

The Crown Refs Podcast
Paul Diasparra
The Crown Refs Podcast is the ultimate audio experience for basketball officials looking to elevate their craft, build confidence, and achieve long-term success on and off the court. Hosted by Paul Diasparra, this podcast helps referees master their skills, refine their judgment, and develop a strong officiating mindset. It features top names in officiating like Joey Crawford, Roger Ayers, Dee Kantner, Maia Chaka, Lisa Mattingly, Tyler Ford, Penny Davis, Reggie Greenwood, Scott Foster, Al Battista, Crystal Hogan, Bo Boroski, Gary Vee, Clarence Armstrong, and more. #Servethegame
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 21, 2023 โข 43min
#307 The Porsha and Pauly Pod |feat Porsha Waddey | Episode 2
In this episode, Porsche and Pauly discuss the importance of sharing knowledge and being a teacher, regardless of whether or not you consider yourself an expert. They emphasize the value of being confident in what you know and being open to learning from others to improve as an official, a leader, and a person. They also touch on the importance of being able to say "I don't know" and the power of admitting your limitations.โฃ
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Throughout the episode, Porsche and Paulie provide examples from their own experiences as officials and coaches, sharing tips and advice for how to effectively share your knowledge with others. They also discuss the role of confidence and self-esteem in teaching and learning, and how taking advantage of opportunities to teach others can help you become a better official and a better person overall. โฃ
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Listeners will come away from this episode with a better understanding of the importance of sharing knowledge and being a teacher, and with practical tips and advice for how to do so effectively.โฃ
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๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐โฃ
Patreon.com/crownrefsโฃ
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๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟโฃ
https://conta.cc/3IOL2d1โฃ
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๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟโฃ
Refereestore.com/crownrefs

Mar 19, 2023 โข 43min
#306 The Porsha & Pauly Pod | feat Porsha Waddey | Episode 1
In this episode, the hosts discuss some recent games that one of them officiated, including an encounter with a coach who was unhappy with a decision. The hosts discuss how to handle these situations and give some advice on how to defuse the situation and move on. They also touch on the importance of positive self-talk and not judging oneself or others during the game.โฃ
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We also talk about a game with a new partner who was disengaged and unprofessional. We discussed the importance of being a good partner and how to navigate working with someone who doesn't care, as well as not being too judgmental of others. Overall, the episode offers useful tips for handling difficult situations in officiating and emphasizes the importance of staying positive and being a good partner.โฃ
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๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐โฃ
Patreon.com/crownrefsโฃ
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๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟโฃ
https://conta.cc/3IOL2d1โฃ
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๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟโฃ
Refereestore.com/crownrefs

Mar 17, 2023 โข 58min
#305 Finding your Groove | feat. Brian Wallace | Official since 2005 | Lynchburg, VA
In this episode, we sit down with Brian Wallace, a basketball referee with over 15 years of experience who has worked both Division 1 Men's and Division 1 Women's. Brian shares his journey going from almost quitting Division 1 Men's before transitioning into a Division 1 Women's official. โฃ
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Brian talks about bouncing back from that experience and the challenges he has faced along the way. He talks about the importance of teamwork and how he has learned something from every official he has worked with, regardless of their experience level. Brian also shares some humorous stories of dealing with coaches and how he communicates with them during games. โฃ
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Throughout the episode, Brian emphasizes the importance of professionalism and staying calm in high-pressure situations. Whether you're a basketball fan or not, this episode offers valuable insights on teamwork, communication, and maintaining composure under pressure. Brian is also a graphic designer who has worked on multiple projects for Crown Refs including the NBA Multiverse Poster. We hope you enjoy!โฃ
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๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐โฃ
Patreon.com/crownrefsโฃ
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๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟโฃ
https://conta.cc/3IOL2d1โฃ
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๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟโฃ
Refereestore.com/crownrefs

Feb 18, 2023 โข 2h 1min
#304 Rapid Responses 11 | The Whole Toolbox | Wisconsin Webinar
In the 11th installment of Rapid Responses, we give you the whole toolbox of tips and best practices in this 2-hour webinar to help you become a high-level communicator with coaches. If you can start to implement and polish these tactics you will start to experience new powers on the court that you never had. The tools are all here...IT'S TIME TO GO EXECUTE.โฃ
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In this webinar, we deep dive into 20 mindset tips that each official needs to establish before entering the conversation. Some examples include changing up the subject matter, understanding how to re-apply the pressure, and utilizing the 3 voices. Then, we list 12 of the most common questions/comments that coaches say to officials and provide you with multiple options that will help you respond most effectively. We think this episode will be the one that leads you to your biggest breakthroughs in this department.โฃ
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Thank you to Brian Kenney and the Wisconsin River Officials Association for creating this webinar and to the 70 officials who attended. We hope you enjoy!

