Browsing by Author "Ilaoh, Godfrey Mwaloma"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The Link between Basketball Officiating Expertise Level and the Referees’ Performance during Kenya Basketball Federation Premier League Play-Offs 2022–2023 Season
    (Kenyatta University, 2025-11) Ilaoh, Godfrey Mwaloma
    All sports depend on officiating to make the competition fair and moving forward—that is, sports should always be moving toward the objective of crowning a victor. In high-performance sports, officials are essential because they maintain order and regulation in an intricate and frequently unpredictable sporting event. The official basketball rules and regulations that control interactions between the different elements of the basketball community are set out by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) (FIBA 2023). The game of basketball is managed by a number of officials, key among them being referees and umpires. Several studies have investigated the performance of football and rugby referees in different jurisdictions. However, there is minimal information on the performance of basketball referees. The main objective of this study was to establish any link between the level of expertise in basketball officiating and the performance of the referees/umpires in Kenya Basketball Federation Premier League Play-Offs. The specific variables under investigation were: (i) knowledge and application of rules, (ii) mechanics of officiating and (iii) physical fitness during the 2022-2023 KBF Premier League Play-Offs season. The target population was 11 referees who officiated during the premier league play-offs level. Purposive sampling was used to select 11 referees officiating during the basketball play-offs. A questionnaire was used to collect data concerning knowledge of the game and application of rules; while the beep test was used to collect data that revealed their physical fitness. A recorded video was used to analyse the referees’/umpires’ mechanics and game management skills. Version 20.0 of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program was used to code and analyze the data. For categorical variables, descriptive statistics were used, and at a significance level of 0.05, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient was used to evaluate hypotheses. The outcomes showed significant correlation between the study's factors and the referees' performance: Knowledge of the rules and performance, r = 0.86, p = 0.006; Mechanics of officiating and performance, r = 0.99, p = 0.000 and Physical fitness and performance, r = 0.80, p = 0.017. It was therefore, recommended that KBF organizes more structured technical training programmes for the development of the referees, evaluate referees/umpires’ performance, and incorporate mentorship programs to induct new officials to mitigate the deficiencies in match officiating noted in the study. The policy formulation by relevant bodies on recruitment and training of basketball referees in Kenya should ensure that there is gender parity not only in the management of the game but also among the referees officiating the game. The study also recommended further investigation on the relationship between age and experience of referees and their overall performance in the KBF premier league play-offs. Additionally, further studies of referees officiating during the regular season of the premier league and those at lower leagues may add valuable contribution to the literature on basketball officiating in Kenya.