First Posted: 2/9/2015
Tony Usavage, a Pittston native now living in Dallas, has spent decades as a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association basketball official.
He’s seen everything from four straight PIAA District 2 championships to refereeing with legendary University of North Carolina men’s basketball coach the late Dean Smith in the stands.
And he’s not giving up just yet.
Usavage, 60, is currently in his 40th year of officiating. He graduated from Pittston Area High School in 1973. He’s been worn black and white stripes since that time. He played basketball during his freshman and sophomore years for the Patriots. His love for the game of basketball got him into officiating, and that’s what keeps him going today.
“I enjoyed the game so much,” he said. “Once I graduated high school, I wanted to stay close to the game and stay active. I decided to take the (PIAA officiating) test and the rest is history.”
For the past 40 seasons, Usavage estimates he has officiated approximately 10,000 games and traveled countless miles. Currently, he’s working four, sometimes five, nights per week. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s very hard to sit in the stands and watch a game,” he said. “You want to be the referee.”
Once Usavage graduated from high school, he began to officiate local recreational leagues and at the Greater Pittston YMCA. Soon, he found himself donning the PIAA patch and his career was off and running.
Back in the 1970s, when Usavage began his career, schools assigned referees to games. Today, officials are assigned to games by an assigner in the district.
Usavage has a lot of those coaches to thank, one being former Northwest coach Eddie Gayeski. Gayeski coached at Shickshinny High School then Northwest from 1951 through 1985. He won back-to-back PIAA Class A state championships in the early 1980s. Usavage remembers officiating those teams.
“He was and is, by far, my favorite coach of all time,” Usavage said. “He gave me my first opportunity at Northwest.”
Gayeski is currently ninth on the all-time wins list for Pennsylvania coaches with 744. He accumulated a .792 winning percentage in his time down the line.
Working as an official for 40 years, Usavage has seen some spectacular teams and players, including the state title teams at Northwest.
The best team he saw play, however, was the Nanticoke Area girls team from the early 1990s. That Trojan team won four straight PIAA District 2 championships. Usavage officiated each one.
The Trojans won the Class AAA state title in 1990.
“The best team I saw play, no doubt, would be the Nanticoke girls team that won the state title,” he said. “That was, by far, the best basketball team in this area. I was happy to be a part of it.”
When Usavage gets to a gym and looks at the wall, he remembers the names — the 1,000-point scorers, the 2,000-point scorers. In some instances, he’s officiated three generations of players, including the Hoovers from West Pittston.
Former Bishop O’Reilly star Dave Popson comes to mind when Usavage remembers some of the best players and memories he’s had in 40 years. Popson was being recruited by Smith in the mid-1980s and Usavage once worked a game with Smith and Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps in the stands.
Popson went on to play for at North Carolina for Smith, who passed away at the age of 83 last week.
“As I get into my older years, like now, you get to the gym and look up at the walls,” Usavage said. “I remember working those games and those players scoring 1,000 points.”
According to Usavage, the game of basketball hasn’t changed much. In 40 years, however, he’s seen the institution of the three-point line and several other changes. To him, it’s still a game.
“It went from a game where athletes were not as good to today where they are 100 percent better,” he said. “But it’s still the same. You have to shoot, dribble, pass and put the ball in the basket.”
District playoffs are just around the corner and Usavage expects to continue working the next couple weeks. Although he hasn’t received the call to do a state title game, he has worked a few eastern finals.
With his ruby season coming to a close, Usavage doesn’t see himself walking away from the game any time soon. However, he said, when he can no longer get up and down the floor, he will hang up his uniform.
“When you don’t enjoy it anymore, it’s time to walk away,” he said. “Until then, it’s just fun. It’s a great past time if you’re a sports enthusiast or want to stay active. Everyone referees from the stands, but no one wants to be the guy on the floor.”
