In the NBA, referees are not just judged on their calls, they’re also graded and praised. This is a recent change in how officials are evaluated that has led to an increase in public criticism of refs by players and coaches alike.
The “nba referees” is a group of people that has been dubbed the “NBA’s referee whisperers”. They seem to have the uncanny ability to get in contact with referees and get them to make calls.
Onyeka Okongwu makes a game-saving defensive play against the Cleveland Cavaliers with 53 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and his Atlanta Hawks on the verge of elimination.
Okongwu is assigned to Cavs center Jarrett Allen, who is playing off the ball as Caris LeVert runs a pick-and-roll with Evan Mobley, after helping his team overcome a 10-point halftime hole while subbing in for injured starter Clint Capela. To make room for Mobley’s roll, Allen slips along the baseline. Okongwu sees the play and exits the frame just as LeVert throws a lob to Mobley, who is far beyond his guy and poised for an alley-oop — until Okongwu flies into the frame.
Okongwu converts a sure-thing dunk into a Hawks possession with excellent verticality and no unlawful contact. According to the website Inpredictable, Okongwu’s one play improved Atlanta’s victory probability from 75 percent (a probable win) to 93.2 percent (a near-certain win).
Okongwu, who has admitted to having issues with foul trouble as a rookie, may not have been capable of such a hard play a year ago. He may have struggled to get up vertically, or made contact with Mobley’s body as a result of his momentum; he may not have been disciplined enough to maintain his arms straight up and avoid a foul.
He’s certainly competent today, and he claims there’s a big reason for that: he’s working with Don Vaden, a referee whisperer from Third Side Coaching.
While working with Vaden, Okongwu has reduced his per-possession foul rate by slightly under 10% in his second season. In Atlanta’s play-in win against the Cavs, his ability to remain on the court was crucial. With him on the floor, the Hawks outscored Cleveland by 21 points in almost 29 minutes (a top-five number for him this season). With Capela out, Okongwu’s ability to avoid foul trouble becomes even more important as he takes on a greater role versus the Miami Heat.
NBA clubs use Third Side Coaching to learn more about officials, while major businesses recruit former hackers for for advice. They teach players and coaches how to understand the game through the eyes of a referee, including angles and mechanics, how to reduce foul risks, and how to apply what they’ve learned on the court. Clients are also taught how to maintain a civil conversation, avoid technical fouls, and form great partnerships.
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Throughout the 2021-22 season, the Hawks were a customer of Third Side. Vaden was introduced to the players and staff early in the year, and he rapidly established a connection with them. He advises the coaching staff on everything from how to use challenges to how to communicate effectively with referees.
His work with Hawks players has been maybe even more noteworthy, encompassing stars like as Trae Young and John Collins all the way down the roster. His work with bigs like Collins and Okongwu has had a direct influence on their growth, according to several on the club. This season, Okongwu spent a lot of time on the court with Vaden and assistant coach Matt Hill, focusing on his aggressiveness, positioning, and how to avoid foul trouble.
Okongwu told ESPN, “Sometimes I do all this playing with my hands, trying to body people.” “When I’m working with Hill after practice, [Don] will sometimes come on the court and teach me what I can do with my hands, what I should do with my hands, and what the referees see.”
The Hawks are just one of Third Side Coaching’s increasing list of clientele, which includes NBA players like Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, and Jaren Jackson Jr., championship-winning coaches like Nick Nurse, and even some of the game’s most well-known broadcasters and media members.
DON VADEN SERVED AS AN NBA REFEREE FOR NEARLY 15 YEARS, THEN SERVED IN THE NBA AND WNBA OFFICIATION FOR ANOTHER 15 YEARS. When still an active official, Vaden encountered Shelley Russi, the eventual creator of Third Side; Russi, then 30 years old, wowed him with her court presence while working alongside future NBA refs at a summer ref camp in 2000, and went on to have a 20-year career as an NCAA women’s referee. When Vaden moved to the WNBA in 2015, he assisted in the hiring of Russi for a role there.
In areas like training, development, and ref analysis, both leagues have gone a long way in the last decade, and Vaden and Russi deserve at least a portion of the credit. Shelley had an impact on referee training, especially on the WNBA side, according to Kiki VanDeWeghe, the NBA’s former executive VP of basketball operations. They “spent a lot of time talking about themes of consistency, transparency, and simple, repeatable procedures that everybody could understand,” she says.
On April 11, 1999, Don Vaden walks away after calling a foul on Dennis Rodman. AFP/Getty Images/Mike Nelson
Vaden left the WNBA in 2017 to create his own consulting firm, and Third Side Coaching was formed a year later when Russi left.
