they received from the NBA 1975 World Champion Golden State Warriors.

The City of Oakland provided proclamations to all parties with speeches made by city leadership including Mayor Sheng Thao and Deputy Mayor Dr. Kimberly Mayfield and activity host Love Life non-profit founder and Executive Director Donald E. Lacy Jr..

There will be a celebration of life event Nov. 9 honoring Attles’ legacy at Alameda College.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

California Black Media

Several Black Californians Are Playing Key Roles in LA 28 Olympics Planning

From politicians and businesspeople to athletes and community leaders, a number of Black Californians are contributing to the thought leadership that is shaping the planning of LA28, the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

From left to right: IOC Member Hong Zhang, IOC Vice President Nicole Hoevertsz, Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach, LA28 President Casey Wasserman, James T. Butts, Mayor of Inglewood, IOC President Thomas Bach, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, the President of the Los Angeles City Council (IOC/Greg Martin)

By Lila Brown, California Black Media

At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

“The 2028 Games present an incredible opportunity to unite our city and lift up every corner of Los Angeles,” said Bass during a historic event at Los Angeles City Hall on Sept. 13, when the Olympic and Paralympic flags were unveiled and installed.

The event marked the return of the Olympic flag to L.A. since 1984, when the city hosted the Olympics for the second time. It was the first time the Paralympic flag was raised in California’s largest city.

“From creating jobs to supporting small businesses, we are committed to ensuring that these Games benefit all Angelenos — not just for the summer of 2028, but for decades to come,” Bass added.

Nearly two months after the Olympic flag handover from Paris to Los Angeles, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach visited Los Angeles.

Bach toured several of the city’s newest world-class sporting venues, including the SoFi Stadium and the recently opened Intuit Dome, both located in Inglewood. At the stadiums, he was joined by two other Los Angeles County Black mayors, whose cities will be key to hosting LA28 events: Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.

SoFi Stadium, known as the home of NFL teams the LA Rams and LA Chargers, will host swimming competitions during the LA28 Games, with a temporary pool set to make it the largest swimming venue in Olympic history, boasting 38,000 seats. Intuit Dome, Inglewood’s newest state-of-the-art venue and home to the LA Clippers, will host the Olympic basketball tournament in the 18,000-seat arena.

In an interview with California Black Media ( CBM), Butts highlighted Inglewood’s central role in the upcoming Games, stating, “Inglewood will host the Opening and Closing ceremonies, basketball, and swimming competitions of the 2028 Olympic Games. This will be our second hosting of Olympic Basketball, the first in 1984.”

Marqueece Harris-Dawson, President of the Los Angeles City Council, also attended the tour.

Harris-Dawson is one of the leading backers of PlayLA, a parks development program that promises to provide sports programming to “young Angelenos of all abilities.” The initiative is funded by a $160 million investment from the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the International Olympic Committee.

Black Californians serving on the LA28 Board include Businesswoman Mellody Hobson; decorated Paralympian Lex Gillette; former Netflix Executive Dana Smith; President of the LA County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO Yvonne Wheeler; and television host, retired sprinter and four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson.

Rosalyn Brant Clark, a 1976 Olympic silver medalist and mother of three-time Paralympian Breanna Clark, said while the “Games for All” theme is promising, she is looking for more concrete action that impacts the lives of ordinary people, including Black Californians.

“They are going to need to show me more on that one before it gets my stamp of approval,” she added, challenging organizers to ensure genuine inclusivity.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

Ohemaa Nyanin Named GM of Valkyries WNBA Team

The Bay Area is filled with excitement, and much of the conversation is about the Bay Area’s newest WNBA team — the VALKYRIES! The Golden State Warriors were awarded the 13th team in the WNBA last October, and just four months ago, the team’s General Manager was announced — Ohemaa Nyanin.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Getty Images

By Y’Anad Burrell

Nyanin’s parents are from Ghana, and she was born in Maryland. Nyanin’s experience in this industry precedes her both as a former college player and on the business side. Nyanin is an American University alumna who played on the Eagles’ women’s basketball team. In 2019, Nyanain joined the WNBA team, The New York Liberty, initially serving as the director of basketball operations before she became assistant general manager.

“No excuses,” Nyanin said. “We are here, first and foremost, as humans, and secondly to win basketball games. So how do we do that, and how do we do that in the most inclusive way?”

From viewing interviews that Nyanin has done since her arrival in the Bay Area, a constant theme in her conversations is talking about taking a “people first” approach. Nyanin talks about how she will be focused on the players, staff, and fans as she navigates and executes her role as general manager. Health, both mentally and physically, is important to Nyanin, as I’ve seen in her many interviews.

Just days ago, The Golden State Warriors announced the head coach for the Valkyries — Natalie Nakase.

Nakase has been the assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces for the past three seasons, where she was a part of the Aces’ back-to-back championship run in 2022 and 2023. Before joining the Aces’ coaching staff, Nakase spent ten seasons with her hometown team, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their G League.

The Valkyries will practice at downtown Oakland’s Golden State Warrior space and play games at Chase Center in San Francisco. This is an excellent opportunity to experience both sides of the water.

The Valkyries WNBA season opens May 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, and the Valkyries website shows over 18,000 season-ticket deposits. For clarity, if someone is ‘interested’ in purchasing season tickets, a $25 deposit is required. The Chase Center’s capacity is a little over 18,000, so you can imagine how electrifying the stadium will be during all home games.

Ohemaa, welcome to the Bay and The Town!