Tuesday, March 4, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
FOR THOSE who have watched Western Athletic Conference basketball this year, you'd have to admit the level of play is higher than what UNLV fans were used to watching the Big West. Much higher.
And the level of coaching is superior as well. When you can watch veterans Rick Majerus, Jerry Tarkanian, Don Haskins and Dave Bliss work the sidelines every night, that's pretty good.
But while the WAC has it all over the Big West in terms of players and coaches, there's one area it comes up short -- officiating.
And like it or not, it is the league's major problem toward continued growth.
It's not just about a noncall at the end of the UNLV-Colorado State game Saturday. Those things are going to happen. Guys will swallow their whistle on occasion.
But ask every coach in the league and they'll tell you (off the record, of course), the zebras are their biggest concern. Commissioner Karl Benson hears that and he gets a scowl on his usually smiling face.
"Coaches, fans and the media all have an opinion and all three see it through different sets of eyes," he said. "I don't think any of the three are objective, even the media, which should be the most objective."
Benson pointed out the WAC has gone to great lengths to improve the quality of its officiating. It hired veteran ref Bobby Dibler to be supervisor of officials. It held a meeting last summer with the conference coaches, trying to develop some constructive dialogue.
It hired 15 new officials, including six with national credentials. It raised the pay of the refs, making it comparable with the Pac-10. A WAC ref gets $475 a game, plus expenses.
"I'm satisfied with the overall quality of the officiating this year," Benson said. "Can we improve? Of course we can. We've strived to get the best officials and will continue to do so."
But in expanding to 16 teams, did the WAC cause a dilution of referee talent? Saturday, two of the WAC's best, Dave Hall and Moose Stubing, worked the nationally televised Utah-New Mexico game. That meant two quality officials weren't available to work the other games.
Benson doesn't buy the dilution theory, nor does he believe the WAC is a poor sister to the Pac-10, the Big West or any other league.
"Everyone should stop complaining and allow us to continue to improve the level of officiating," he said.
Fine. But don't let the product suffer in the interim. Nobody is asking for perfection. Referees are human. They have good days and bad days, just like coaches, players, fans and yes, even the media.
That doesn't mean things can't get better. Maybe the WAC needs to make its financial package more attractive. Maybe it needs to tell the coaches to chill on the sidelines so the refs can focus better.
But if the 16 member schools are making the effort to put the best product they can on the floor, the WAC needs to make that same commitment. Most nights, it is coming up short.
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