Maybe I'm getting a little older and more aware of things, but people need to show up to officiate ready to work. It's no different than playing.
Officiating whatever game you have been assigned needs your complete focus from the time you leave the house to the time you leave the gym.
Showing up late due to other commitments, being preoccupied with post-game activities, or just not being there 100% mentally does a complete disservice to your partners, the teams, and the game. Also, if you are hurt, and cannot physically do your best, you're also hurting your crew, the players, and the game.
If you cannot give 100% mentally or physically for whatever reason, you should be a man and turn the game in. If you played in a game under those circumstances, you'd have your lunch handed to you. If you don't think your partners, the players, the coaches, and the paying attendees don't realize it, you are only fooling yourself.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Blizzard '08
Anyone else not really crying about having a bunch of game getting canceled because of the weather? This is probably the first time in my career that it doesn't bother me at all. Maybe I'm losing my passion....or maybe we all need to keep a better perspective that there is a little more to life than basketball during December.
A First Time For Everything
I had a game this past week with a coach that is notorious, in a good way, for riding the officials during his games. He is the master mindgame guy, and is quite capable of manipulating a lot of insecure or inexperienced officials. He is also a heck of a coach and motivator of his kids. I will also say that in officiating probably a half dozen of their games over the years, I have never gotten so much as a comment from a player from East Valley High School. As classy a program as you can find.
We went the entire game, and not one comment was made to any of the three officials regarding a call. We had one request to monitor and manage leaving the ball alone after a made basket to prevent delay in retrieving and inbounding, but other than that not one critical question, comment or request from either coach.
Never happened to me before. Will probably never happen again. Made the night a lot of fun though. It does happen, folks. When you get teams that play basketball using good fundamentals and the correct attitude, and your crew is competent in your calls and in communicating with everyone, things can go very, very smoothly.
We went the entire game, and not one comment was made to any of the three officials regarding a call. We had one request to monitor and manage leaving the ball alone after a made basket to prevent delay in retrieving and inbounding, but other than that not one critical question, comment or request from either coach.
Never happened to me before. Will probably never happen again. Made the night a lot of fun though. It does happen, folks. When you get teams that play basketball using good fundamentals and the correct attitude, and your crew is competent in your calls and in communicating with everyone, things can go very, very smoothly.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Early Observations
1. Lots of non-basketball stuff not being seen or called. I've seen a broken nose/cut on face be penalized with a regular foul, had to throw a kid out for punching an opponent in the stomach after wrestling for a loose ball (first player ejection ever), and seen a dirty play on an inbounds screen that I had to call despite being 40 feet away from the play because it was so blatant. The #1 rule as a basketball official has to be prevent non-basketball activities!
2. I have seen a lot of freedom for offensive post players to use their hands and arms to hold defenders off and get the ball in advantageous positions. If it would be a foul for the defender to do it, it has to be a foul for the offensive player to do it. We always say "Don't screw the defense!" Allowing offensive players to get overly physical in the post, especially with extended arms or grabby hands is screwing the defense.
3. Lots of obscure rulebook calls. Yeah, we know people like to show how they know the book inside and out, but when you get that technical, how do you distinguish when to go to that detail or not? By the rule book definitions, almost all coach comments should be T'd up, but we don;t see that. The rulebook is there as a framework to work within, not a reason to show everyone you're the beat cop who knows the letter of the law regarding jaywalking on an empty street. Know what I'm sayin'?
Have fun.
2. I have seen a lot of freedom for offensive post players to use their hands and arms to hold defenders off and get the ball in advantageous positions. If it would be a foul for the defender to do it, it has to be a foul for the offensive player to do it. We always say "Don't screw the defense!" Allowing offensive players to get overly physical in the post, especially with extended arms or grabby hands is screwing the defense.
