Ref Base – Mentor Evaluations

Milas primarily was in an ironman situation, but he flowed up and down the field very well and managed to be in the proper positions to make calls. He did have one game with an AR1 and he did a fine job of being in the right spot to make calls. He positioned himself well in relation to the ball and its movement across the field.

First regarding eye contact, in the one game where he had an AR1, Milas was very good making eye contact when the play was on that side of the field. When discussed at halftime about developing good habits for when working with a full crew, he understood and made significant improvement in the second half.

He had an AR on just one game and communication was positive and upbeat.

Milas acknowledged that his signaling was a little lazy and he understands the importance of making a strong commitment to giving clear and confident signals.

It was cold and Milas wore black sweats. In the future, he will be wearing proper shorts. He also wore green and he learned that is not appropriate footwear.

There was a lot to like about the way Milas performed. His fitness level is incredibly strong so he was able to keep up with play for five games. That's a feat. He has good instincts and I would like to see how that develops in terms of positioning as he works with a full crew. Milas accepted feedback willingly and readily put that into practice on the field.
I do want to see him continue to work on his signalling and I think that will come, especially as he gets more feedback from other mentors. Be strong and confident with signals. It would beneficial to see him work with a full crew to get a better idea of his positioning, but I think he will do quite well with that. I also want to Milas to continue to work on eye contact. This wasn't really fair test of that skill, but I think he will do well with a full crew.
Get a new whistle and be confident in its use. Hit it loud and proud.

Given the circumstance, Milas performed very well. He was attentive, coachable and applied suggestions immediately and maintained those upgrades throughout all five games. His fitness level is off the charts as he was getting up and down the field through all five games, easily going from 18 to 18 (even during a U15/16 game with more skilled players). He has solid instincts; for instance on high balls, he did not follow ball in flight, but rather quickly projected where it would land and kept his eyes on the players. That's impressive for a first-time center. I do want to see him continue to work on his signalling and I think that will come, especially as he gets more feedback from other mentors. It would beneficial to see him work with a full crew to get a better idea of his positioning, but I think he will do quite well with that. I also want to Milas to continue to work on eye contact. This wasn't really fair test of that skill, but I think he will do well with a full crew. He uses a pea whistle, which I suggested he ditch for one with a stronger pitch. That would be my biggest criticism is that his whistles lacked conviction.
I think having him mentored through a U11/U12 game at DC will be a positive next step and I fully expect him to do well in that.