Third Side’s work differs depending on the demands of the customer. Some clubs, like the Hawks, go all out: Vaden and Russi pay frequent visits and keep in contact with coaches and players throughout the season, advising them on everything from how referees make specific calls to the best methods to interact with officials on the court.
Verticality has been a primary focus of emphasis for Collins, Atlanta’s standout big man, with Vaden for most of this season. They sharpened the specifics of a crucial area for several of the league’s greatest players in on-court workouts with Vaden and Hawks assistant coach Chris Jent. “Natural characteristics that referees will look for when making a call,” Collins said. “We’ve done a fantastic job of letting me to use my agility and play vertically without fouling.”
According to tracking statistics, opponents shot 62.6 percent against Collins as the main rim defender during the 2020-21 regular season, which isn’t fantastic for a man his stature (6-foot-9 and 235 pounds). This is down from 59.8 percent during the regular season, which is a little improvement. However, it’s down to an outstanding 50% in his four playoff outings this postseason (on an admittedly small sample).
Bogdan Bogdanovic, a swingman, praises Vaden for assisting him in developing ties with officials. Bogdanovic struggled to acclimatize to a new league’s officials when he came to the NBA as a top EuroLeague player, something Third Side has worked with him on.
“I knew [the officials] didn’t know me,” Bogdanovic said, “but I wanted respect that I didn’t earn yet.” “I was definitely whining too much at first, it was simply a habit… [Don] assisted me in developing ties with referees. Trying to communicate with them without being very emotional.”
Meanwhile, sharpshooter Kevin Huerter is pleased with his work with the consultants. Huerter, who is usually one of the last Hawks players on the court during practice, turns on Russi and Vaden for guidance in a variety of officiating-related areas. “Shelley works with the tactile in a variety of ways,” Huerter remarked. “How to draw fouls and what to watch for when playing the game.”
Vaden, like Bogdanovic, has helped Huerter improve his interactions with referees on the court. Huerter said, “In a lot of respects, [it’s] about bridging the gap between player and ref.” “How to approach them about a disagreement on a call. Knowing the rules allows you to make an argument that is supported by evidence.”
DAMIAN LILLARD is one of the best pick-and-roll players in the game. Russi and Vaden would never accept credit for anything, although they may be due a bit.
When Lillard started working with the Trail Blazers, one of his first clients, in 2018, he built a relationship with Vaden. Initial discussions regarding communication and referee talk quickly transitioned to on-court practice, with Lillard keen to point out some of the intricacies Vaden was helpful in teaching him.
“On pick-and-rolls, I shoot a lot of threes, and people are grabbing around my waist, reaching out and banging my arm, things like that,” Lillard said. The problem was that the authorities weren’t always aware of these items. “Don would practically show me the angles at which referees stand. In contrast to their partners, referees have designated areas on the floor where they should be. He’d show me other perspectives — what [refs] can see and what they can’t.”
The Blazers scored 1.03 points per chance on all Lillard pick-and-rolls that ended in a shot, foul, or turnover in the 2017-18 season, his last before working with Vaden, according to Second Spectrum monitoring data. That’s a mediocre figure at best, particularly for a celebrity like Dame.
After working with Vaden for a few years, that number had risen to 1.13 points per opportunity in the 2019-20 season, and Lillard’s rate of fouls drawn on such plays had increased dramatically. Although the difference between an exceptional pick-and-roll ball handler (83rd percentile) and a little below-average one may not seem to be significant, it is (33rd percentile).
Lillard is most renowned for his scoring prowess, but he also credits Vaden for assisting him on the defensive end, notably in pick-and-roll situations.
“How can I get into their body without getting [a foul] and go past a screen? What position may I be in where a screener won’t be able to screen me before it turns into an unlawful screen? … That helped me improve as a pick-and-roll defender, as well as make me more conscious of stuff on the offensive end while navigating pick-and-roll “According to Lillard.
It didn’t take long for me to feel at ease. During the first several years, Vaden and Lillard would chat often. Vaden’s easy accessibility was a significant consideration for Lillard, who, like many other celebrities, is a gym rat. “I’d come onto the floor and ask Don a question before practice started, and before I knew it, we’d be standing on the block and working through everything,” Lillard recalls.
In some ways, Lillard’s relationship with Third Side was personal. He’s kept in contact with Vaden to this day, sending him plays after games and spending time on the phone with him breaking them down. On the court, Lillard hasn’t worked with Russi as closely as he would like, but he is familiar with some of the nonprofit, equality, and officiating programs she has promoted in his hometown of Oakland (including a partnership with the Women’s Premier Basketball Association, which is based in Oakland). “We keep in touch,” he adds.