3. Lots of obscure rulebook calls. Yeah, we know people like to show how they know the book inside and out, but when you get that technical, how do you distinguish when to go to that detail or not? By the rule book definitions, almost all coach comments should be T'd up, but we don;t see that. The rulebook is there as a framework to work within, not a reason to show everyone you're the beat cop who knows the letter of the law regarding jaywalking on an empty street. Know what I'm sayin'?
Have fun.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Look The Part
I had an old crotchety teacher in New Jersey named Culpepper, who had a thick Boston brogue, spit when he yacked at us, and actually stroked out during school, getting carried out on a stretcher, never to be the same again. One of his favorite sayings, being the dinosaur he was, was "Jackson, you'ah the no-arth end of a southbound mule." While that was stupid, another of his sayings was not: "How you dress is an external expression of your internal attitude."
Ever see Michael Jordan look like a slob? Nope. Almost always in suit and tie, or some other put together outfit. Always looks like a million bucks. I read once that he was asked about it, and his answer was that he was aware that when people saw him, it was a moment for them, and he wanted to live up to their image of him as a superman. See Jordan with bad breath or shabby clothes? No way. He wouldn't let it happen.
Which brings me to my point. When you show up to a gym, especially for a Varsity HS game or higher, dress the part. I try and wear a coat and tie to every game. Does it make a difference on how I perform on the floor? No. But despite the fact that some would call it a brownnose move, think about these things:
1. You use good mechanics on the floor to look good and sell yourself. It helps with credibility. Think it might help your credibility to look good walking into the gym?
2. Show up in a coat and tie. What does that tell everyone? Cynics call you an ass kisser. Do it consistently, and I think it tells everyone that doing your job that night and being professional is very important to you.
3. Think about the guys with perfectly fitted uniforms on the floor. It makes an impression. So does how you look when you arrive and leave, just like Michael Jordan. Not many folks in a gym are dressed to the nines. It does make an impression.
4. You will get treated better by everyone at the gym, period. They will want to take care of you with respect to your locker room, water, etc. because they'll perceive how important you're taking your job as an official. Trust me.
5. Your wife/girlfriend will like how you look when you leave and get home. ZZ Top is never wrong: "Every girl's crazy about a sharp-dressed man." If you are unattached, you may even get numbers/e-mails from women. Not saying they'll be hot or anything, but it happens.
Act the part, be the part. Always give maximum effort during games. It doesn't take much effort to show maximum effort in how you dress, either. Think about it.
Ever see Michael Jordan look like a slob? Nope. Almost always in suit and tie, or some other put together outfit. Always looks like a million bucks. I read once that he was asked about it, and his answer was that he was aware that when people saw him, it was a moment for them, and he wanted to live up to their image of him as a superman. See Jordan with bad breath or shabby clothes? No way. He wouldn't let it happen.
Which brings me to my point. When you show up to a gym, especially for a Varsity HS game or higher, dress the part. I try and wear a coat and tie to every game. Does it make a difference on how I perform on the floor? No. But despite the fact that some would call it a brownnose move, think about these things:
1. You use good mechanics on the floor to look good and sell yourself. It helps with credibility. Think it might help your credibility to look good walking into the gym?
2. Show up in a coat and tie. What does that tell everyone? Cynics call you an ass kisser. Do it consistently, and I think it tells everyone that doing your job that night and being professional is very important to you.
3. Think about the guys with perfectly fitted uniforms on the floor. It makes an impression. So does how you look when you arrive and leave, just like Michael Jordan. Not many folks in a gym are dressed to the nines. It does make an impression.
4. You will get treated better by everyone at the gym, period. They will want to take care of you with respect to your locker room, water, etc. because they'll perceive how important you're taking your job as an official. Trust me.
5. Your wife/girlfriend will like how you look when you leave and get home. ZZ Top is never wrong: "Every girl's crazy about a sharp-dressed man." If you are unattached, you may even get numbers/e-mails from women. Not saying they'll be hot or anything, but it happens.
