Officiating basketball is a family affair for the Kelleys.
Brian Kelley is a longtime referee who has officiated Division III men’s basketball games, before setting down in Snohomish County to focus on his family. That family includes Peyton Kelley, a senior at Jackson High School who has taken up the mantle and made a name for himself in the officiating ranks.
A week ago, the pair officiated their first high school varsity game together, when the Kamiak girls basketball team took on Mount Vernon. It was a unique — and fun — game for the Kelleys.
“It was such a cool experience,” Peyton said. “Hopefully it was fun for him, working with his son. There’s a definite connection I would say, when we’re working on the court. There’s a good vibe. It was a really rewarding experience to have.”
“It’s so cool. I try to downplay it so I don’t look like such a crazy parent,” Brian said. “But it was exciting.”
The third member of that night’s officiating crew, Riley Newman, found out before the game that it was Peyton and Brian’s first game together.
“The Kelleys are one of my favorite partners because they keep it so fun and light on the court,” said Newman, who starred as a tennis player at South Whidbey High School and currently attends Seattle University, where he plays for the Redhawks. “(The Kelleys) crack jokes during timeouts. It’s always a pleasure and a privilege to work with one of them in a game.”
, Newman says Peyton, as a young referee, is tested occasionally by coaches, including last Friday night’s game. After an assistant coach for one of the teams questioned Peyton’s call, he blew his whistle and warned the bench that he had heard enough.
“They were pretty quiet the rest of the game,” Newman said.
Peyton, now 18, played baseball until he was 13-years old. After his friends “passed (him) up” on the diamond, Peyton took on a different role and began to umpire. He was looking for a new challenge, and his father suggested officiating basketball games.
“I think I only played one year of recreational basketball when I was in fourth grade,” Peyton said. “Our family doesn’t have a basketball background. My brother still plays high school baseball. That’s how I got into refereeing — umpiring baseball, because that’s the sport I knew best. I really knew nothing about basketball.”
Peyton didn’t have to look far for inspiration. He watched his father officiate basketball games and figured, “why not?”
“I thought that seemed cool and kind of tried it out,” Peyton said. “I was 14. Not old enough to do high school basketball right away. I did (recreational) ball and AAU games. That’s what got me on track. Once (he tried it), I kind of wanted to take it more seriously.”
Peyton honed his skills, with his father’s help, in recreational and AAU leagues. He joined the Snohomish County Basketball Officials Association at the age of 14 and was the 2012-13 SCBBO Rookie of the Year. Brian, 50, believes his son is the youngest certified 4A basketball official in the state.
“His first year he almost quit,” Brian said. “He would get yelled at by every select coach out there. Just thrown to the wolves. He came to a few more games and saw what it was and what we talked about pregame and postgame. That’s how it began. To watch that aspect, I am really proud of him. To get to work and see him grow like that.”
Peyton acknowledges there are some drawbacks to being a young (and young-looking) official. He said while the coaches and players are usually pretty respectful, the student sections, on the other hand, tend to voice their opinions.
“It’s usually more student section and the parent-fan section that are questioning me,” Peyton said. “… I get called ‘rookie’ a lot. It’s just part of the game.”
Several local coaches have seen Peyton work and praised the young referee, including Stanwood head coach Zach Ward, who had Peyton as an official in a game against Shorecrest on Dec. 16.
“I thought he did a great job,” Ward said. “He was composed. A lot of it is knowing the game and he knew the game. If there was a question, he was very clear. I think we just want fair officials that know the game. Those are the two most important things. He’s both of those.”
Peyton, who referees three to four games a week on average, has high hopes for his officiating career. At a referee camp last summer he talked with a scout for the National Basketball Association. According to Peyton, he is one of a select few that the NBA has its eye on for the future.
First, Peyton plans to go to college and continue officiating high school games. Then, he’ll see where his officiating path takes him.
“The career path that I’m looking to go towards, as far as my aspirations, is to hopefully go to the Division-I level, if not the NBA,” Peyton said. “… It’s harder to become a professional referee than to become a professional athlete just because there’s so many fewer slots than there are for athletes. I think 64 spots in the NBA for officials and those guys could be there for 20 years.”
His father would love nothing more.
“It’s a great learning job. I’m really proud,” Brian Kelley said. “In any of the officiating things. It’s a great learning factor learning how to deal with situational issues with parents and children. And he’s able to pay his own car insurance.”
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