“[Don’s] character really shone through to me,” Lillard added, “because he didn’t always agree with me.” Yes-men surround NBA superstars like Lillard, so Dame appreciated someone who told it like it was. “That immediately told me that narrative.”
WHEN Steve Clifford was the head coach of the Orlando Magic, he called in Third Side to offer his squad a refresher on officiating for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
“It would begin with new regulations, areas of concentration, which occur every year,” Clifford, who is presently a consultant with the Brooklyn Nets, stated. “[Don] would come in and spend time with our group, first going over those items,” says the narrator.
Vaden helped the Magic concentrate on roaming calls for a year. On the practice court, he set up stations, each staffed by a different assistant coach, who went through a particular footwork theme or call example from the previous season, with the purpose of familiarizing players with what officials would be looking for. Clifford added, “I believe he helped me a lot in that regard.”
Clifford didn’t know much about Vaden before hiring him, but fellow head coaches Terry Stotts and Dwane Casey recommended him highly. Clifford, several of his helpers, and his players were among the people Vaden spent time with. Don would sit down with a player to look over video and then apply it on the court if they had a consistent problem with a certain sort of foul or play.
Alvin Gentry, who engaged Third Side to advise with the Sacramento Kings for the 2021-22 season, stated, “I simply believe the knowledge they offer is invaluable, truly.” “A call here and a non-call there may help you win a game. I believe the way they explain things and the time they spend creating footage and clips for both the players and coaches is priceless.”
Third Side’s involvement with Gentry and the Kings was even more direct: Vaden and Russi (who still lives in northern California) would actually get on the court during practice and officiate team scrimmages, frequently stopping in the middle of a game to point out or correct a specific infraction and, just as importantly, explain the reasoning behind it.
“There’s an old adage about film that the eye in the sky doesn’t lie,” Kings forward Harrison Barnes said. “Having someone like Don and Shelley who can take a film and break it down for you in terms of what’s going on and how you might improve on it is invaluable. That is what distinguishes it. This season taught me a lot about it.”
A COMMON THIRD SIDE KEY TASK is just assisting players in accepting the truth of their own fouling tendencies. Every NBA fan has seen a player on their team insisting that they did not commit a foul while arguing with an official, despite the fact that replays showed an unambiguous, clear-as-day violation. It turns out that people in the midst of high-level sports competition aren’t necessarily the most trustworthy self-narrators.
Third Side is often used in this capacity. It bills itself as “truth-tellers” who won’t sugarcoat anything for any of its customers; if you’re fouling excessively, they won’t baby you; instead, they’ll show you how and how to alter it.
Russi and Vaden, as a two-person team, specialize in different areas. Both are natural specialists when it comes to call adjudication and basic “right or wrong” distinctions, with Don taking the lead in this area. For teams like the Hawks, his game notes will contain any close calls in either way, which he will study in detail later so that coaches and players have precise information during the following day’s practice. Third Side wants its players to know when a call made against them was accurate so they may alter their behavior; it also wants them to know when a call was wrong so they don’t attempt to repair something that isn’t broken.
Shelley’s job is a little more varied. It will undoubtedly entail significant on-court work for many clients, particularly those like the Hawks who hire Third Side on a full-time basis. Russi also discusses awareness, communication, and remaining in the present moment. She delves into players’ thinking and assists them in breaking free from negative habits that may be affecting their performance.
“The benefit was how Don was able to not only break [things down], but with Shelley, they would ask questions that helped me get there on my own,” said Jaren Jackson Jr., the Memphis Grizzlies’ fourth-year big man, who worked with them from 2019 to 2021 in an effort to curb some aggression that was leading to foul trouble. “It helped me in a number of ways. I acquired the mental and strategic aspects of the game, which I really needed to understand.”
On February 5, 2016, in Tempe, Shelley Russi officiates a basketball game between Arizona State and UCLA. Photo by Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
Russi and Vaden are clear about one aspect of their work: it is not about “gaming” or influencing referees; rather, it is about assisting their customers in understanding things from the viewpoint of an official. “We never teach flopping or embellishing,” Vaden explains. “We educate about exposing the unlawful defender.”
Collins explains, “It’s not about deceiving the referee.” “It’s all about being astute and resourceful. It’s all about knowing what’s legal and what isn’t… Where may I lawfully obtain an advantage?”
Not only is time spent on missed calls, but also on why they were missed and how to respond. What is the referee’s point of view? Could the player have done anything else to take advantage of an opponent’s mistake? Is it possible for the player to contact the official in a courteous manner to learn more about why a certain call was made? Players are often advised to voice a grievance during a following break, affording both the player and the official some distance from the initial call.
