28 out of 30 NBA teams have their own minor league franchises in the NBA G-League (NBAGL). On Wednesday, November 27, 2019 Karen and I drove to Greensboro, NC to see her niece, Jenna Reneau, referee in the Coliseum Complex Fieldhouse. The game was the first in the Fieldhouse to use an all-female referee crew.
The Charlotte Hornets’s NBAGL team is the Greensboro Swarm. We saw them play against the Boston Celtics’ Main Red Claws. Karen could not resist posing with the Swarms’ mascot pregame.
Not only is the NBAGL a training ground for top talent NBA players, the G-League tests new rules, grooms front office and coaching staff and utilizes professional referees like Jenna Reneau, in the middle of the above shot.
Jenna is a professional referee and maintains a hectic schedule jetting around the US to call games. She was headed to referee three, women’s college basketball games after this event. Jenna told me, “I run about 4-miles during every game.
Players at this level have a lot to prove and the action was hard and quick. Keeping an eye on that much movement is a real challenge. A former, 17-year, referee veteran told us after the game, “Number 77 gets up and down the court fast and has a good eye.”
The rules are different in college and pro basketball. Throw in experimental rules that can be tried out in the NBAGL before the NBA and it’s no wonder young players question calls. That, and players rarely agree with a call against them.
Professional referees, like pro players, review their game performances on video after the contest ends. They stay up late and critique every aspect of their work looking for ways to improve.
Every hand gesture, whistle blow, and shouted instruction has been practiced, then delivered sharp and precise to avoid confusion.
The final score was Swarm 131 and Red Claws 155. It was a wild game full of great shots and plenty of infractions. The after-game analysis proved the Ladies did a great job!
Refereeing at this level comes with tremendous pressure, requires great physical ability and a keen sense for the game and the rules that keep it running smoothly. Ms. Jenna handles it all like a true Pro! It was a pleasure to watch her work.