Act the part, be the part. Always give maximum effort during games. It doesn't take much effort to show maximum effort in how you dress, either. Think about it.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Shout Out!
This blog, for better or worse, is starting to take off. I'm getting hits from all over the place, and I think that is pretty cool. Some of you from California, Texas, and Seattle areas seem to be spending some time reading. I'd love nothing more than to hear some feedback or contributions from abroad, for better or worse. Also, feel free to spread the word. A lot of this material is plagiarized from some of the best around like Mickey Crowley and Dick Cartmell, not just some idiot ranting and raving about obscure rules. If anyone on my crew ever even tried to call a false multiple foul during a game, they'd need a body bag!
I am particularly interested in hearing from the folks from the UK and the United Arab Emirates who have been visiting. That amazes me. Later!
I am particularly interested in hearing from the folks from the UK and the United Arab Emirates who have been visiting. That amazes me. Later!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Envy and Excuses
Big surprise--there are politics in officiating basketball. Simple human nature dictates that all organizations have a social component to them that can dictate the direction of the individuals and the total group. It doesn't matter if you work for a company, are active in a church, coach kids' teams, or referee basketball. There are two things that eat people alive in these organizations, envy and excuses. Unfortunately, I see it way too much, and it is sad.
Envy is insidious. Think of the happiest person you know--they are never envious of anyone else, and those happy people are almost always very successful. People get jealous about job titles, salaries, and what games people get. They envy the people above them in an organization, and then envy their peers when they rise. Finally, the get paranoid when they reach the upper tier, because they know the thoughts and potential actions of those who envy them. That does no good for anyone--especially you. Forget about what games someone else has, who is rated where. Sometimes life is not fair, and we all know that. Instead of being envious, figure out a way to channel that energy into getting what you want.
Envy is epitomized by the union mentality of a lot of officials. They believe that if they have been officiating longer, they have more experience, and are better than younger officials. They will isolate one call from a game and draw a conclusion that the official is poor, and never look at a body of work over time to admit improvement in others. They don't recognize others who attend camps in the summer, work as many summer league/rec league/AAU games to improve, work games for more than the paycheck, and do something with the feedback they receive. As a result, they get seduced by people who tell them what they want to hear, validate their excuses that life is not fair and they're getting screwed, and keep them down. We all need to avoid that like the plague.
Excuses are a by-product of envy. We can rationalize that if life was completely fair, everything would be great. Gee, if that guy wasn't an ass kisser, he wouldn't have that senior management job. If that guy wasn't buddies with those coaches, they'd never get those games. While those thoughts that come from envy may have merit, it does you no good. There are no excuses in life. Mother Nature and Darwinism are cruel. No matter what happens to each of us, the sun comes up the next day and life goes on with or without us. You don't like an outcome? Do something about it. Don't have any excuses. It's better to be honest and say that you want something to get better than to wallow in self-pity and say you got screwed for some unfair reason. It's OK if you have failed. Admitting failure is how you figure out a way to reverse your failure. Excuses feed continued failure. Think about it.
Keep these thoughts in mind with respect to your officiating career:
1. Getting a mentor who is committed to making you better, and will never be envious of you is paramount to your development. Getting a mentor who is envious of very little in life is a gift. Work to find as many as you can. They are out there, trust me. Sometimes you'll find them from outside the small circle of your association, too. Think hard about that.
2. You have to listen to and understand brutally honest feedback. That's the only way you can understand what people perceive as your weaknesses as an official. "Yes" people don't help you.
3. Lots of people have the excuse that they don't get good feedback from veteran officials. That means one of two things. Either you act dismissively and make excuses when you get critical feedback, or the veteran is worried that you will be taking his games soon. The first one is your problem, the second one is an excuse that being relentless can overcome. Get after it.
4. Envy makes people do and say stupid things. Pity them, because they marginalize themselves in the end. The excuses cloud their judgment. Take the high road.
