Those devotees, who chose to be referees.

As part of the Powerade Pacific Coast Slam, Thursday saw 44 kids from around the land, and New Zealand, come together to learn more about refereeing the game of basketball.

Port Macquarie’s only participant was Joe Compton.

“I turned to refereeing when I strained my cruciate ligament playing,” he said.

“And, as it turned out, I find it better than dribbling a ball.”

The driven young man wants to take his overseeing of the game to the top.

“I really want to get to the national level,” the 14-year-old said.

“And, this course has been really useful.

“We have learnt a lot about game and player management and how to ensure that everything is as it should be on the court.”

One of the aspects new to the budding whistle blower is the idea of player management.

“We are actually responsible for the players when they are on court,” Compton said.

“It also teaches us how to deal with other aspects too like the crowd and some over-reactive parents on the sidelines.”

General manager of the referee’s program Paul Beale said all 44 participants who attended would see game time refereeing during the Slam.

“The course is a good mix of theory and practical,” Beale said.

“We teach them about things like conflict resolution and game management.”

Beale said clinics were vital in ensuring the constant stream of referees into the game at all levels.