Referees Rule!

This video is a casebook on what to be aware of when there is a hard foul.  The lead official properly calls a foul on the player in the white jersey.  The item to be sensitive to:  when there is a hard foul, pause and stay with the play.  The Center does, but the lead goes to report, without considering how things could escalate, which they do.  Be big!  Show your presence in these moments so emotions don’t take over at the worst time.

Here is another sad example of the dirty plays we are seeing more and more of in the sport.  Blue #5 drives the lane for an uncontested basket when the defender in the white jersey just pulls him to the floor.  Like the video to the left, stay with this play after you put a whistle on it, step into it, protect the players, then get together to discuss the call.  Will it be an intentional foul?  A flagrant with ejection?  Slow the game down in these instances to calm everyone after the play clears to discuss as a crew how it will be adjudicated.

Here is a great call by the Center official who’s paying attention to defensive players who set up in the lane, looking to obstruct the cutters.  This is a terrific illegal screen call because the Center was working his primary and calling off-ball contact.

Here’s an interesting play where the lead passes on a crash and the Trail comes in to call the player-control foul.  Sometimes we get straight-lined and cannot see through the play.  This is a reminder to always move with the players so you have great angles on contact.  Then, if you are going to step in to call this when it’s not in your primary, remember the Three B’s:  Be late, be right, and be needed.

Folks – let’s know our primary coverage areas.  Here’s a player-control foul which happens right in front of the Center official who passes on it, forcing the Trail to come in late to grab it.  Want a quick reminder of PCAs for all three positions while on the court?  Click here.

The tension level is high and we always need to be alert.  The adage “be most alive when the ball is dead” applies to this video, after a held ball.  The players make moves to one another, a push happens, and things get crazy.  This is why it’s important to “be big” in these instances.  Make sure the players both see and hear you, with one official staying back to gather numbers if things go sideways.  Application of penalties (flagrant fouls and ejections) of players and those who come off the benches might be needed here (only the coaches can come off the bench legally to help in a fight – and they can do it without being invited by any officials).  Click here for a visual on how to handle any fight that could happen during a game.

Verticality states that a player owns the spot from the floor to the ceiling – if they stay in that vertical plane after setting it, it’s all theirs.  Watch this great defense by black #10 who has two feet on the floor, raises his hands perfectly above his head, and jumps straight up to defend the shot.  Minor contact, play on.

And sometimes you need a fun video to make you get all the feels.  White is up by two and red must go the full length of the court for a chance to score.  As long as the ball is out of the shooter’s hands by the time the horn sounds, the goal is good.  Regardless of how they shot it.  Goal good, red wins with the three-point shot.

Backcourt violations happen very quickly sometimes.  The Trail has primary coverage for these kinds of violations, but that doesn’t mean the Center official shouldn’t help.  Was this a backcourt violation?  Did black have team possession last in the front court and were they the last to touch it in the front court before being first to touch it in the backcourt?  You make the call.

There are always improvements each of us can make as officials in dealing with coaches.  Here’s a short, five-minute video on how to properly interact with a coach, using the acronym DICE.  Is the exchange Direct, Impactful, Concise, and Essential?

Is this a backcourt violation?  Nope.  In NFHS rules, it states that a team must first establish control in the front court for there to be a back court violation.  And while there is team control on a throw-in, front court control was never established with the offensive player tipping the ball in the back court.  This play is legal.

YouTube’s Officials Institute channel is a great place to find compilations of plays to learn from.  Here are a bunch of held ball violations.  How many would you have gotten right?  Remember with held balls to always step into the play after you blow your whistle and let players both hear and see you so it doesn’t escalate.

We each have responsibilities when a shot is taken.  One official stays with the shooter until they return to the floor and another is watching the players under the basket to see what happens.  In this short clip, the Trail is watching the shooter take a three-point shot – was he fouled by the player defending him on or after the shot?  What would you call here, if anything?

A call we rarely make is the illegal dribble, usually referred to as a double dribble.  Here’s a compilation videos from YouTube’s Officials Institute channel of potential double dribbles.

Let’s talk about incidental contact.  Many fans think all contact is a foul.  But if you’ve called for a few years, you’ll know that patient whistles help the flow of the game, because it gives your brain time to think “advantage/disadvantage”.  Did the contact create a disadvantage for the other player or an advantage for you?  Let’s not be “literalists” when it comes to adjudicating the game.  It’s the purpose of the rules to penalize a player, who by reason of the act, has placed an opponent at a disadvantage.  Here’s a compilation of videos to help you see that.

What do you have here?  A block?  A charge?  No call?  The C is in the best position to see through this play and make a determination.  Watch the offensive player’s shoulder.  Is it lowered to displace the defender and create space?  You make the call.

The block-charge might be the hardest call we make.  Look through the play and be aware on transition calls how fast things can happen.  Does the defender establish a legal guarding position in this video?  Feet on the ground, facing the opponent before contact?  Would you have called this play a block or a charge?  If a player takes the charge, give them that call.