5. Envy makes everyone act in their self-interest. Assume everyone does this, until they prove otherwise over time. All relationships take time, energy, and trust to build, and like anything else, they ebb and flow. It takes a lot of mental energy to avoid envy and excuses over an extended period of time, but it is well worth it. Keep yourself surrounded by these kinds of people.
Now get after it and make it happen for yourself. Someone else out there already is.
Envy is insidious. Think of the happiest person you know--they are never envious of anyone else, and those happy people are almost always very successful. People get jealous about job titles, salaries, and what games people get. They envy the people above them in an organization, and then envy their peers when they rise. Finally, the get paranoid when they reach the upper tier, because they know the thoughts and potential actions of those who envy them. That does no good for anyone--especially you. Forget about what games someone else has, who is rated where. Sometimes life is not fair, and we all know that. Instead of being envious, figure out a way to channel that energy into getting what you want.
Envy is epitomized by the union mentality of a lot of officials. They believe that if they have been officiating longer, they have more experience, and are better than younger officials. They will isolate one call from a game and draw a conclusion that the official is poor, and never look at a body of work over time to admit improvement in others. They don't recognize others who attend camps in the summer, work as many summer league/rec league/AAU games to improve, work games for more than the paycheck, and do something with the feedback they receive. As a result, they get seduced by people who tell them what they want to hear, validate their excuses that life is not fair and they're getting screwed, and keep them down. We all need to avoid that like the plague.
Excuses are a by-product of envy. We can rationalize that if life was completely fair, everything would be great. Gee, if that guy wasn't an ass kisser, he wouldn't have that senior management job. If that guy wasn't buddies with those coaches, they'd never get those games. While those thoughts that come from envy may have merit, it does you no good. There are no excuses in life. Mother Nature and Darwinism are cruel. No matter what happens to each of us, the sun comes up the next day and life goes on with or without us. You don't like an outcome? Do something about it. Don't have any excuses. It's better to be honest and say that you want something to get better than to wallow in self-pity and say you got screwed for some unfair reason. It's OK if you have failed. Admitting failure is how you figure out a way to reverse your failure. Excuses feed continued failure. Think about it.
Keep these thoughts in mind with respect to your officiating career:
1. Getting a mentor who is committed to making you better, and will never be envious of you is paramount to your development. Getting a mentor who is envious of very little in life is a gift. Work to find as many as you can. They are out there, trust me. Sometimes you'll find them from outside the small circle of your association, too. Think hard about that.
2. You have to listen to and understand brutally honest feedback. That's the only way you can understand what people perceive as your weaknesses as an official. "Yes" people don't help you.
3. Lots of people have the excuse that they don't get good feedback from veteran officials. That means one of two things. Either you act dismissively and make excuses when you get critical feedback, or the veteran is worried that you will be taking his games soon. The first one is your problem, the second one is an excuse that being relentless can overcome. Get after it.
4. Envy makes people do and say stupid things. Pity them, because they marginalize themselves in the end. The excuses cloud their judgment. Take the high road.
5. Envy makes everyone act in their self-interest. Assume everyone does this, until they prove otherwise over time. All relationships take time, energy, and trust to build, and like anything else, they ebb and flow. It takes a lot of mental energy to avoid envy and excuses over an extended period of time, but it is well worth it. Keep yourself surrounded by these kinds of people.
Now get after it and make it happen for yourself. Someone else out there already is.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Fight In Scrimmage
Saw a very ugly thing in the first scrimmage of the year this past weekend. One team was driving to the basket at will and getting a lot of easy layups on simple drives to the hole. Big surprise, the coach was bent with his team defense and eventually the kids got frustrated, too. Soon enough, big guy rotates over to throw a body block on someone going for a layin, adhering to the old adage "Don't let anyone have come down the lane and get to the hole uncontested."