Feb 3, 2023 โข 1h 21min
#303 RefMasters feat. James Williams & Kane Fitzgerald | NBA Finals Officials
We are excited to welcome 2 NBA Finals officials and the creators of Ref Masters, James Williams, and Kane Fitzgerald. James is in his 13th season as Kane recently stepped away to be Vice President of Referee Operations. These gentlemen bring a wealth of experience and knowledge that they shared with us throughout this 98-minute session. โฃ
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In this episode, we spoke about their journey to the NBA, bouncing back from failures, avoiding trying to prove their worth to anyone, and trusting your partners. We also speak about why the older generation of referees in power positions have historically frowned upon social media content and what we can do to change the culture. The fellas also tell us about the idea behind RefMasters and some of the exciting things to look out for in the future. We hope you enjoy it!โฃ
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๐พ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ๐ก๐ค๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅโฃ
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/refmasters-app/id1640142865โฃ
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๐๐ข๐๐๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ โฃ
kane.fitzgerald@refmasters.comโฃ
james.williams@refmasters.comโฃ
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๐ค๐๐ฃ ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐ค๐ข๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ฎโฃ
Patreon.com/crownrefs

Jan 11, 2023 โข 3h 3min
#302 Best of 2022 Mix | 3 hours and 2 mins of our best content from the year
The episode features our best content from the year including clips from our Mentor Community, Gene Steratore, Jose Carrion, Jarell Christian, JB Caldwell, Roger Ayers and much of our mic'd up camp content. Thank you for your unwavering support and have the best year of your life.โฃ
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๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐โฃ
Patreon.com/crownrefsโฃ
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๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒโฃ
https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/new_york/hartsdale/crown-refsโฃ
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๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟโฃ
Refereestore.com

Dec 22, 2022 โข 1h 8min
#301 Rapid Responses 10 | Your management and communication unlocks | A Patreon Original
Welcome back to the 10th installment of Rapid Responses, our cutting edge series devoted to helping you become a tactical communicator under pressure. We teach you the skills to be able to respond professioinally to ANYTHING a coach will ever say to you. โฃ
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In this episode, the main topicss include overcoming the fear in officiating and not being scared to firmly manage the coaches. We cover the concepts of offense vs defense, addressing proper communication guidelines over giving an explanation, and the power of changing the subject matter. โฃ
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Not only is the podcast loaded with game-changing communication content we also included a written document titled "38 Power Principles to help you most effectivley manage the coach." The written content provides so many important macro themes to adapt and the podcast will give you the effective micro responses to immediately incorporate into your games.โฃ
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๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐จ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต โฃ
https://medium.com/@crownrefs/34-power-principles-for-the-most-effective-coach-management-468c60ef6b63โฃ
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๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐โฃ
Patreon.com/crownrefsโฃ
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๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒโฃ
https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/new_york/hartsdale/crown-refsโฃ
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๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟโฃ
Refereestore.com

Dec 6, 2022 โข 1h 58min
#300 Mastering the Crafts | feat. Gene Steratore | Super Bowl & NCAA tournament Referee | CBS Rules
Welcome to the 300th episode of the Crown Refs Podcast. We canโt thank you enough for your continued support as itโs been a driving force behind us being able to hit this small milestone.โฃ
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Gene Steratore is a flat-out officiating legend whoโs worked in the Super Bowl, and the NCAA tournament, and is currently the CBS Rules Analyst for the NFL & College Basketball. For an official to have this type of seasoning is rare and we are super honored to have Gene share his knowledge and experience with the Crown Refs Community.โฃ
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In this episode, we discuss the early tutelage Gene had growing up in a family of officials and how it impacted his long career both on and off the court/field. We went in-depth into communication and game management as Gene shared and simulated numerous ways to effectively respond to the coach. โฃ
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We also covered the superpowers of empathy, kindness, and integrity and why every official should exemplify those traits. โฃ
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We hope you enjoy this episode and learn a ton.

Dec 2, 2022 โข 9min
#299 Live From the Locker Room | Vol. 5 | feat. Ajay Gonnelli & Bhavin Parekh
In the 5th installment of our Live from the Locker Room series, the crew meets at halftime to discuss the plays that stood out from the first half. โฃ
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We recall a block/charge play that we rarely see as the defender turns and braces for impact. We also discuss bench decorum with regard to assistant coaches and share some helpful reminders about sticking to our fundamentals. โฃ
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We hope you enjoy!โฃ
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๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐โฃ
Patreon.com/crownrefsโฃ
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๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒโฃ
https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/new_york/hartsdale/crown-refsโฃ
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๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟโฃ
Refereestore.com

Nov 30, 2022 โข 1h 2min
#298 Building with Brett | Brett Coleman | Official since 2015
Brett Coleman is a passionate 7-year official from Livingston, New Jersey who's been a part of Crown Refs Mentor since March 2021. His goal is to make Division 1 and possibly beyond. He joined Crown Refs because of the valuable content and engaging community that we have!โฃ
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In this episode, we cover a lot of different topics including late game "take fouls' and intentional foul scenarios and how to proactively manage them. We also discussed this macro point that can help everyone- Don't allow previous possessions to impact the current one. Just like players we have to have a next play mentality and we are only as good as our last call. So, this serves as a reminder to stay focused and be in the moment. There are many other takeaways from this episode that we think you will find super helpful. Have a great season!โฃ
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๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐โฃ
Patreon.com/crownrefsโฃ
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๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒโฃ
https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/new_york/hartsdale/crown-refsโฃ
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๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟโฃ
Refereestore.com


