What Gear Does a High School Basketball Official Need?

Basketball tips off in November, and the crew in stripes has a gear list too. Here is theirs.

What does a high school basketball official wear?

The basketball uniform is the one most people can picture. A short sleeve knit shirt with vertical black and white stripes and a black V-neck collar, full length black pants, black shoes, and black socks.

• Shirt: black and white vertically striped short sleeve, black V-neck collar. Some associations use a sublimated shirt with a state logo, so ask yours which one it requires.
• Pants: black, full length. A black belt if the pants have belt loops.
• Shoes and socks: black. Officials walking a hardwood floor for two or three games a night tend to buy a court shoe rather than a running shoe.
• Jacket: a solid black warm-up jacket, optional in most places and required for varsity crews in some.

State associations write the exact shirt into their own officials guide, and the differences are real. Missouri specifies a sublimated striped jersey with black sleeve trim. Ohio allows a gray V-neck with black pinstripes when the whole crew wears it. Check with the WIAA and with the local association that assigns you before you spend money on a shirt.

What equipment does a basketball official carry?

The gear that is not clothing is short and it matters more than the shirt does.

• Whistle: a pealess whistle is the standard choice for a loud gym. Carry a spare in your bag.
• Lanyard: black, and most officials add a finger grip so the whistle sits in the hand instead of swinging from the neck.
• Game timer: a handheld timer or watch, where the official has timing duties.
• Jewelry: keep it off. Officials guides generally allow a wedding band and a medical alert item and nothing else.

Burghardt stocks officials accessories including Fox 40 and Classic whistles, finger grips, and a Robic referee game timer.

What does a wrestling official wear instead?

Wrestling has its own uniform, and the wrist bands are the part newcomers miss. The NFHS pattern, as state mechanics manuals publish it, is a short sleeve knit shirt in black and white one-inch stripes or gray with black pinstripes, full length black trousers, black shoes without colored highlights, and black socks.

Two items are specific to the sport. A green band goes on the right wrist and a red band on the left, matching the ankle bands the wrestlers wear, and the official carries a green and red flip disc for the coin-toss-style choice. A black whistle on a black lanyard rounds it out.

How do the winter officiating uniforms compare?

Season dates come from the WIAA 2026-27 Winter Sports Regulations. Uniform details come from NFHS rules and the officials mechanics manuals that state associations publish from them.

How do you become a licensed official in Wisconsin?

The WIAA licenses officials for every sport it sanctions. The steps, from the WIAA Become an Official page:

• Apply online and pay the licensing fee and the sport fee through the WIAA officials portal.
• Complete a background check. The WIAA starts it with a service provider and processes the application once results come back.
• Get your rule book and your exam or video information, which arrive about six to eight weeks before the season.
• Pass the annual exam by the posted date and watch the rules video by its deadline. Both are required to advance in classification.
• Find your own games. The WIAA does not assign regular season contests, so contact athletic directors and conference commissioners, and join a local officials association.

Licensing opens May 1 for the following school year and a license runs from August 1 through July 31. Each sport's window closes on the first day of that sport's tournament series, which for basketball in 2026-27 is February 23, 2027. To be guaranteed a printed winter rule book, register by October 1.

Can a high school student be a licensed official?

Yes. The WIAA lets enrolled high school students license through their athletic director, with no background check and no licensing fee, and processing is immediate. A high school age official can work games up to the ninth grade level. Youth leagues and middle school programs around Milwaukee are usually the first place a student official gets on a floor.

Parents, we wrote the whole path out for you in How Your Teenager Can Start Officiating This Winter.

How many officials does a WIAA basketball game require?

Two WIAA licensed officials are required for interscholastic basketball competition, and three are allowed. That minimum is why the supply of licensed officials decides how many games a conference can actually schedule.

Nationally the numbers are moving the right way. The NFHS officials survey for 2025-26, covering 37 states, found registrations up 2 percent over the prior year and 9 percent over 2018-19. The 2024-25 survey counted 237,811 registered high school officials across the country.

What should a first-year official buy first?

Buy in the order you will need it. Shirt, pants, whistle and lanyard, then shoes.

• Shirt: one to start. Add a second once you know how many nights a week you are working.
• Pants: one pair of black officiating pants that fit over a knee brace or a base layer if you use one.
• Whistle and lanyard: inexpensive, and the item you will replace most often.
• Shoes: black court shoes, bought in person. A shoe that is a half size off hurts by the third game of a Saturday.

You can see the full range in officials apparel, which carries Smitty and Champro basketball shirts and jackets along with football and umpire shirts, and in officials footwear, which carries New Balance and 3N2 umpire plate and field shoes.

Where can you buy officials gear near Milwaukee?

Burghardt Sporting Goods keeps an officials section at its store on W National Avenue in New Berlin, in the Milwaukee metro, with apparel, accessories, footwear, protective gear, and scorebooks. The store has been family owned in Wisconsin since 1881 and works with hundreds of teams across the state, which means the people at the counter know which conferences require what.

Frequently asked questions

What color shirt do high school basketball officials wear?

Black and white vertical stripes with a black V-neck collar. Some state associations require a sublimated version with the state logo, and some allow a gray shirt with black pinstripes for certain sports, so confirm with the WIAA and your local association.

Do basketball officials need special shoes?

They need black shoes. Most officials choose a black court shoe for the lateral support and the cushioning, since a varsity doubleheader puts a lot of miles on a hardwood floor.

What wrist bands does a wrestling official wear?

Green on the right wrist and red on the left, matching the ankle bands worn by the wrestlers. The official also carries a green and red flip disc.

How much does it cost to get licensed as a WIAA official?

The WIAA charges a basic licensing fee plus a fee for each sport, paid when you submit the online application. Current amounts are posted in the WIAA officials portal. Enrolled high school students pay no licensing fees, and verified military members have the basic and sport fees waived.

Who assigns games to officials in Wisconsin?

Not the WIAA. Regular season assignments come from athletic directors, conference commissioners, and local officials associations, which is why joining an association near you matters as much as the license does.

Can I buy officials gear in store near Milwaukee?

Yes. Burghardt Sporting Goods at 15333 W National Avenue in New Berlin carries officials apparel, whistles and accessories, footwear, protective gear, and scorebooks. Call (262) 790-1170 to check on a specific shirt or size before you drive over.

Licensing details come from the WIAA Become an Official and officials registration pages. Season dates come from the WIAA 2026-27 Winter Sports Regulations. Uniform details come from NFHS rules as published in state officials mechanics manuals, including those of the Missouri State High School Activities Association and the Ohio High School Athletic Association. National registration figures come from the NFHS officials surveys for 2024-25 and 2025-26. Confirm the current Wisconsin uniform requirement with the WIAA and your local officials association before buying.