From On High
If you ever try emailing God, especially from the offices of Basketball New Zealand, you could end up communicating direct with the Dominion Finance NBLís top referee.
In his case, itís not so much a name as an attitude … a survival mechanism, if you like.
ìYouíve got to have a certain arrogance/confidence about you,î admits BBNZ referees manager Alan Godden, voted by coaches as the leagueís best official for the past three years.
ìYou have to have a fairly good opinion of yourself. You get a lot of comments and stuff thrown your way during a game Ö you have to let them bounce off without taking them to heart.
ìYou also have to believe you are right most of the time, if not all the time, and most people will see that as arrogance. It doesnít make you a top ref, but it does help you cope.î
Goddenís record would suggest he has coped better than most. While he may not qualify as deity, he certainly joined select company last weekend when he was made a life member of the Australian NBL after 20 seasonsí service as a whistleblower.
Only seven other referees enjoy that distinction.
Since debuting in 1988, he has accumulated 396 games in that league and a further 100-plus over four seasons in the New Zealand competition.
ìI was absolutely stoked,î says Australian-born Godden (56) of his honour across the ditch. ìNever in a million years did I think Iíd be a top flight NBL referee.î
Godden became serious about his craft after discovering he could make the same money refereeing in the Melbourne club league as he did in his job as a bouncer at the local pub.
ìThe top three referees in the country all played on the same team on Thursday nights. They saw me in action and within six months, I was refereeing in the state league.î
After entering the NBL, Godden initially struggled for appointments, amassing just 47 games in his first five seasons. Two events coincided to boost his career - the introduction of three-man refereeing teams in 1993 and the appointment of Gary Fox as NBL referees manager.
ìFox drove you to be better and if you didnít improve, you were kicked off the panel. He would cut up video after every game and send them out to referees Ö if you made four or more errors, you were gone.î
And Goddenís secret to becoming a top ref?
ìJust like a player, youíve got to love the game and always want to get better. You have to have the discipline to drive yourself and say in shape, especially when itís a solo thing.
ìAnother good attribute to have is the ability to communicate when there is agro out there. I always try to be honest with coaches and players, never ignore them and introduce a bit of humour at times Ö itís about mutual respect.î
Godden counts himself very lucky to have officiated through almost three generations of Australian basketball - from the Leroy Loggins/Cal Bruton era, through the Andrew Gaze/Mark Bradtke days and now the emergence of young future stars like Brad Newley and Joe Ingles.
On this side of the Tasman, he has also witnessed, first hand, a golden period of Kiwi basketball.
ìIn Australia, for me, Andrew Gaze stood out head and shoulders above the other players,î he assesses. ìIn New Zealand, Iíve always thought Aaron Olson was really underrated internationally Ö he has been the best Breakers player through the years Iíve refereed them.
ìIn the New Zealand league, Paora Winitana and Paul Henare have been an excellent partnership for the Hawks. Winitana has that athleticism and Henare the work ethic Ö theyíve been terrific.î
Godden will see the pair up close again on Friday when he handles the TET Taranaki Mountain Airs v Easy LPG Bay Hawks game in New Plymouth.
Dominion Finance NBL Round Three Guide (pdf 1.3MB)
