Jim Dutcher, Commissioner and Referee
Jim Dutcher started officiating in Upward Basketball in 2002. “God laid it on my heart to get more involved in Upward other than just coaching. That was the same year that God also called me to be a commissioner in Upward Basketball.” So, he has been officiating for six years now. “What I love about officiating an Upward Basketball game is the excitement of the game and the joy you see on the children’s faces when they make a basket. Wow! It is priceless to watch boys and girls out there playing their hearts out. It is ASWESOME!”
Jim says he has so many great moments in Upward Basketball that picking his favorite memory is a hard one, but there is one he most often think about -
“One year I was officiating a 3rd and 4th girl’s game and there was this one little girl had not made a basket all season. Every time her team would bring the ball down the court, they would give it to her. She must have shot the ball a dozen times, but yet failed to score. On one attempt the ball hit the rim, bounced out, and landed right into the hands of the other team. The little girl on the other team that got the rebound turned around and handed it back to the little girl that was shooting the ball. On the next try she made the basket. The gymnasium went wild. I don’t know if I was more blessed by the joy I saw on the little girl’s face who finally made her first basket or the little girl who unselfishly gave the ball back. That is what life is all about – that is what Upward is all about - putting others before yourself and showing the love of Christ.”
- Jim has been a blessing to the SBC Upward Basketball League every sense he stepped out of the crowd and onto the court in 2001. He was named the Most Christ-Like Boys Coach in 2003. Currently he serves in Upward as the 3rd & 4th Grade Boys Commissioner and referee.