We recently asked one of our senior referees, John Woods, to discuss his officiating experience and why he joined NTBOA when he moved to Texas.

“It all started in 1999 when I pursued basketball officiating as a hobby and began refereeing recreational basketball to stay in shape. As I began my journey, I met folks who wanted to help me become a better referee and took the time to mentor me. Quite a few of these people are officiating today at the highest NCAA Division I and NBA level.”

“Before moving to Texas, I spent 18 years in Georgia. During that time, I was able to officiate at both the high school and collegiate levels and was the Secretary of our Atlanta chapter for over ten years. As a high school referee, I officiated in two Georgia High School championships. At the collegiate level, I was an official for tournaments and championship games in NCAA Divisions I – III. These include Division I Southern and Big South Conferences, Division II Peach Belt Conference Championship, 1st and 2nd round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament, and Division III 1st round of the Men’s NCAA tournament.”

“I moved to Texas in January 2017 and began officiating high school games just three days later. I’ve been very blessed and successful at the high school level, having officiated two TAPPS Finals, two THSBOA Regional Finals, and THSBOA Semi-finals. Since moving here, I’ve had to re-establish myself at the collegiate level, but I have been asked to officiate games at the DI collegiate level. I’ve had a few different responsibilities on the NTBOA board during my time in Texas. I’ve been a chapter lead, communication lead, and for the past three years, the Mentorship lead for the NTBOA chapter.”

“As a father of two grown daughters, a husband of 40 years, and an 8-year US Marine Corp veteran, there’s always time to get involved in something you love. Anyone can get started as an NTBOA official and begin your referee journey!”

Thank you, John, for your consistent support and for being a key member of our chapter! If you want to learn more about getting involved with NTBOA, a great place to start is our Officials page. You can always contact us with specific questions or to get more information.