No Ed Hightower for the B1G

[tweeterhawk]

When Hightower's retirement was reported in June most quoted national stories said it would be at the end of the 2013-14 season. But Ed apparently told his local newspaper it will be sooner than that -- sometime in December.

BASKETBALL: Hightower will retire from refereeing in

“I’ve refereed Division I basketball for 35 years and I’ve worked the highest level,” Hightower said. “I’ve accomplished everything that can be accomplished. What else is there for me to do. I’ve reached a point where I can’t achieve anything else and I want to go out on my own terms. I’m healthy, my ratings are still good, but you reach a point where you ask yourself, ‘How much longer do you want to go?’ I made the decision and it’s my decision. I called the Big Ten office on Monday and said what I wanted to do this year. I will work November and December and then I’ll retire. I’ve also called the Big East Conference and the Missouri Valley Conference and shared that with them.

So unless he gets some out of conference assignments at B1G schools, there'll be no Ed Hightower Farewell Tour around the circuit. Too bad. I'm sure he would have received an enthusiastic send-off on each campus.

 

[woodyk1]

 

[OUTofTOWNHAWK]

Fran McCaffery Goes Crazy (Iowa Basketball 2012) - YouTube

 

[uihawk82]

Finally, he may have worked at the highest levels but many times he didnt do high level work.

 

[LawVHawk]

Good-bye and good riddance to Showboat Eddie. He should never be allowed to set foot inside Carver-Hawkeye again.

 

[vgshwk]

Let me say a Homer woo hoo.

 

[Tmoney12]

I will not get mad when I get killed for the following statement. I am more excited about this then the football game tomorrow...

The Fran Chest bump video may have had a lot to do with that

 

[tm3308]

I'd trade Valentine to keep Hightower any day of the week.

 

[JonDMiller]

Hightower was a showboat....but he was a pretty good ref....Ted Valentine? He's a showboat and stinks.

 

[woodyk1]

Hightower was a showboat....but he was a pretty good ref....Ted Valentine? He's a showboat and stinks.

Hurtful ...

 

[JHHawk]

Hightower was a showboat....but he was a pretty good ref....Ted Valentine? He's a showboat and stinks.

Exactly. The site that monitors refs showed that Eddy called more fouls than most Big Ten guys,and Teddy was by far the least fouls.....as that is how Teddys good friend Tom Izzo likes the games called. Until Teddy is gone, the new rules that the NCAA is trying to implement to clean up the game are probably fruitless....cus Teddy needs to see blood before considering calling a foul. MSU thanks you for that Big Ten tourney win,Teddy.

 

[sportstalent]

"Hey Ed, can you call a foul on MSU, they are big meanies"

"Todd, you suck, who uses 'meanies' anyway"

 

[sportstalent]

I'd trade Valentine to keep Hightower any day of the week.

Both terrible, if Hightower was doing an NCAA tournament game and the Big Ten was involved, well, let's just say they didn't fare well.

When he did the NC game between Memphis and Kansas, I said KU would win even though they aren't the better team. There was some poor officiating and FT shooting, but Ed definitely had bias toward some conferences and the B12 was one of them.

 

[sportstalent]

Hightower was a showboat....but he was a pretty good ref....Ted Valentine? He's a showboat and stinks.

Both are just awful, I don't think Hightower was a good ref, way too involved and caused more delays because of missed calls and taking his time to discuss everything with his favorite coaches.

Valentine used to be a good ref, but now he is far more concerned with being on screen than calling the game...he just goes out and gets his check. The problem is conferences won't get on the same page and evaluate refs honestly and get rid of them when needed. Jim Burr can be put in that same category, he has trouble just running up and down the court today.

 

[LawVHawk]

Both are just awful, I don't think Hightower was a good ref, way too involved and caused more delays because of missed calls and taking his time to discuss everything with his favorite coaches.

Valentine used to be a good ref, but now he is far more concerned with being on screen than calling the game...he just goes out and gets his check. The problem is conferences won't get on the same page and evaluate refs honestly and get rid of them when needed. Jim Burr can be put in that same category, he has trouble just running up and down the court today.

Early on, I'm told, Burr was a pretty good ref. But clearly the vision and fitness thing are problems for him today. It is hard to watch him try to get up and down the court trying to keep up with athletes that are bigger, stronger, faster, more crafty than they were 10-20 years ago. Getting the retirement of Jim Burr and Ted Valentine combined with fast Eddie's announced retirement would be an early Christmas for college basketball fans, whenever it would happen.

 

[sportstalent]

Early on, I'm told, Burr was a pretty good ref. But clearly the vision and fitness thing are problems for him today. It is hard to watch him try to get up and down the court trying to keep up with athletes that are bigger, stronger, faster, more crafty than they were 10-20 years ago. Getting the retirement of Jim Burr and Ted Valentine combined with fast Eddie's announced retirement would be an early Christmas for college basketball fans, whenever it would happen.

He was a better ref than Valnetine and Hightower, but I am not sure that classifys him as "good" he has become awful over the last few years and he was the head official in the blown Big East game.

 

[bcl20]

Can we get rid of the rest of the big name refs now?

I feel like if I know your name and you are a ref/umpire, you suck.