It’s a dark, snowy Tuesday night in Hamden, Connecticut, the kind that last all basketball 
season in the Northeast. John W. Adams is sitting by himself in the last row at the TD Bank SportsCenter, preparing to take in yet another game in the long stretch of games that make up his life each winter.
Over the next five months, the NCAA’s head of men’s basketball officials will traverse the country, going from city to city, small gym to huge arena, to evaluate as many of our nation’s college basketball officials as he can. His recommendations will determine which referees make it to the NCAA Tournament, which ones advance, and ultimately, who will toss the ball into the air at the Final Four.
These young players have to make major financial decisions, deciding whether to head overseas or take different paths like the NBA Development League — and cash much smaller checks. Some of those who’ve followed the latter path have made camps and have the chance to make a roster.