Result was a broken nose, several stitches, and...a personal foul. Post-bomb scene was interesting. Victim on the floor on his back holding his bloody face. Tough guy maintaining he did nothing wrong, he just fouled him. Tough guy's coach defending his player and accusing the crew of letting a football game be played which led to the play (which was a normal foul). Victim's coach did not really see what happened, but reacted pretty aggressively when he saw the bloody player and the lack of remorse from his opponents. Bad deal all the way around.
Could it have been prevented? I'm not sure. Fouls were being called. None of the crew really got a good look at he play, and by calling a normal foul when you have a decked and bloody player on the ground, it did not help matters. Within the context, we should have been aware that the one team was dominating, and been expecting someone to get decked going for another wide open layin. And expecting it, we should have been more than ready to aggressive and forcefully deal with it--intentional or flagrant foul.
Great lesson! It takes one play for non-basketball stuff to ruin a game. In this case, it kind of ruined the scrimmage. Bad blood remained throughout, although no further non-basketball plays occurred. You always need to be vigilant of the context of the game. Prideful players don;t like getting their asses beat and embarrassed. When that happens, you really need to focus and make sure that non-basketball plays get addressed swiftly and authoritatively. That protects the integrity of the game, and your crew.
Be ready from the opening tip of your first scrimmage this year...
Result was a broken nose, several stitches, and...a personal foul. Post-bomb scene was interesting. Victim on the floor on his back holding his bloody face. Tough guy maintaining he did nothing wrong, he just fouled him. Tough guy's coach defending his player and accusing the crew of letting a football game be played which led to the play (which was a normal foul). Victim's coach did not really see what happened, but reacted pretty aggressively when he saw the bloody player and the lack of remorse from his opponents. Bad deal all the way around.
Could it have been prevented? I'm not sure. Fouls were being called. None of the crew really got a good look at he play, and by calling a normal foul when you have a decked and bloody player on the ground, it did not help matters. Within the context, we should have been aware that the one team was dominating, and been expecting someone to get decked going for another wide open layin. And expecting it, we should have been more than ready to aggressive and forcefully deal with it--intentional or flagrant foul.
Great lesson! It takes one play for non-basketball stuff to ruin a game. In this case, it kind of ruined the scrimmage. Bad blood remained throughout, although no further non-basketball plays occurred. You always need to be vigilant of the context of the game. Prideful players don;t like getting their asses beat and embarrassed. When that happens, you really need to focus and make sure that non-basketball plays get addressed swiftly and authoritatively. That protects the integrity of the game, and your crew.
Be ready from the opening tip of your first scrimmage this year...
Thursday, October 9, 2008
After A Made Basket...Be Patient!
Getting geared up for another year. One thing I have really noticed the last 2-3 years is how important it is as the C to be very patient after a made basket.
As the C, you rarely have to move quickly from one end to the other. After a made basket, there is no rush to get back and set up.
On a made basket, the tendency for the Trail is to get their ass back, set up on th ebaseline, and accept the oncoming post players. That's drilled into our heads.
The Lead takes care of the inbounds play after the made basket. Does the OB count. Starts the 10-count.
The C has a tenedency to relax and not pay attention too much. This is a prime time to lose focus and not help with anything. You're in no rush to get back, you might be helping with the second wave of playerson a press situation...Not a whole lot to do.
How many times do cheap shots or hard contact occur after a made basket? A lot more than you realize. Players positioning/crashing hard for rebounds that never occurred. Fired up players turning quickly to bolt back down floor and running into opponents. This all occurs off-ball, and the only guy to see these things, and manage it if necessary, is the C.
The point: As the C on a made basket, make a conscious effort to freeze and watch the big picture as the players clear out. You have plenty of time to get back, help on the press, and get in position for the subsequent play. By doing this, you are prepared to prevent non-basketball stuff that could escalate and create issues--especially if something big is missed.
As the C, you rarely have to move quickly from one end to the other. After a made basket, there is no rush to get back and set up.
