The 2024 KBA 3×3 Referee Workshop and the 1st KBA 3×3 Referee Qualification Test were held to lay the foundation for the development of 3×3 in Korea.
The Korea Basketball Association (KBA) held the 2024 KBA 3×3 Referee Training Course and the 1st KBA 3×3 Referee Qualification Test at Gwangshin Academy of Broadcasting Arts in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, on Saturday (Feb. 2). The event was attended by 30 students and four official referees.
The association, which has organized the FIBA 3×3 Referee Clinic every year since 2018, held its first referee clinic this year ahead of the start of the new 3×3 season. The clinic was organized by the association, not FIBA, but 스포츠토토 the number of participants was unexpectedly high.
The federation invited Kim Cheong-soo, the first Korean referee to be certified as an international FIBA 3×3 referee, for the clinic. The training started at 10 a.m. and was led by Kim, who was full of enthusiasm. Referee Kim prepared the training materials himself and taught the basic posture of a 3×3 referee, officiating techniques, game progression, and the theory of officiating.
In addition, Kim also explained the basic rules and methods of officiating 3×3 games.
Emphasizing that the rules for team fouls and the number of free throws are different from 5-on-5 basketball, Kim also taught the students about technical fouls and player protests. He explained that unlike 5-on-5 basketball, there is no ejection for accumulating two technical fouls, and that if someone from the stands is giving instructions, they can point out a technical foul to the team.
The morning’s intense training continued through lunch and into the afternoon schedule, which consisted of the following sessions: Biovigilance & Fouls, Theory Test, Practical Training, and Practical Test.
(*The cutoffs for the practical and written exams are 60 points for Level 3, 70 points for Level 2, and 80 points for Level 1. By the way, those who have earned a level 2 or higher certification can participate as referees in the KBA 3×3 Korea Tour, the most prestigious 3×3 competition in Korea. There were 21 participants in the class, 9 in Level 3 and 9 in Level 1-2)
Moved to the Gwangshin Broadcasting Arts High School gymnasium, the practical test was divided into two levels, Level 1 and Level 2, and the Level 1 candidates were joined by current 3×3 players such as Kim Jung-yeon, Han Joon-hyuk, Park Rae-hoon, Jung Sung-jo, Seok Jong-tae, and Lee Dong-yoon, who served as assistants for the practice match. The most basic level 3 candidates practiced signaling movements under the guidance of international 3×3 referee Lee Dong-hyun.
The clinic was attended not only by participants living in the Seoul metropolitan area, but also by participants who are active in Gwangju, showing their passion for 3×3, and the head coach of the women’s 3×3 national team, Jeon Byung-joon, was also present and eager to learn.
“Even if you have a lot of experience playing 3×3, such as leading the national team and competing in 3×3 international tournaments, there are some rules that are easy to overlook due to the nature of the sport. For example, if the players are well aware of these unfamiliar rules, such as the 3×3-specific rule that the defending team takes the offensive possession if there is a helpless ball situation during the game, they can deal with it wisely,” said Jeon. “Also, by fully learning the rules, they can come up with unexpected tactics. I think it was beneficial in many ways, especially since there were many people who were new to 3×3, and the instructors did a good job of keeping the atmosphere interesting.”
Referee Kim Cheong-soo, who expressed his goal to improve the referees’ understanding of 3×3 and train KBA 3×3 referees through this training, said, “Just like the FIBA 3×3 referee certification, the KBA has recently launched a course to obtain 3×3 referee certification as well as 5-on-5. We organized this clinic to develop Korean basketball and expand the base of 3×3 basketball, and to train and qualify KBA 3×3 referees. Unexpectedly, many people from all over the country participated and showed their enthusiasm. We hope to produce many professional 3×3 referees from this clinic as the base of 3×3 in Korea continues to expand.”
In April, the association will hold another 3×3 refereeing workshop with FIBA 3×3 international referees, just in time for the start of the KBA 3×3 Korea Tour 2024 in Seoul.