Narvasa to try out 4-referee rotation

MANILA, Philippines - Newly appointed PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa said he hopes to address the perennial problem of officiating by introducing the four-referee rotation in the 41st season which commences on Oct. 18.

While the three-referee crew on the floor remains, Narvasa is introducing the four-referee rotation, which allows the commissioner to assign an extra referee in each game. The fourth referee can substitute any of the three on the court, giving the commissioner four referees at his disposal every game.

Narvasa said the new format is one of the solutions he had in mind to keep the officiating constant in the PBA even as he pushes for better relationship between the 12 ballclubs and the pool of referees.

“We’re back to playing the game of basketball as we learned it while growing up,” said Narvasa.

The league’s 12 ballclubs and the pool of referees is high on the new commissioner’s list of priorities. Narvasa admits the gap between the teams and the referees has become so big, leading to a lot of confusion, and sometimes even confrontation during games.

To address the issue, Narvasa reached out to the teams, particularly the coaches and analyzed and tried to understand the game officials roles and concerns.

“Apparently, the trouble has something to do with their training. Coaches and players are trained on the interpretation of the rules while the refs are focused on their specific areas that often leads to non-calls,” Narvasa said.

“I’ve been a player and coach but never a referee. So this undertaking is really a learning experience for me,” said Narvasa, who made rounds of the teams during their practice sessions along with deputy commissioner Rickie Santos, assistant to the commissioner Pita Dobles, technical officials and referees.

Narvasa, who had coaching stints with Shell and Purefoods in the 90s, said he instructed the referees to make the calls the way they should be called.

Under the rules, excessive physical contacts, holding, pulling of jersey and shorts and advantage fouls automatically earn a call.

“Play the ball and not the man. That’s basically what we’re trying to tell the players,” Narvasa said. “Once everybody gets used to it, games will be fast-paced. The players who perform well and the coach with the brilliant game plan will win in the end.”

Narvasa believes the coaches appreciate the simplified rules.

“At one practice I was taken aback when the coach claimed he was surprised the refs know the right calls,” Narvasa said. “It’s just a matter of understanding each side so that they don’t see each other as an adversary. And we will keep this line of communication open to ensure that officiating remains consistent.”