On a made basket, the tendency for the Trail is to get their ass back, set up on th ebaseline, and accept the oncoming post players. That's drilled into our heads.
The Lead takes care of the inbounds play after the made basket. Does the OB count. Starts the 10-count.
The C has a tenedency to relax and not pay attention too much. This is a prime time to lose focus and not help with anything. You're in no rush to get back, you might be helping with the second wave of playerson a press situation...Not a whole lot to do.
How many times do cheap shots or hard contact occur after a made basket? A lot more than you realize. Players positioning/crashing hard for rebounds that never occurred. Fired up players turning quickly to bolt back down floor and running into opponents. This all occurs off-ball, and the only guy to see these things, and manage it if necessary, is the C.
The point: As the C on a made basket, make a conscious effort to freeze and watch the big picture as the players clear out. You have plenty of time to get back, help on the press, and get in position for the subsequent play. By doing this, you are prepared to prevent non-basketball stuff that could escalate and create issues--especially if something big is missed.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Missed Call >>> Bad Call
Had an interesting conversation with an NFL referee last week, which is a lot more applicable to basketball than I initially realized. All officials make mistakes--that has been covered ad nauseum throughout this blog. If you don;t make mistakes, you may as well not be reading this, be wearing sandals, and showing everyone how you can cross the Columbia without a boat. However, there is an enormous distinction between a Missed Call and a Bad Call.
Missed Calls are easy. There are times you just don't pull the trigger, even though you saw it. I hear, "@%$#!, you missed that $%^*@ travel!" in my head a lot during games--more so than I'd like. Other times, despite the cardinal rule to never allow it to happen, you get straightlined and cannot clearly see the play to make the call. You can also be caught in a bad position and miss an on-ball call. The last major missed call is when you do not help a partner in his primary pick up the "O My God" whistle. All of these happen. The good news is, if you admit the mistake (or possibility of one), and work hard to not repeat it, players and coaches can understand that, and generally won't ruin the game over them. There are even times when you'll hear the "they let them play" comment. Not that this philosophy is necessarily good, because that can lead to out-of-control games, but you can survive missed calls.
Bad calls ruin games. The ability to avoid bad calls separates officials. The following are generally bad calls to make:
1. Phantom travels & fouls. You may as well buy the T-Shirt: "I (Heart) Anticipation and Guessing"
2. Calling a rebounding foul on the offensive rebounder, when the defender successfully secures the rebound anyway.
3. 3 in the Key when no advantage was gained.
4. Shooting foul when the defender gets ball first.
5. Hit foul when the ball is out before any contact.
6. Any defensive foul when the offensive player loses control of the ball while making his move.
7. Goaltends/BI when the ball is not touched.
8. Any false multiple foul or false double foul, regardless of what the rule book says!
Why are Missed Calls better? Along with the reasons listed above, partners can help you if you miss a call. They can blow the whistle for you and save you and the crew. That potential exists. A Bad Call? You're on an island with no place to hide. Think about it.
Want to make it worse? Get defensive with players and coaches after a Bad Call. Your credibility will vanish as quickly as your ego can elbow it away....
Missed Calls are easy. There are times you just don't pull the trigger, even though you saw it. I hear, "@%$#!, you missed that $%^*@ travel!" in my head a lot during games--more so than I'd like. Other times, despite the cardinal rule to never allow it to happen, you get straightlined and cannot clearly see the play to make the call. You can also be caught in a bad position and miss an on-ball call. The last major missed call is when you do not help a partner in his primary pick up the "O My God" whistle. All of these happen. The good news is, if you admit the mistake (or possibility of one), and work hard to not repeat it, players and coaches can understand that, and generally won't ruin the game over them. There are even times when you'll hear the "they let them play" comment. Not that this philosophy is necessarily good, because that can lead to out-of-control games, but you can survive missed calls.
