🏀 KuBuckets Archive

John Higgins has retired. :victory_hand_medium-light_skin_tone:

@dylans happy day!

@dylans Actually, he is now going to be the person responsible for grading and training officials I think? BUT not the ones for the B12. Doing it on the West Coast so the P12 will have to deal with mini-Higgins proteges.

Please fill me in on Higgins… I’m assuming he made some atrocious calls against Kansas?

@Bosthawk One of the very few refs who’s name I know. Refs should be invisible, but I always knew when he was calling a game. Many fan bases disliked him. Some even say he was biased for Kansas! UK fans went too far with their ire about his calls in 2017 and ended up getting sued by Higgins for harassment. Most of the ncaa is cheering right now.

@Bosthawk said in Other fantastic news:

Please fill me in on Higgins… I’m assuming he made some atrocious calls against Kansas?

Every big 12 fan base has been celebrating this online. Unifying! lol

@dylans said in Other fantastic news:

@Bosthawk One of the very few refs who’s name I know. Refs should be invisible, but I always knew when he was calling a game. Many fan bases disliked him. Some even say he was biased for Kansas! UK fans went too far with their ire about his calls in 2017 and ended up getting sued by Higgins for harassment. Most of the ncaa is cheering right now.

you don't remember Eddie Hightower ? -- - thought he was pretty good , refereed multiple conferences. - -or was it John Hightower ? - -Hell can't remember now I'm gettin old . - -he wa actualy prety good though.

Happy he's gone. Not happy he'll be teaching others his ways

How does this universally disliked ref have numerous final fours on his resume?

@wissox said in Other fantastic news:

How does this universally disliked ref have numerous final fours on his resume?

guess it all depends in the eye of the beholder. - many different leagues. -- they get evaluated every game--- -they are graded , now as a fan base where were partial , ya awful but to the ones how grade him, they obviously feel he was really good. I have no feeling one way or another on him

@wissox said in Other fantastic news:

How does this universally disliked ref have numerous final fours on his resume?

Not universally, but on refereeing I am always the lone voice in the wilderness. Of course, I learned as a judge that if trying to be fair results in pissing everybody off equally you may be doing something right.

Higgins got a lot better the last 5 or 6 years, to be fair. Half the time he made calls I was protesting out of sheer reflex recently. Thankless job, but somebody has to do it.

@mayjay What, is Higgins your son or something? Did he contribute to your election fund?

@wissox said in Other fantastic news:

What, is Higgins your son or something?

Geez, I hope not. But there was this one girl who wore stripes a lot....

OMG, is he retiring in order to focus on getting past child support???

I think he essentially got a promotion.

He was certainly one of those recognizable refs. I wonder how much influence he had on the B12 refs in the last 4 years or so-- which is when the B12 got more physical and also got more competitive (getting teams in the final 4 since 2019 and even a couple NCs).

A crew of officials can kill styles of play... or they can allow styles to germinate...