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Staying In The Game

Associated Press photo

Denise Brooks-Clauser (left), a WNBA official, got her start playing basketball at a young age, and it eventually brought her to Saint Leo.

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By KATHERINE SMITH

Published: January 26, 2008

AMPA - Denise Brooks-Clauser needn't look further than her own backyard in Belmar, N.J., to get a glimpse of her future.

A rusty basketball hoop provided everything she needed to fuel her passion and prepare her for a career.

"Both my parents played basketball and I had a cousin who was a really good high school player," Brooks-Clauser said. "It was just something that was inevitable that I was going to do."

Brooks-Clauser parlayed her basketball skills into a scholarship to Saint Leo University and, soon after, a career as a referee.

A chance advertisement in a New Jersey newspaper in 1988 opened Brooks-Clauser up to a whole new basketball world - officiating. Looking for a way to continue some sort of involvement in the sport, Brooks-Clauser began calling local seventh- and eighth-grade games.

It wasn't long before she moved up the officiating ladder from high schools to the collegiate level and then the WNBA. It also wasn't long before Brooks-Clauser, who officiates for numerous Division I conferences, realized the difference between player and referee.

"Some of the things the fans yell at me are pretty funny," she said. "Some fans are just downright nasty and rude. I can't say I've heard anything racial or sexist. People just want their team to win and I understand that.

"But I'm glad they're sitting in the stands and not too close to me."

After graduating from Saint Leo in 1987, Brooks-Clauser would return often to help her former coach John Swart at summer camps. It was then that Swart got his first look at Brooks-Clauser as an official and knew she had a future in it.

Today, Swart routinely checks the TV schedule to look for games that Brooks-Clauser will be officiating so he can tune in.

"I think she would be successful in any area, but she has a real passion for what she's doing," Swart said. "She's real good. When she makes a call, there's no doubt she knows what she's doing.

"She sells it."

Just like she did as a player.

Swart got his first look at Brooks-Clauser in 1983 when the Asbury Park High standout visited the Saint Leo campus for a tryout. Her quickness was the first thing he noticed. Her work ethic was another thing that stood out. It wasn't long before a scholarship was offered and Brooks-Clauser accepted.

Soon, she became the focal point of the team.

"If we were in a pressing defense, all I had to say was, 'Denise, go get the ball,' and she would," Swart said.

Brooks-Clauser's outgoing personality quickly endeared her to the team, Swart recalled, and her playing ability quickly endeared her to Saint Leo fans.

A three-time All-Sunshine State Conference selection, Brooks-Clauser has watched the game evolve from her playing days, where for the first two years at Saint Leo there was no 3-point line. That she became the first female at Saint Leo to reach the 1,000-point mark without the benefit of 3-pointers her first two seasons makes her accomplishment that much more remarkable.

"It was a big deal to me and it means a lot now," said Brooks-Clauser, who stands second in all-time scoring with 1,355 points and first in career assists with 406. "Now you see a lot of the girls scoring 1,000 points."

Brooks-Clauser draws on her playing experience as an official, using it to get a sense of how a play is developing. She also can sense when a player is getting frustrated because she has been there.

There was a particular incident her junior year when she was ejected from a game because of a fight.

"I did get in a fight once," Brooks-Clauser said. "I missed being in the Sunshine State Tournament because of the suspension. I really don't remember what it was over, but I'm sure my former coach remembers."

Swart recalled the incident and defended Brooks-Clauser, saying she was merely retaliating against a player who shoved her to the ground. The fight, Swart said, was uncharacteristic of Brooks-Clauser, but showed how strong-willed she was.

That confidence comes in handy when facing the likes of Tennessee's Pat Summitt and Connecticut's Geno Auriemma, two coaches known for taking officials to task. It's in her dealings with tough coaches and players that Brooks-Clauser draws on her playing experience.

"Basketball taught me early on how to really get along with others," she said. "I'm working with coaches that are, obviously, very, very competitive. And I also work with other officials that are very, very competitive.

"We all have to work together for a couple of hours and get the job done. That's where the teamwork aspect comes into play."

Brooks-Clauser takes great pride in being a female in what is pretty much a male-dominated profession. And she enjoys the women's game so much, she never has entertained the idea of trying out her trade with the men.

"On the women's side of basketball, we're pretty strong," she said. "We're not going anywhere. We're going to continue to get some good officials. I get asked if I want to do the NBA or men's college basketball and I say, 'Why?' I love what I'm doing and I want to continue with the women's basketball. It's getting better every year."

Two years ago, Brooks-Clauser reached the pinnacle of her profession - the Women's Final Four. She got asked back again last year and could make it three in a row in Tampa.

"My first Final Four, it was just unbelievable," she said. "You get the phone call and it's just a great feeling. It's what you work for all year long. I don't know if I'll be there this year, but that would be just great to be in Tampa.

"I guess the only thing better would be if the tournament was in New Jersey."

With a little more than a month remaining in the regular season, it might not be too long before Brooks-Clauser gets another phone call.

"Basketball gave me everything I needed to be successful in life," she said. "I can't imagine not having it be a part of my life."

Basketball Bug Bit Early

The basketball bug bit Denise Brooks-Clauser at the age of 7.

Growing up in Belmar, N.J., the sport surrounded her. Pretty much everyone she knew played, including most of her family and friends.

"I entered a hoop-shoot contest when I was little," Brooks-Clauser said. "It was a free-throw contest at the local recreation center.

"I was hooked."

A basketball hoop in the backyard helped hone her skills. She developed into one of the top prep players in the area, starring on her Asbury Park High team.

"When I was in high school, I didn't play on a state championship team, but I was a big scorer," she said. "My senior year, I led the Shore Conference in scoring."

Brooks-Clauser got a scholarship to Saint Leo, where she became the first female player to reach the 1,000-point mark. In 1992, she became the first female inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. She stands second in all-time scoring with 1,355 points and first in assists with 406.

The "Jersey Girl" continued her involvement with basketball through officiating. Today, she calls numerous Division I college and WNBA games.

"I always knew I wanted to do something with basketball," she said. "It's the best sport and has just given me so much."

Reporter Katherine Smith can be reached at (813) 259-7860 or ksmith@tampatrib.com.

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