Ask the Ref

Referee of the Week

Dante Lewis

I’m a homebody at heart. When I’m not on the couch enjoying the simple life, you’ll find me coaching high school football — something I’ve done for 28 years — officiating basketball (16 years, including 4 at the college level), or out fishing for salmon, steelhead, or in the ocean. These activities keep me active and connected to the things I love most: sports, nature, and community.

I’ve played just about every sport a young man can. In high school, I ran cross country and track, played basketball, football, and baseball. But football was my ticket out of the tough streets of Long Beach, California.

My high school cross country and track coach once told me I was a better runner than football player. As a sophomore, I made the varsity all-league team in cross country, running a 3.5-mile race in 16:43. I later ran the 800 meters in 1:56.4 as a senior — just 0.4 seconds shy of qualifying for the California CIF State Finals. I went to community college at Long Beach City College and earned a full scholarship to play safety for the University of Oregon Ducks.

I got into officiating by accident. During a men’s league game, I argued a call made by Marcus Enge. He told me I should become a ref, and I jokingly said I would — just to show him how it’s done. He wasn’t joking. He gave me the dates for the high school basketball officials’ meeting, and I showed up, thinking it was for adult league games. Officiating gave me structure, purpose, and a sense of belonging. Middle school basketball, in particular, became a lifeline. The purity of the game, the energy of the kids, and the joy of being part of their growth filled a space in my heart — especially during weekends when I didn’t have my child with me. Basketball and our youth saved me. That’s why I find it so hard to walk away from officiating weekend games with OAB Basketball.

Got Questions?

We will be responding to select questions for our referees.  The intent of this is to bridge the gap between officials and players/coaches/parents and to create mutual understanding

  • We will not address specific game situations.
  • We will only address rules or philosophy questions.
  • We will not address questions/issues that include attacks on officials individually.

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Leadership Team

Jacob Lear

Lead Assignor

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, I graduated from Central Catholic High School and earned a degree in Finance from Oregon State University. While at Oregon State, I worked hundreds of Oregon Amater Basketball (OAB) games to help fund my education.
Over the past 16 seasons, I’ve built a career as a basketball official, beginning at the grassroots level and advancing to small college basketball in 2016. Most recently, I was hired to officiate in the NBA G League and the West Coast Consortium, working Division I men’s basketball.

Now based in Vancouver, Washington, I remain dedicated to continual growth within the officiating profession, with the ultimate goal of earning the opportunity to officiate in the NBA.

I began overseeing OAB Officials in 2024 with a goal to promote officials with all levels of experience. With assistance from Ryan Hague we are mentoring and building the officials in our community with the goal to provide the best playing experience for players and coaches.