Ted Hillary has been officiating Conference USA men's basketball since the league's inception in 1995. He has been officiating for 33 years, 27 of those in Division I college basketball.

A graduate of St.Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Ind., Hillary was drafted by the ABA Indiana Pacers in 1970 but was cut in rookie camp. Hillary, 54, retired seven years ago from his job as a secondary-school social studies teacher in Grand Rapids, Mich., where he lives. Hillary answered five questions from Enquirer reporter Bill Koch.

1. Why would anyone want to be an official?

I didn't want to be. I just stumbled into it. I wanted to be a basketball coach more than anything in my life. I came to Grand Rapids after getting cut from the Pacers. There weren't a whole lot of teaching jobs open in October and this guy says, "Why don't you come referee with me?" Five years later, when they came and offered me a coaching job, I was so in love with refereeing I turned them down. I enjoyed being part of the game, close to the game.

2. What's the most difficult call for an official?

They used to say it was the block-charge. I have a different opinion on it. Nobody thinks you get it right anyway, so how difficult can it be? I feel some of the tougher calls are the bang-bang, out-of-bounds calls, because it's a possession, and in our game, every possession is so darned important.

3. What does it take to get you to call a technical foul on a coach?

Normally when an official is right, he tends not to put up with as much from the sideline as the official who knows he has erred. But there's a point where officials don't want to be embarrassed. When that creeps in, it's probably technical-foul time. There are some givens. If somebody uses foul language directed toward you, it's going to be automatic.

4. Do you hear what fans say to you?

I always tell them I'm blind, not deaf. Some of the things that are said are kind of funny. I've gotten so sick of polishing shoes that I've gone to wearing patent leather shoes. The other night, a kid said, `You've got to get this game over with so you can get back to the prom.' I looked at him and said, `That's good.'

5. If you could change one rule, what would it be?

A person wouldn't be allowed to call a timeout when he's running out of bounds carrying the basketball.