BILLINGS — Jeanann and Jay Lemelin didn’t see it coming. And how could they?
“I’m just like, ‘Is this really happening?’” Jay recalled, reflecting on the moment they learned they would officiate together earlier this month at Montana’s Class A high school state basketball tournament.
The answer was yes. A father/daughter tandem was set to officiate the state tournament, and they couldn’t have been more thrilled. MTN Sports inquired with multiple longtime coaches, refs and scorers, and nobody could recall a father-daughter state tournament officiating pair previously in Montana.
Referees are notified by email whether they’ve made the cut, and when Jeanann opened hers, “it was just such a cool moment to not only be excited to have my first state tournament, but then to know my dad got it as well,” she said.
What many don’t realize is that state tournament referees are voted on by some of their harshest critics: coaches. This vote was even more impressive because it was Jeanann’s first year eligible to be considered.
“We couldn’t have expected it to happen or scripted it to happen,” Jay said.
Yet, just because they were selected didn’t guarantee they would work the same game. That decision is made by random draw, and fate smiled upon them twice during the Class A tournament in Billings finding themselves drawing the same game twice.
“Yeah, the stars just had to align, honestly,” Jeanann said.
“It brought me back to when I got my first state tournament offer,” Jay added.
This unique situation raised a fun question: Who overrides whom when both blow the whistle?
“He’d probably let me go to the scorer’s table,” Jeanann admitted with a smile.
This camaraderie makes sense, as Jeanann, who graduated from Billings Senior High School and had a successful women's basketball playing career at Montana State Billings, now lives in Missoula and serves as a referee for both high school and Frontier Conference collegiate games.
And she still seeks advice from her hall of fame referee father.
“She’ll work a game, and the next morning I’ll wake up and I’ve got clips to look at,” Jay said. “She’s not looking to be right; she’s looking to be right next time. She wants to know, should I have been a little higher, should I have been a little lower? How do I get that right angle?”
It's clear the duo has fun running the court together, with both flashing smiles and maintaining a relaxed demeanor. But was that always the case for Jeanann growing up at home as the daughter of two principals?
“Most of the time?” Jay answered with a hopeful, hearty laugh.
“No, not even close,” Jeanann countered, with wide eyes and her own convincing laugh.
Good thing she’s old enough to work with him now — in a more "relaxed" environment.
