Highly-respected Newcastle Basketball referee Scott Beker has blown time on his illustrious career.
The elite-level umpire announced his retirement following the WNBL grand final at the weekend, marking the end of an extraordinary National Leagues and international journey.
All up, he officiated 333 NBL games and more than 40 WNBL fixtures.
Beker also represented Australia on the global stage, including the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games, as well as multiple Men’s and Women’s World Cups.
He’s now looking forward to giving his body a rest and spending more quality time with his family.
“My plans are to take a bit of time to heal,” Beker said.
“My body is not in the best shape and injuries are a factor here.
“I don’t bounce back the way I used to.
“I’ll have more time to spend with my kids skateboarding, playing golf,” he added with a laugh.
“My daughter is signing up to play basketball, so I’ll be cheering her on, too.”
Beker, who started refereeing in Newcastle, never imagined where it would take him.
“I’ll always be that kid from Port Hunter who started officiating for a bit of pocket money,” he said.
“Who knew it’d lead to where it has?
“That’s more about the people away from the game who have supported me over the years.
“Without them, this story would have ended a long time ago.
“But, I’ve been lucky enough to referee NBL, WNBL and international grand final games.
“Obviously, refereeing the USA ‘Dream Team’ at the Rio Olympics is a huge highlight.
“However, the whole 20-year international journey has been one that has been so unexpected.”
Humbly, Beker acknowledged the impact of the Newcastle Basketball community.
“Their solicited and unsolicited advice, given mostly during matches, certainly helped my development as a referee,” he said.
“I always love the challenge of refereeing here when the stadium is full.
“But, this is just a chapter of the career coming to an end, not my involvement in the game.
“I plan to work (NBL1 and Waratah games) in either a coaching or refereeing capacity.
“And, I’ll still be involved in coaching the kids coming through in the junior club competition.
“I’m also excited about the future of refereeing in Newcastle.
“Last year I was amazed at the quality of the kids coming through.
“There are a few legitimate future stars running around and that’s exciting not just for me, but for the referee program in Newcastle.”
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