As we start our games, here are two held ball plays which are quite instructive.  Play one is handled perfectly.  A held ball occurs and the calling official (the lead) steps into the play so players know he’s there.  Often you’ll get extra physical action on a held ball because the players do not hear the whistle.  Play two shows you how things could escalate if you don’t step in.

Is the jump stop a traveling violation?  We get asked this a lot by players and coaches.  To have traveling, you must determine two things:  when did the player end their dribble and where are their feet (which foot is their pivot foot)?  Here’s a very comprehensive video on the jump stop.  Great to watch not only to refresh our perspective on this call, but to be able to explain it when asked.

A player drives the lane for a jump shot.  Do you think white #24 commits a foul?  Let’s review a defensive player getting a legal guarding position (feet on the floor, facing the opponent).  Once they gain the LGP, they can jump straight up (they own that space).  No foul here – this is legal and you play on.

Question:  would you have a flagrant foul on this play?  The player steals the ball and seemingly goes in for an uncontested dunk.  Yet, the defender makes contact from behind.  When this happens in your game, be aware on transition the things that could happen:  you could get a basket interference violation.  Or you could get a hard or even flagrant foul from behind as the defender attempts to stop the shot or player.  Being in that mindset will help you make any potential call.  Note:  after the hard foul, watch as two officials move into the play so it doesn’t escalate.  This is excellent officiating.

The hardest call in all of basketball is the block-charge.  Did the defender establish a legal guarding position (LGP) before the offensive player with the ball got to the spot?  It happens so quickly.  What sets you up best to make this call is seeing so many of them.  That trains the brain!  Here’s a review and several plays to watch on the block-charge as we get ready for another season.

Several things can happen on a clean steal by a player who has the height and athleticism to dunk the ball that you should be sensitive to.  The trailing defender could commit a hard or intentional foul on the player with the ball in an effort to stop them.  Should this happen, come in strong and stay with the players before retreating to report your foul.  The defensive player could also commit basket interference in a play for the ball.  Less times, you will see an offensive player try to dunk and miss.  Which might result in an adverse reaction.  Then this play, where the offensive player misses the dunk and hangs on the rim, then commits a violation (basket interference).  On this player, it’s a single technical for hanging on the rim.  The ball is dead so the basket interference is ignored.

Sometimes we don’t start to officiate until a team gains control of the ball after the jump.  We need to cover the potential things that could go sideways after a ball is legally touched on the jump:  it could go out on your line; there could be a fast break and a crash without a lead official in place; a team could gain control, get confused, and commit a back court violation; and there could be another violation, which happens here.  When is the jump ball over by rule?  When it touches a non-jumper or the floor.  What are the restrictions on the jumpers leaving the circle?  It’s all in Rule 6-3.  Both were missed by the umpire when the jumper in the white jersey left the circle before the ball was legally touched, then gained control.  Be aware of the atypical things that could happen on jump balls.

Is this a backcourt violation on the jump ball?  The answer is no because control by the player tapping it into the backcourt after the jump ball is legally touched is never established.  Be aware on jump balls of all the crazy things (like this) that could happen so you can start officiating once the ball becomes live.

Would you rule this a three- or two-point shot?  Even though the player was just saving the ball from going out of bounds, if you determine, during a live ball, that his feet were behind the three point line, you would score this as three-points.

The ball is shot and then bounces up and over a rectangular backboard.  That’s a violation, right?  Who has the primary for this call?  Always the official opposite from where the ball was shot (although either outside official can get it).  This is the Center’s call, as you will in this short video.

Let’s go crazy with the backcourt challenge.  We know the ball retains the status wherever it was last.  If a player has both feet and the ball in the front court, the ball has front court status.  Here are five backcourt videos.  How many will you agree with?

We can always be more vigilant watching players along the lane line come into the semi-circle, obstructing the free throw shooter, before the ball hits the basket (a restriction).  This video highlights that rule.  Players along the lane line cannot enter the semi-circle until the ball hits the basket – if the free throw misses, the shooter gets a substitute throw.  If they contact the shooter, it’s also a foul.  Both the Trail and Center officials can be responsible for this infraction.

Players lined up along the lane line during a free throw are coached to gain an advantage.  Watch #30 white on the lower block (nearside) during this free throw.  Instead of coming directly into the lane when the ball is released, he boxes out the opponent to his left, gaining that advantage.  This is a foul.

Patient whistles.  Process the play, then rule.  The question here:  after the transition, did the player in red jump inside his vertical plane (which he owns if he gets to the spot first)?  If you rule yes, who is responsible for the contact on this play?  And is it possible that, even with the player in white going to the floor, this might be a no call?  You decide.

There’s no ruling on this video – it’s a Christmas gift to us all.  An AD/coach who takes the microphone before a game.  She encourages all spectators to root hard for their team, but to leave the officials alone.  Due to the shortage, she acknowledges to the crowd that without us, there is no game.  We need more administrators who will advocate for the third team on the floor – those of us who call basketball!

