There’s a welcoming environment within the refereeing ranks at the Australian Junior Championships.
On court the officials are learning what it takes to referee high-calibre games – with multiple games per day on their schedules across the championships.
But once the final siren has sounded, you see the officials relaxing and having fun, cracking jokes and chatting about the goings on of the tournament and what is happening in their lives in and out of basketball.
At this championships though, that friendly communication took on a different form with referees and referee coaches alike huddled around laptops and texting each other to share these experiences and communicate with one incredible official – Jackson Lakey.
He is profoundly deaf but in spite of the challenges he has overcome, Lakey, 28 rose to the top of the Australian officiating pathway last week.
He earned his place in the tournament and equally won himself plenty of new friends and fans alike for his work at the Australian Junior Championships.
The Nunawading referee – who celebrated his birthday throughout the championships –loved every second of his time in the national tournament.
“I find being part of tournament is fantastic and everyone is welcome to me,” Lakey wrote. “My birthday was during the tournament and the referees organised me for a birthday cake - it’s delicious!”
He’s been a part of the refereeing community since he was 14 and has loved his time running the sidelines.
“I used to play with Deaf Basketball Australia but I found refereeing is more interesting to me,” Lakey wrote. “I played domestic basketball, but I tore ACL so I decided to stop playing basketball.
“I found refereeing to be more fun than playing competitive basketball as well - basketball is fast paced sport and it’s very excited game to watch, play and referee.
“I started to referee when I was 14 years old; my dad suggested that I should become a basketball referee because using hand shapes and body language are natural to me - I was really keen to improve my refereeing.
“When I was a younger referee I was uncertain and frustrated with refereeing, because how I’m communicating with players and coaches, but II’ve found a way to communicate with everyone. I feel so much better with how I reffed after I received my A Grade.”
The support he receives on and off the court has helped pushed his refereeing to the national level. With the assistance of his on-court referee partners as well as a number of fantastic referee coaches.
“I use phone or pen and paper to communicate with the referees - I am profound deafness so I can’t hear anything or speak – I’ve found phone or pen and paper is the best way to communicate with everyone.
“With players and coaches, I have to use my body language on why I called a foul on them and sometimes I have to refer to my referee partner.
“Neil Bradbury and Sarah Bradbury, when they are in Nunawading, are the ones who I always ask questions about referees and they helped me a lot.”
Lakey is keen to encourage other deaf referees to get involved in basketball and take on the challenges involved in.
“If they have a passion about basketball, you should have a go,” Lakey wrote. “Being a deaf referee is very challenging but it is worth it.”
