On the timely subject of basketball officiating

#1
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76vol

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#1
I was at a middle school game years ago that involved a team coached by my best friend. His team shoots and misses. While the other team is bringing the ball down the lazy trail official is coming down the middle of the floor. My buddy's team is pressuring the ball and steals it before it comes close to crossing half court.

The kid has a clear breakaway to the hoop. The referee is caught out of position and half turns and back peddles as hard as he can to a spot almost right under the basket. The kid makes the layup and of course his momentum takes him into the ref.

Whistle blows and ref calls a foul on the kid. Place goes beserk but the call stands after all the ensuing chaos. I asked my bud how the argument went. His response was "I asked him if he was going to shoot the foul shots."

Just thought most of you would get a kick out of this.
 
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#4
#4
Side note: has anyone else reffed a game at any level, and suddenly realized it's nearly impossible to do? I'm not excusing the refs we had the other night, or this middle school ref mentioned by the OP who thought he took a charge. I just happened to ref a game (at a really low level) recently and thought to myself "man, this is way easier from the stands". I've found that reffing kids is especially hard because they're very unpredictable.
 
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#5
#5
wtmvol said:
Side note: has anyone else reffed a game at any level, and suddenly realized it's nearly impossible to do? I'm not excusing the refs we had the other night, or this middle school ref mentioned by the OP who thought he took a charge. I just happened to ref a game (at a really low level) recently and thought to myself "man, this is way easier from the stands". I've found that reffing kids is especially hard because they're very unpredictable.
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Sure have. During my twenties and early thirties I officiated multiple games a week. During those years I called everything from little kids, including girls, on up to officiating college scrimmages and everything in between. I got out when I began coaching middle and later on high school.

Ironically the higher you go up in skill level the easier the actual officiating becomes. It's like you said, the younger they are the unpredictability of what they're going to do made me me have to think about what I just saw. Officiating higher skill level basketball for me was just reacting to what I saw.
 
#6
#6
76vol said:
I was at a middle school game years ago that involved a team coached by my best friend. His team shoots and misses. While the other team is bringing the ball down the lazy trail official is coming down the middle of the floor. My buddy's team is pressuring the ball and steals it before it comes close to crossing half court.

The kid has a clear breakaway to the hoop. The referee is caught out of position and half turns and back peddles as hard as he can to a spot almost right under the basket. The kid makes the layup and of course his momentum takes him into the ref.

Whistle blows and ref calls a foul on the kid. Place goes beserk but the call stands after all the ensuing chaos. I asked my bud how the argument went. His response was "I asked him if he was going to shoot the foul shots."

Just thought most of you would get a kick out of this.
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I didn't know Teddy Valentine reffed middle school basketball games
 
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#7
#7
Yes, basketball, baseball, softball. Being an official is much harder than it looks, especially bang bang plays at a base. As 76vol states the higher in skill or older in age they are the easier to call as they are more spaced out and actually playing the game not just banging into each other at all times. It is easier to see things from the stands as you are higher up and further from the action. With all of that said the refs were so bad in the Kansas game I almost had to stop watching. Then with TA&M, I was at the game and witnessed some calls that were so badly missed it was dumbfounding. Go Vols, I hope we pull it together down the stretch and make it to the big dance somehow.
 
#8
#8
wtmvol said:
Side note: has anyone else reffed a game at any level, and suddenly realized it's nearly impossible to do? I'm not excusing the refs we had the other night, or this middle school ref mentioned by the OP who thought he took a charge. I just happened to ref a game (at a really low level) recently and thought to myself "man, this is way easier from the stands". I've found that reffing kids is especially hard because they're very unpredictable.
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I officiated and umped for several years as a teenager. Haven't done it in a while. I agree it wasn't easy, but just like anything else, you need to prepare and practice. If you put in enough work and understand the rules, you will be good and respected for it. I know calls will be missed, but in games that I coach, I just want the officials to work as hard as my kids. My kids deserve that.

In the college game, it's about ego. There are some who just want to be known and make it about them. They can't stand the kids/coaches getting all the attention. I also think some anticipate things that never happen, and I was always taught that you have to watch and not anticipate.
 
