The day of official review is upon USAO at the NAIA level of competition as USAO’s athletic department installed a new camera system into the Drover Fieldhouse. The three-camera system was introduced Sunday, Jan. 28. USAO is one of the eight teams in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) to implement the official review policy in the 2023-2024 season.
According to the SAC, they will use the same policy as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regarding what official review can be used for. Essentially, the referees can review any shot taken on the court, the time clock during any part of the game, and any foul that took place whether the referees said they occurred or not.
The only situations where the referees would be required to use official review is when the time clock ends for any quarter of a game and if there was a shot, foul, or shot clock violation that occurred. The other situation of when this is required is if an altercation between players or coaches occurs before, during, or after a game.
Another part of the basic rules for official review is that players and coaches cannot challenge a play or call to be reviewed. The referees must come to a consensus among themselves about whether they want to use the official review policy in a game.
Looking at the rule set provided for the official review process, it was unsurprising for Sports Information Director Tanner Shoemaker, as the NAIA typically follows the processes of the NCAA Division 1 level of competition. He also said that while coaches and players can’t challenge any call or play directly, they can ask and suggest the referees look at a play if they are uncertain about the ruling of it.
USAO’s Athletic Director Mike Ross stated that the official review policy will be required for all SAC teams to use in the 2024-2025 NAIA basketball season. However, the USAO Athletic Department decided to get a head start on how to use the new technology. The three-camera system that USAO uses is through a company called SkyCoach Sports Instant Replay. In the last few weeks, there have been mixed results from the program regarding its effectiveness.
“It does a good job as it clips the video and can be rewinded, but some of the calls with the three-camera system are tough,” Ross said. “We had a review the other day (women’s basketball vs. Mid-America Christian University, Feb. 3) that the refs tried to see a toe on the three-point line, but you couldn’t tell with our camera system.”
Along with the system’s issue of clarity, the official review has seen another issue in its short time at USAO.
“I think it needs to be taught to the referees for how they can use it. The referees that we have are not working in the higher levels, they are working at the JUCO, NAIA levels, and some even in high school,” senior forward Lainey Morrow stated.
Some of the recent basketball games have had Shoemaker and other faculty members helping and instructing the referees on how to use the technology. The NAIA has stated that all referees should know how to use the camera system, but that has not always been the case so far.
Despite these initial faults, Morrow said she does believe that there is a positive aspect to the addition of official review.
“An official can make a mistake after watching something one time, but if it’s challenged and you go to review it, that mistake can be corrected or be solidified in what you called,” she said.
As it stands, the official review policy is only set for the sport of basketball but could make appearances in other sports soon. Volleyball would be the next sport in line for official review, depending on how well it works at the NAIA level. No additional equipment would be needed if this was implemented into volleyball, since it is also played in the Drover Fieldhouse.
Gary Jackson is a third-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
