Man in Stripes Also Calls IS Shots for Washington Credit Union

VANCOUVER,Wash. - When it comes to multitasking, Jim Morrell's got it coming and going. By day, he's the vice president of information services at iQ Credit Union, helping shepherd the growing list of high-tech services and responsibilities at the $282 million community institution. He also is active in the industry, serving as chair of the CUNA Technology Council. By night he can be found hustling up and down the court as a referee at women's college basketball games up and down the West Coast, making quick decisions in an environment that can be at times, you might say, a bit heated. "We've been escorted out of the gym by law enforcement many times, but this season was a first for me. We had a serious fight with 7.9 seconds left in a game that took me and the other referee and the coaches to break up. We even had one angry father come out on the floor," Morrell said. After deciding he liked basketball a lot but was destined to ride the bench as a player, the now-veteran referee came up through the ranks, beginning his career as a recreation league volunteer while attending Seattle Lutheran High School and doing it for pay for the past 15 years. He now calls games in NCAA Division I's West Coast Conference, which includes such well-known schools as Gonzaga, Pepperdine, the University of Portland and Loyola Marymount. "One thing I've learned is that regardless of the level or ranking or size, the game is equally important to the student-athletes," Morrell said. "It's the same with members and credit unions. "If I were to stop refereeing tomorrow, I would want to be recognized as a quality referee, somebody who when I showed up at the gym, people would say, `I'm glad he's here' rather than, `Uh, oh, I wonder what's going to happen tonight.' "I take my laptop with me, and my Palm and connect wirelessly to the office wherever I go," he said. "For instance, on the three-hour or so drive to Seattle, I'll be on my phone most of the time. "I also will sit in the back of the car and work on reports or other documents while being driven to the airport. Whatever it takes to keep in touch, be available and get the job done, that's what I do." -mrapport@sc.rr.com