"There are three things you have to have to have basketball game and one is a coach another as a player and you got to have the referee,” said Charles Brittain of the IGHSAU.
Most of the time, they go unnoticed during the game, running up and down the court. Unless, It’s a big call in a big game.
"This week we have 60 officials that are working on the floor 45 work two games and 15 will work one during the week,” said Brittain.
At the state tournament, it’s the best of the best in the state of Iowa and were not just talking the players.
"We've done our homework we know we know that they belong here,” said Brittain.
59 of those officials are men and one woman.
"I Like to give back to the sport that gave a lot to me,” said Brianne Byerly.
Meet Brianne Byerly, who works as a full-time occupational therapist from Maynard, Iowa loves to get her steps in on the court as she officiates basketball games for boys and good high school basketball teams.
"Just tremendous Poise doesn't seem to be rattled by the by the game itself I think sometimes people don't understand it because the level of intensity that's required,” said Brittain
Byerly has been officiating for eight years now, but it all started with her dad. She watched him officiate games growing up, and finally in her junior year of college, she took it up.
"My dad had been officiating for many years and kept kind of nagging me and telling me maybe I should get into the officiating world so finally my junior year I did,” said Byerly.
In her career, the two have officiated several games together with little competitions of their own during the games.
"I might call something a little bit more in his area just to get under his skin and then he'll do the same back,” said Byerly.
She’s making her third appearance at the state tournament this year in Des Moines. Making an impact on games and lives of other female athletes.
"It's really cool to represent being a female official and trying to be a role model to all of girl players,” said Byerly.
Byerly and the group of officials have been representing the state well this week on the sport’s biggest stage.
“This week has been a test for that it's the coaches have been coaching the players have been playing and referees refereeing,” said Brittain
” It’s a higher caliber it's a higher level just because there's more pressure right. You're on TV you have thousands of eyes watching you, but in terms of what you do and you know how you approach yourself it's the same whether you're in a small school or out and Wells Fargo,” said Byerly.