The last call

Big Ten referees can ignore the screaming tirades of irate coaches and emotional players -- even the boos of thousands of upset fans.\nBut when Dave Hurst thinks they got the call wrong, they listen.\nHurst watches the watchers, rating the performances of all conference officials who pass through Assembly Hall.\nA bad report card from fans might hurt a ref's feelings.\nA bad report card from Hurst could get a zebra canned.\nDuring a game, Hurst charts all the calls and puts an asterisk by ones he wants to look at again.\nAfter reviewing a game tape, he ranks referees as excellent, good, satisfactory or needs improvement in several categories -- including punctuality, physical condition, control of coaches and players and basic calls. Then he writes a paragraph about each individual ref's performance, addresses other incidents and turns in his report to the Big Ten.\nThe reports are used in referees' midseason and end-of-year evaluations to rank the league's officials from top to bottom.\nHurst is also an IU fan, but he views the games from a different perspective.\nHe doesn't watch the ball when he's observing officials. Instead, his eyes follow one official at a time up and down the court.\nWhen Hurst isn't on the job, he has to remind himself to watch the other teams on the floor.\nOfficiating crews meet before each game to talk about the teams and work out a plan. Each official is responsible for a third of the action at a given time, but the overriding philosophy is to make the right call, from wherever the referee is standing.\nBig Ten refs have to study four books -- a rule book, an illustrated "cartoon" rule book, a case book that provides "what ifs" and a floor positions manual that explains scenarios for where the three-man crew should be standing during particular plays.\nOfficials are tested on the books and must meet a minimum score to be eligible to officiate that season.\n"The average fan doesn't realize the officials have as many guidelines to live by as the team has plays," Hurst said.\nIU Coach Mike Davis often has questions about these guidelines, and Hurst is always willing to help out. In exchange, Hurst is given a tremendous amount of freedom in IU's locker and tape rooms.\nHurst has a good rapport with officials and a good understanding of the rules, said Associate Athletic Director Kit Klingelhoffer, who manages IU basketball games.\nHurst said it's exciting to see guys he knows officiating the Final Four, but finds it difficult to write up a friend for a bad game.\nStill, Hurst will always have a place in his heart for officiating.\nHe refereed high school and college games for 18 years, until a knee injury forced him to give it up. Since then, he has observed officials for eight years.\nWhen former Coach Bob Knight got him his current job as one of the 11 Big Ten observers of officials, he was excited about getting into the games for free.\n"I didn't find out until after I took the job that I got paid to do it," Hurst said. "There's nothing like being around Division 1 college basketball."\nNow, Hurst's friends don't ask what he thought of that game, that play or that crowd.\nThey ask what he thought of that call.