FIBA Sport Director – Lubomir Kotleba – was one of the instructors at the basketball referee’s camp, which took place 20-24.06.2006 in Poland (Bydgoszcz).

Marta Seweryn: As you are FIBA Sport Director you are doing a lot of clinics and camps. What is your aim of being there?

Lubo Kotleba: I’m doing a lot of clinics. First as a lecturer and secondly I’m coming to the clinics just to see how others are doing the clinics. To learn or to observe if there everything is running according to the FIBA regulations. Clinics are very different, depends on the organizer. Sometimes you have an excellent clinic like here, sometimes you have a clinic which is not so good organized, because the conditions are very difficult. If you go to Lesotho or Sri Lanka you are fighting for good technical equipment. Most difficult part is to have practice there and good games, and that is what I’m happy to see here, that you really was able to secure a junior men and senior men. They are playing the serious game which is a good evaluation for the referees. You can advise them much better on the game which is serious. And of course on the clinics I like to cooperate with the other instructors and we are trying to reach the best possible results. Whenever I go to the clinics, I’m always going to the special clinics which are for candidates, I’m always hoping that all of them will pass. I’m the teacher who always wants everybody to pass, to have good notes, as every teacher in any kind of class. And if they are passing it is a good sign for the teacher that he is teaching well. And also for the clinic it means that FIBA is doing a good job, and also the national federation, who are at the end responsible for the referees. But it is very rare that all of them pass, almost impossible.

Have you ever been playing basketball?

I was a basketball player, but I was a terrible basketball player (smile). I was a good player of the each category of juniors and when I became senior it was very fashionable for better preparation: weight lifting, and all this body building. Because I was always physically very lazy person so I was not doing it at all or not properly and of course within a half a year all the other players were better than me and I became a bench player and then I said it is not for me.

How long have you been working for FIBA?

The time is passing by very quickly I have work already from 1989. So it is 17 years.

During this time game rules changed several times. Which rule in your opinion has the biggest influence on the game?

It is very difficult to say, but one of the biggest changes we did in basketball was even before me in 1984, when we introduced the three point shot and I could say one of the major was when we cut it from 30 to 24 seconds. It changed game dramatically, I would say this was the most significant, but as said at this clinic, now the general opinion is that the rules are in the good shape. We don’t have to change many things. Basketball world, basketball community accept the rules as they are. They are now not demanding any dramatic changes. Rules are good, officiating should be better. This is how to develop in the future.

Are you happy with how the system of three man mechanic works in European National Leagues?

I would say that three person officiating, first of all, is good for the game, for many reasons one of the most important is that it is more psychological, that the players feel they are under better service and they feel that three people can see more. It is a very strong message, especially to the players, coaches and spectators that they believe, that with three officiates the game is better and this is very strong psychological factor, which really leads to better officiating and also better acceptance of officiating. Of course there are still big difficulties, because not all countries are officiating with three. Ok, in Europe is different, but worldwide still very countries never ever heard about three person. You have still realized that, to my estimation, for sure 97% of the games worldwide are still with two people, so it needs time and constant work. Than three people officiating will be generally accepted in all countries, but definitely as I said it is good for the basket.

It was my next question. Not every country is using three men for the game. What FIBA can do with it?

Ok. FIBA first what we did, we have set that all FIBA competitions, World Championships and Olympic Games are with three, regardless even a junior man or junior girls. Because FIBA is always setting the standards, apparently more and more zone championships will be with three men on the court, and when the zone championships will be with three also the national federations will be in directly forced. But we have to realize that we have 212 federations and if you now start to talk about three people officiating in Botswana, it is difficult to imagine. But we are saying the three men officiating is almost a must if you have strong games, if you have enough good referees and if you have enough money to pay. But the key is strong games.

Have you heard about this camp for referees before?

I have heard about that before. People were telling me that this is a good camp, so I’m very pleased to be here and I’m very pleased to learn that what I have seen is far above my expectations.

What do you think about Kuba Zamojski idea for this camp? And great group of instructors?

What I think it is always good to have at least one or two names, let’s put it this way. Not because it sells the camp itself, but those who are very well accepted and with a good reputation. Their lectures deliver the message. What I find very good that you are still having here a part of the lecturers who are active referees. Because all those who are like me, we finished officiating ten years ago. I still feel consider that we understand the game and have excellent knowledge of everything, but it is always good to have present those who are still daily working on the court. Because they feel the game a little different that we do, so it is a good combination.

How this kind of camp can help referees to develop their skills?

I think this is absolutely the proper type of the work with referees. Of course I repeat it again, as I said at the clinic. The basic work, I would say that 90% of work with referees must be done within the national federation. Every day, every week, every month, this is the work with the referees. However, each federation has a certain method of working with referees, so therefore the camps like this are excellent, because those referees, ex. if I’m Slovak , I have always information from Slovakia only, from the same people. It is not a pride horizon, so if they come here, they hear the different lecturers, different topics, different presentations, and different type of the work. I think this is excellent to improve your officiating. And the top of are clinics which FIBA is normally running. Normally we are running candidates clinics or the refresher clinic. In both clinics people are coming nervous. They are much more concentrating on getting the license or have their license renewed instead of learning something. That type of clinic is not best for learning, because people are not concentrated too much on the lessons, they are concentrated on the test. So here they are free from any pressure, and you have three day, even more, and it is after the season. This is now their minds are free and they can really learn a lot. And as I said, this type of the clinic is probably the best for learning.

You are very busy as a FIBA Sport Director. Are you going to have a lot of work in the summer time?

It was also in the past, when we were in FIBA Europe together. It is amazing to say, but the most difficult period is always the summer time. Because there are many championships and of course during the season, let’s say from October to May, FIBA Europe and we are concentrating more on day by day work, and even if we are traveling, we are traveling for short of periods. But when the summer comes you go fourteen days and another fourteen days, so summer is always very busy.

Thank you and wish you the best for the summer.

Welcome anytime. (smile)