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Women of Distinction

I know some readers may say that the were all business. This is something I have enough to play in the city finals, not quite
last statement may sound a bit jaded, but noticed with the present women referees good enough for college basketball. She
the reason I quit working for the team was on television. From the 4 games, I’ve seen didn’t stop playing so one day playing
the game and the players changed so much their calls seem to be fair and they don’t a pickup game in college someone told
it was hard for me to accept. I love basket- miss much. her that they needed refs for intramural
ball, played it, coached it, watched it, and Let’s meet these 5 women briefly: games, and she should try out. She needed
even worked in a professional manner; I feel Natalie Sago grew up watching her dad a job while working on her undergraduate
quite confident in making that statement. officiate NBA games her whole life. She re- nursing degree and her love for officiat-
I could give you many examples, but I am members going to games and watching ing spouted out from this experience. She
not sure you would understand, but I trust the comradery her dad built over the years spent 4 years officiating in college and ran
my readers so here goes. with coaches and table crews. (A girl after basketball camps on and off the court for
Picture Magic Johnson, Chris Mullin, my own heart.) After getting a teaching de- girls. She has officiated for the GNBA and
a ball boy, and me, in a pickup game be- gree, Natalie decided to give officiating a the WNBA for 5 years and this is her second
fore the real game. I was always on Chris- shot to follow in dad’s footsteps. She began year as an official for the NBA.
sy’s team and the ball boy would play on officiating high school games and worked And last but by no means least meet
the opposing player’s team. It was not al- her way up through the college division. Jenna Schroeder, who began officiating
ways Magic or Chris, it could just as easily The NBA came knocking on her door and 3rd and 4th-grade girls’ basketball games
be Charles Barkley, Dennis Rodman, even she started at the D League for 4 years, fol- while in high school. She continued to ref in
Larry Bird. My point- these guys loved the lowed by 3 years for the WNBA, and she is college as well as in summer camps. Grad-
game, and they would play it in an empty in her third year as an official referee for the uating college in 2009, in the middle of the
arena with a teenager and a 4-foot 11-inch NBA. financial crisis when jobs were not exactly
stat crew member. (Oh, that was me by the Meet Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling, who plentiful, Jenna took a job as a bartend-
way.) This was not an unusual occurrence, states openly that basketball has always er temporarily and worked on weekends
no tv cameras, reporters, spectators, just 4 been an important part of her life. She reffing high school games. The temp bar-
people playing a game they loved, basket- played in high school, college-all three divi- tender job lasted 10 years, but it paid the
ball. They would have played the game for sions and started officiating college basket- bills and allowed her the freedom to ref on
free, and they did. These men were dedicat- ball. She spent 6 years as a ref for the NCAA, weekends. Jenna worked her way through
ed to the game they loved. 4 years in the WNBA, and this is her 7th sea- the collegiate officiating with her signature
I can’t speak for the referees presently son in the NBA. long blond hair and ponytail tossing back
officiated as I can’t even recognize most Ashley Moyer-Gleich, her married name, and forth. Her tenacity and hard work final-
of the names. It was the same for most of started playing basketball with her dad at a ly paid off when she was invited to try out
them they would officiate just because very young age and is quoted “even before for the NBA G League, and this is her second
they loved the game. It was also my job to I could walk”. Ashley played bball in high year as an NBA ref.
get the lineups for each team and to greet school and college. After her undergraduate As you can see these women paid their
the refs and see if they had any special re- studies, she went back to school and earned dues and nothing was handed to them,
quests. Hey, you must play all the angles, a master’s degree, and was the graduate they worked hard to become official NBA
it never hurt to kiss up to the refs, it may assistant coach for the women’s basket- referees. In 2019, NBA Commissioner Adam
get you a critical call. Check that, of course, ball team. She spent 4 years reffing college Silver said he wanted more female officials
that never happens. I got very friendly with games, 3 years in G NBA division and WNBA in the league.
most of the refs and yes, that is how I can and this is her second season for the NBA. "It's an area, frankly, where I've acknowl-
say confidently that they would have refer- Simone Jelks credits basketball with edged that I'm not sure how it was that it
eed a game for nothing. saving her life as an adolescent when the remained so male-dominated for so long,"
I have relayed my personal memo- only time she felt good about life was on a said Silver. "Because it's an area of the game
ries only to point out that the game has basketball court. Simone played basketball where physically, certainly, there's no ben-
changed tremendously. Some may say in high school, college, and as a profession- efit to being a man, as opposed to a wom-
for the good, I disagree, however, the one al in Puerto Rico and Croatia. During the an, when it comes to refereeing. The goal
change, although meniscal, is the number off-season, she earned a master’s degree in is: Going forward, it should be roughly 50-
of women that have entered the officiating Public Health and a master’s degree in Ur- 50 of new officials entering in the league.
crews. I know this is a great change and ban Secondary Teaching. She taught Span- Same for coaches, by the way. We have a
well overdue in my humble opinion. I can’t ish as a high school teacher in Cleveland, program, too. There's no reason why wom-
speak to the present 5 referees, who are Ohio for six years. She has officiated for the en shouldn't be coaching men's basketball."
women, but I did see Violet Palmer officiate NCAA and the NBA G League for 3 years and Call me jaded, but I’ve been around a
a college game and Dee Kantor. These were this is her first year as an NBA ref. This lady long time, and I’ve heard these words be-
separate games, but both Violet and Dee has been busy. fore. Let’s see if Commissioner Silver can do
were no-nonsense, fair, and tough refs. You Dannica Mosher took another road to more than talk the talk, I’d like to see him
could tell immediately by their body lan- her NBA officiating role. She played high walk the walk while I’m on this side of the
guage when they walked on the court, they school basketball and although good dirt.

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