Bad calls ruin games. The ability to avoid bad calls separates officials. The following are generally bad calls to make:
1. Phantom travels & fouls. You may as well buy the T-Shirt: "I (Heart) Anticipation and Guessing"
2. Calling a rebounding foul on the offensive rebounder, when the defender successfully secures the rebound anyway.
3. 3 in the Key when no advantage was gained.
4. Shooting foul when the defender gets ball first.
5. Hit foul when the ball is out before any contact.
6. Any defensive foul when the offensive player loses control of the ball while making his move.
7. Goaltends/BI when the ball is not touched.
8. Any false multiple foul or false double foul, regardless of what the rule book says!
Why are Missed Calls better? Along with the reasons listed above, partners can help you if you miss a call. They can blow the whistle for you and save you and the crew. That potential exists. A Bad Call? You're on an island with no place to hide. Think about it.
Want to make it worse? Get defensive with players and coaches after a Bad Call. Your credibility will vanish as quickly as your ego can elbow it away....
Monday, June 2, 2008
Listening Skill Tip
One thing that gets officials in trouble is the perception of being stubborn. Coaches and players generally react poorly to the arrogant referee that defends a bad call aggressively, who often times using threats of technicals or dismissive body language towards them when they get questioned. And nobody wins in those situations.
I recently heard a great quote in a leadership course that will be in my head next year:
"Learn to listen as though you are wrong."
That simple statement will force you to try and see the other person's point of view, and one of two good things can happen:
1. You could be convinced that you were wrong, and can either fix it or 'fess up to it.
2. You can explain yourself in a more tactful way that will be accepted by the coach or player and avoid escalation. "Gee, if I was standing where you were, that's exactly what I would have seen. But I was at a different angle, and probably had a better look than you did. Trust me, I'm pretty sure I got that one right."
Option #1 is being strong enough to admit a mistake or a weak call, and fix a potential admninistrative error. Option #2 is just good customer service. If your ego can handle these options, you'll be a much better official and steward of the game.
I recently heard a great quote in a leadership course that will be in my head next year:
"Learn to listen as though you are wrong."
That simple statement will force you to try and see the other person's point of view, and one of two good things can happen:
1. You could be convinced that you were wrong, and can either fix it or 'fess up to it.
2. You can explain yourself in a more tactful way that will be accepted by the coach or player and avoid escalation. "Gee, if I was standing where you were, that's exactly what I would have seen. But I was at a different angle, and probably had a better look than you did. Trust me, I'm pretty sure I got that one right."
Option #1 is being strong enough to admit a mistake or a weak call, and fix a potential admninistrative error. Option #2 is just good customer service. If your ego can handle these options, you'll be a much better official and steward of the game.
Monday, April 21, 2008
2 Great Observations
Heard two great observations from a very astute, detail-oriented person upon watching an entire championship tournament. Read them and think about them:
1. One two officials in the entire tournament did a good job of looking back and seeing the court/play during transition from trail to lead. 22 of 24 did not do this consistently at all.
2. Officials had very little middle ground with coaches. They were either non-communicative, or overly aggressive. This appeared as an arrogance that did not help the perception of the officiating.
I know I can improve on the first one a great deal. The second one is always a good thing to be aware of, too. They'll both be on my personal POE next year. Can't hurt!
1. One two officials in the entire tournament did a good job of looking back and seeing the court/play during transition from trail to lead. 22 of 24 did not do this consistently at all.
2. Officials had very little middle ground with coaches. They were either non-communicative, or overly aggressive. This appeared as an arrogance that did not help the perception of the officiating.
I know I can improve on the first one a great deal. The second one is always a good thing to be aware of, too. They'll both be on my personal POE next year. Can't hurt!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Cure For Lazy Days Of Summer
Time for offseason basketball. That means wearing shorts, watching rat ball, and dealing with adult leagues where some of the games are downright brutal. It's also a time for complacency. Everyone complains about it. