Former Georgia School for the Deaf basketball standout Willie Brown is a referee with the World Basketball Association this season. Ken Caruthers / Rome News-Tribune

Willie Brown looked confused when he was asked if being hearing impaired impacted his ability to referee basketball games.

Why would it?

Being deaf hadn't ever stopped the current World Basketball Association referee from doing anything else.

"It's the same as when I played basketball," Brown said Saturday through translator Zeke McDaniel, his old high school coach at Georgia School for the Deaf. "I'm not worried about the crowd or anything.

"I can't hear when they say bad things about me," he joked.

Jokes aside, Brown is a licensed referee and was part of the three-man crew at the Rome Gladiators game last Saturday.

He communicates to coaches by writing information down or often he allows the hearing officials to interact with the coaches.

Like his colleagues in the WBA, Brown's goal is to become an NBA official.

"I tried as a player and wasn't good enough," he said. "So I decided to stay close to the game as an official."

But don't let Brown's modesty fool you.

He was a star basketball player under McDaniel at GSD in the 1980s and played college basketball at Hofstra and Georgia State.

A 1984 graduate of GSD, Brown was the National Deaf Prep Player of the Year and a four-time All-American.

"He was the best," said McDaniel, who coached the Tigers from 1972-'85. "He was the one I depended on 100 percent. I hated to lose him.

"He was just like a coach on the floor," McDaniel added. "He could see things I couldn't and could get the other boys in the right place."

Brown is in his first season as an official in the WBA, and he learned the craft by attending a camp run by former Coosa star Mike Glenn, who is now the league commissioner.

From there, Brown stepped up to the high school ranks near his home in Decatur.

Being able to come back to the Rome area last week was a thrill for Brown, he said.

"I feel at home," Brown said. "I went to school here and I get to see my old coach and old friends. It's great to be back."

It's safe to say locals will see a lot more of Brown on the courts in the near future and maybe someday, on television as well.

The WBA Eastern Division-leading Rome Gladiators (9-2) take to the court tonight to face former Glad Majic Dorsey and the Marietta Storm at 7:05 in the Winthrop-King Centre at Shorter College.

Retrieved from Rome News Tribune Online, Wednesday, May 24, 2006, http://209.41.184.21/partners/680/public/news721092.html If you are interested in becoming a WBA Official, send your information to official@wbaball.net, fax to 404-531-0456, or contact Eddie Gibson or Mike Glenn at 404-531-0037.