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#9
#9
I reffed (and coached) rec league AYSO soccer, U6 up through U14, and ran sidelines for U12+ club and for school soccer up through high school.

We were trained to swallow our whistles unless something adversely affected the team with the ball, or caused harm or potential harm to a player, or unless spectators went over the top.

Only rarely were players deliberately out of line, at least until high school age, although parents could definitely lose their minds, especially the football daddies (who rarely understood soccer anyway.) I confess that I kind of enjoyed red-carding a parent and sending him/her to the parking lot.

I know thereā€™s a lot of hate for soccer around these forums, but guess what, basketball was an early version of indoor soccer for the winter months, and there are plenty of similarities, other than the endless whistles.

I just have a hard time enjoying hoops these days because of the continual whistles and because of the deliberate use of fouls to interrupt the flow of the game. If I had used a whistle like I see in basketball, I would have been sent back down to U6 games.

Anyway. Play on!
 
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#10
#10
76vol said:
I was at a middle school game years ago that involved a team coached by my best friend. His team shoots and misses. While the other team is bringing the ball down the lazy trail official is coming down the middle of the floor. My buddy's team is pressuring the ball and steals it before it comes close to crossing half court.

The kid has a clear breakaway to the hoop. The referee is caught out of position and half turns and back peddles as hard as he can to a spot almost right under the basket. The kid makes the layup and of course his momentum takes him into the ref.

Whistle blows and ref calls a foul on the kid. Place goes beserk but the call stands after all the ensuing chaos. I asked my bud how the argument went. His response was "I asked him if he was going to shoot the foul shots."

Just thought most of you would get a kick out of this.
Click to expand...
Once while coaching HS ball a worthless official gave me a T for kicking the ball to the other end of the gym . He comes over and said to one of my players to go get the ball. I told him that that was his job my guys were supposed to play. The T came out as soon as I did and I told him that was the only call he got right all night!
 
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#11
#11
Called elementary league for a while, umped U 14, U18 baseball. Was an emergency fill in for HS girls and boys b-team BB.

Was calling my HS b-team game when there was a scramble for the ball on the sideline. I signaled home team ball and held out the ball for the in bounds. As he took the ball, player laughed and said "You really missed that one John." I said "Thanks", blew the whistle and signaled the other way. The player cussed me and both coaches laughed their heads off.
 
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#13
#13
wtmvol said:
Side note: has anyone else reffed a game at any level, and suddenly realized it's nearly impossible to do? I'm not excusing the refs we had the other night, or this middle school ref mentioned by the OP who thought he took a charge. I just happened to ref a game (at a really low level) recently and thought to myself "man, this is way easier from the stands". I've found that reffing kids is especially hard because they're very unpredictable.
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Pffft! We do it every single game, from our couches, not extremely difficult if you ask me.
šŸ˜Ž
GBO!!
 
#14
#14
wtmvol said:
Side note: has anyone else reffed a game at any level, and suddenly realized it's nearly impossible to do? I'm not excusing the refs we had the other night, or this middle school ref mentioned by the OP who thought he took a charge. I just happened to ref a game (at a really low level) recently and thought to myself "man, this is way easier from the stands". I've found that reffing kids is especially hard because they're very unpredictable.
Click to expand...
Yes, both played and some refereeing and what players and coaches want is fairness and consistency. Once you understand how the game will be called you can adjust if the officials stay consistent with their calls. The best referees are the ones you rarely notice. They may caution players to help them during the game. People came to see a basketball game, not referees make a$$es of themselves.
 
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#15
#15
I officiated football and basketball up to the middle school level and umpired baseball up to the high school summer league level. When I started an older guy told me "if it's not blatantly obvious from the stands it's not worth calling" and that was how I called games.
 
#16
#16
I think one of the problems with college b-ball today is the third ref. I understand the game is so fast that it seems to need three, but unfortunately thatā€™s now three that need to blow their whistle and get some TV time or get their opinion heard in the huddle.
Wonder how the game would change if the players or the coached had the whistle and the refs only get to make the call
 
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