This very short video highlights a reminder that when a shot goes up in your primary coverage area, your responsibility is to stay with the shooter until they return to the floor for all contact.  In this clip, the Trail official had this all the way.  Watch the contact once she returns to the floor.  What would you have called?  From our vantage point, the defender had no intent on playing the ball and this should have been ruled a flagrant foul (with ejection of the defender).  If the shot goes up in your area, stay with the shooter to catch all of this.

Bet you’ve never seen this before!  Rule 5, Article 1 states that “a goal is made when a live ball enters the basket from above and remains in or passes through.”  What would you have had here?  Hope it’s a held ball, because that’s the proper ruling.

Some games you have no offensive fouls.  And in others you have a ton of them.  The difference is that the coach teaches players how to take a charge.  Here are seven block charges from the same game.  Does the defender get to the spot first and establish a legal guarding position?  If so, his opponent creates the contact.  Be especially aware of the official making the call.  Do they move to look through the play so they are in the best position to see who initiates the contact?  That is an important point to be able to make this call correctly.

This is a classic block/charge call.  The thing you need to ascertain is does the defender get to the spot and obtain a legal guarding position first?  If they do, any responsibility for contact is then on their opponent.  Look at this video of a unique play.  Who’s responsible for the contact here?  A1 or B1?  Be the first to send an email or text to Steve Schwartz with the correct ruling and he’ll send you a gift card to Jersey Mikes.

You could officiate an amazing 31:58.1 of a game and then things go completely south in the final 1.9 seconds.  This video is a classic example of that.  Mark talked with us at the State Clinic about a time-out being called at a critical moment at the end of the game – and to look for them.  But, watch how this coach reacts to everything.  He’s ejected, and should have been.  Be alert always, most especially when the score is this close at the end of the game.

We talk a lot as officials about having as “patient whistle”.  What does that mean?  We are the only sport where we do not have the luxury of waiting to make a call.  The play happens and we must make a ruling.  But at certain times, holding your whistle for a brief second to give your brain time to process what happened will help.  Here are a bunch of blocked shots.  This is when you want to pause.  Did the defender hit the ball before the hand on the show?  Or was it the other way around?  What your brain sees will lead to a more quality whistle.  Have patient whistles on plays like these.

Was this a double dribble?  Did the official miss this call?  Yes to both.  Rule 9-5 states that “a player shall not dribble a second time after his/her first dribble has ended.”  This dribble ended when the player let the ball come to rest in his hand.

There are two things to note in this video.  A question and a warning!  The question first:  did that player travel before releasing the ball?  We might not have a great angle on it so this is up for debate.  The warning is the more important point:  many officials would never think that a player inbounding the ball at the far end of the court with such little time on the clock could pull off a shot that goes in.  So, they could be mentally prepared for a miss.  Don’t be!  Always be on guard that those 1% shots could go in.  Be hyper-aware so you have full knowledge if he traveled and you need to wave off the shot!

There are attributes which must exist for a player-control foul to be called.  Has the defender established a legal guarding position with both feet on the floor, facing the opponent?  If their arms are in the air, are they within his or her vertical plane.  We are the only sport that requires an immediate ruling on contact.  This isn’t the greatest of angles (and the spectator recording the video disagrees with the call), but from this vantage point, this looks to be the correct call.

Show this video to friends and non-referees and you will baffle them.  Is this a three-point shot or a two?  To those who do not know the rule, they will say it’s only two points.  For seasoned referees like yourself, you’ll be able to reference that the only thing that matters is where the player’s feet were last – that’s where you are now.  His feet were outside the three point line when he went airborne.  Regardless of where this ball is released on the shot, count this as three points!

In basketball, an illegal dribble occurs when a player ends their dribble by catching or causing the ball to come to rest in one or both hands and then dribbles it again with one hand or when a player touches it before the ball hits the ground.  Was this a double dribble?  You bet it was.  Check out Rule 4, Section 15, Article 4a.

This is a deft piece of officiating with great communication amongst the crew after the whistle.  A player moves in from the strong side and gets fouled on a shot that travels over the backboard and goes in.  The highlight on this is the officials coming together to review what should happen here. There’s no excuse for kicking rules and this was handled perfectly.  The goal is illegal because it sailed over the backboard, by rule.  So, no basket and the fouled player gets two shots.

This is about the back court violation. Team A takes a shot at their own basket in their front court and the ball rebounds into Team A’s back court. Can a Team A player legally retrieve that ball or do you have a back court violation? This is a LEGAL because there is no team control in this instance -either team can legally retrieve the ball.

This video is all about block-charges. In your opinion, does the defender in this video (white jersey #22) get into a legal guarding position, resulting in the player control foul on the dribbler (black jersey #45)? What is a legal guarding position? The rule book states that if you get to the spot first, you own it and then the contact caused is on the other player. This might be one of basketball’s toughest calls. What would you have here? A block or a charge? It all rests on if you believed the defensive player got to the spot first.