Consistent and Honest

Ainars Poga, a basketball referee from Tukums, Latvia, looks back on his career in Latvian basketball. The story appears in the October issue of the magazine Sporta Avīze and covers the Soviet era and the first years of independent Latvia.

Poga grew up in Tukums, where basketball was among the most popular sports at the children's and youth sports school founded in 1954. He recalls that the boys' team had a good coach, Alfrēds Freimanis, who also taught full-court zone defence, which was rarely used at the time.

After secondary school Poga entered military service. In Ufa he played basketball and, with his team, won third place at the Volga Military District championship, which earned him early leave. He later served in the Far East. Back home in 1980 he played for a Tukums team that had just reached Class B, the third-highest level in the republic. In his fourth season the team reached Class A, and Poga then stopped playing.

From player to referee

The Tukums coach, Raimonds Kalviņš, suggested he try refereeing, and Poga agreed because it was a chance to stay in basketball. He began officiating in the 1984/1985 season, received the Latvian SSR republic referee category in 1987, and in 1990 it became a national category. He often worked games with fellow Tukums referee Agris Pūcis. Juris Fokrots, chief referee of the republic championships, noticed them, and they were gradually given adult games. Poga also officiated USSR championship matches, including a few in the top league.

The 1990s

The first decade of the Latvian Basketball League (LBL) brought full stands and great excitement, but also scandals. In the book The Third Team on the Basketball Court, Poga mentions wealthy clubs pursuing their own interests, journalism written to order, and aggression toward referees: grabbing shirts, a headbutt, chasing them to dressing rooms, damaging cars and throwing bottles onto the court. He says referees initially lacked authority, and only Māris Bernāts had serious experience.