“There are a lot of intricacies,” Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder said, “and I don’t believe any of us understand the training process that goes into becoming an official.” In 2021, Third Side worked with both Snyder and talents Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. “You have a better understanding of someone’s actions as you learn more about them. You acquire empathy for a particular event or telephone conversation. You can notice certain things your people are doing that they can simply alter to assist them.”
Coach Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors contacted Third Side Coaching to organize a training camp for the Canadian National Team, whom he coached during Olympic qualifiers last summer. Nurse had met Vaden while he was still an assistant under Casey in Toronto, and had worked with him on a one-off basis the previous season with the Raptors.
But what he need for the national team group was very different.
Nurse recalls, “Shelley in particular had a lot of FIBA experience.” “We were virtually putting on a lecture for our NBA guys who were suddenly playing for Canada under FIBA regulations.” The difficulties, the contrasts, and the resemblances
“That was a video session for our men, and then we had some scrimmages that they helped ref, and all of that to assist give our guys a brief, three-day minicamp on the differences in the regulations and getting acclimated to playing them. It was very wonderful.”
In 2021, Shelley Russi poses with Nick Nurse. Nurse coached the Canadian men’s basketball team during Olympic qualifications, while Russi worked alongside him. Courtesy Russi, Shelley
Nurse has also integrated Third Side’s philosophy into his coaching with the Raptors. Their work in certain geographical regions has been very noteworthy.
Nurse said, “They discuss a lot about angles and positions, stuff like that.” “Why can [a play] be perceived one way based on my viewpoint against the referee’s angle?”
IF YOU’RE A FAN OF NBA BASKETBALL OR THEIR ANALYSIS, YOU’VE PROBABLY LEARNED SOMETHING FROM VADEN AND RUSSIA — even if you didn’t realize it.
They are often used as materials by some of the game’s greatest and most well-known announcers. Mike Breen, a long-time play-by-play commentator and a fixture in the NBA Finals, met Vaden when he was an on-court official, and the two struck up a friendship based on Vaden’s commitment to keep everyone in the basketball world updated.
Breen stated, “He was always incredibly excellent about explaining why this occurred, or why something was called, or explaining a regulation.” “He simply explained it in such a clear, simple manner that anybody could comprehend it.”
Vaden and Breen have remained friends to this day. Breen often contacts him after a broadcast that has an odd or unique call to get insight and guarantee he’s ready for the next time.
Don Vaden, a consultant with Third Side Coaching, has 30 years of NBA and WNBA officiating experience. Now he works with athletes and teams to help them better their game. ESPN’s Matt Odom
Vaden is a buddy and the greatest officiating tool available to Bob Rathbun, the Hawks’ TV voice for almost 25 years. When Vaden consulted with the Portland Trail Blazers a few years ago, Lamar Hurd, the Blazers’ color commentator, attracted Vaden’s attention with his rules expertise, and the two now interact on a regular basis.
“I believe they’ve given me a better idea of how much effort and care goes into every single official’s job,” said Ryan Ruocco, an NBA and WNBA commentator. “If we want to go very deep into a “Star Wars” comparison, they all have to be Yoda as a raging inferno of Sith rises around them. Isn’t it true that they have to be Zen? They must be very technically sound, and they must do so in a split second with the top athletes on the planet.”
Russi and Vaden were introduced to Ruocco when they were still still with the WNBA, as part of their attempts to boost media outreach. His desire to get it right on the air is so strong that he’ll sometimes email one or the other during a commercial break for a game he’s calling simply to be sure he can talk appropriately about a call.
Russi and Vaden don’t make much money assisting broadcasters. Sure, it’s a method to grow the brand, but it’s also more. They’re constantly searching for ways to improve everyone’s understanding of officiating, which is one of basketball’s most crucial but least spoken aspects.
Third Side Coaching has also gotten into NASCAR, a sport in which Vaden has extensive links. Over the years, he has worked as a spotter and squad manager for many teams. Third Side supports a NASCAR pit crew made up of a diverse group of up-and-comers in collaboration with Russi’s NGO, Blast Equality Collab (which promotes diversity and inclusion in officiating and sports).
Russi’s message is straightforward: the principles they teach in officiating can be used in a variety of situations. “Refereeing may be life training,” she explains.
The basic notion of paying it forward serves as a guiding principle for both. Vaden recalls, “I was extremely lucky to have the possibilities I had.” “It’s truly an aim of mine to be able to give back to people today.”
The “joey crawford” is a group of referees who are the best in the business. They take on the most important games, and they know how to get their calls right.
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