‘For as long as I can’: Regina basketball official attempting to set world record

Saskatchewan basketball referee Michael Martorana is chasing a Guinness World Record to become world’s oldest active official. Donovan Maess has more.

A Monday night elementary girls’ basketball game has become one part of a potential world record, but not because of the performance of a player.

Known as ‘Big Mike,’ standing multiple heads above the girls on the court, Michael Martorana was running up and down the floor at the spry age of 80 as he attempted to set the Guinness Book of World Record for oldest active basketball official.

“I just want to make sure that the game is played fairly and no one gets an advantage,” Martorana told CTV News.

He grew up playing basketball on the streets of the Bronx, New York.

“We played almost every day … We used to get a peach basket from the vegetable store and we would smash the bottom of it on top of a fire hydrant,” he described. “To create a basket, we’d hang it on the gratings that protected the windows and play basketball for days until the thing got wrecked and we’d go get another one.”

Martorana went on to play college basketball in North Carolina at Belmont Abbey College.

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After his playing career with the Crusaders came to a close, he returned home to start teaching and coaching high school basketball.

He first moved to Saskatchewan in the mid-70s when he attended the University of Regina, furthering both his education and basketball career, playing for the Cougars under the great Gene Rizak.

“I played senior men’s and then I played masters until I was 52,” he said. “Then the injuries started to come. I took longer to heal, which was very frustrating.”

“At the same time, I was coaching,” added Martorana.

Martorana’s coaching experience took him to schools across Regina, including at Miller, O’Neil and McGuigan schools.

Then, 22 years ago, at nearly 60 years old, he started his career as a referee.

“To be honest, I never liked referees at all,” Martorana told CTV News with a cheeky smile. “I didn’t like them, I thought they were unfair, unjust and didn’t know what they were doing.”

“When I became one, I became more appreciative of the job they do,” he added.

Labour of love

A part of the sport for over 70 years, refereeing has become a labour of love for Martorana.

“I love basketball,” he said. “It’s not a money kind of thing because I can help based on what my experience is, my knowledge game, I can help.”

All that experience, he attempts to put back into the sport, often spending his time mentoring younger officials just getting their start.

“I never looked at it like I’m giving back to the game. I look at it more like this helps somebody, especially the kids,” Martorana said.

Officials like Jael Wells, who has been a referee for three years.

“He was one of my first mentors when I was just starting out,” she said. “He’s really awesome at breaking things down for me and really making sure I understand the positioning, what is a call and what isn’t a call.”

With his kind voice and often a brief demonstration, ‘Big Mike’ will pass along his seven decades of basketball knowledge if a player ever does something wrong or commits a foul.

He is also quick to offer advice and encouragement.

“Whatever call you make, I talk to the kids like, ‘this is what you’ve done wrong,’” he described. “You want them to understand, right? And that, I think, is really important.”

Jason Mueller coaches youth basketball and is a referee as well.

“Mike’s a phenomenal referee,” he told CTV News. “He really pays attention to making sure the kids know what they’re doing. If there’s a travel, he tells them why. If there was three seconds in the key, he tells them what they did and he takes the time to help the kids learn and grow.”

“It’s not totally rare, but sometimes basketball officials just don’t want to give that,” Mueller added.

World record attempt

Attempting the world record was his daughter’s idea.

“One day she calls me on the phone two years ago and said, ‘Dad, how are your knees?’” Martorana said. “I said, ‘Okay.’”

Given his age, Martorana has had both knees replaced.

“They’re still fairly strong and pretty good,” he added. “I go, ‘Why are you asking?’ And she said, ‘I called the Guinness Book of World Records and asked them if there is a record for the oldest active basketball referee in the world.’”

It turns out there is such an award, but according to his daughter, no one has applied for it yet.

There are some criteria Martorana must meet in order to set the record:

• Be 80+ years old
• Submit official documents to confirm age
• Belong to a recognized organization
• Provide proof of his work like photos, videos and official game sheets
• Officiate one game per month for a full season

“That’s all, one game a month. Easy peasy, I can do that,” Martorana said, adding he often does up to four games a week.

Prior to learning of such an award, Martorana says setting a world record was never on his radar.

He remembered back to being a kid and meeting former long jump world record holder Bob Beamon, who jumped 8.90m at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968.

“Those records were what was important,” Martorana said. “Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 points in a game, but not the Guinness Book of World Records.”

“[The record] is a phenomenal display of commitment,” Mueller said. “And it’s a phenomenal display of wanting to give back. He’s been involved in basketball his entire life and now wants to see the kids love it as much as he does.”

‘One-of-a-kind’

From first stepping on the court more than 70 years ago, Martorana has seen plenty of change in the sport of basketball.

One month away from his 81st birthday, he has no plans to hang up the whistle in the near future.

“It’s up to the big man,” he said, pointing up to the sky. “And as long as I have my health and my doctors keep me together, I’ll just keep doing it for as long as I can do it.”

Martorana credits his doctors and physiotherapist for helping him stay fit and being able to run up and down the floor each game.

“Someone said to me, ‘if you set the record and next year you come back, you can break your own record,” he joked. “I never thought about that.”

Martorana said he hopes there may be another referee around his age to fuel his competitive spirit and keep him going. He also encouraged older adults to stay active and continue learning.

“Keep moving, keep going and keep doing hobbies which engage the mind,” he said. “I am learning every time I step on the floor. When I’m watching basketball, I hear a call and hear an explanation of the call, I go, ‘Oh, okay, now that makes sense.’”

Wells could not even fathom still being in a jersey if she reached Martorana’s age one day.

“I don’t think anyone will be able to beat his record for a long time,” she said. “He’s a one-of-a-kind ref.”

The veteran official also has a message for parents and players about referees, especially kids just getting their start so they may keep on in their careers longer.

“Refs don’t care who wins,” Martorana emphasized. “And they’re doing the best they can.”

“Try to really appreciate the job officials do and recognize they are humans who will make mistakes from time to time,” he added.

With the local basketball season winding down, Guinness will need time to verify Martorana’s record before it becomes official. A process expected to take about 12 weeks.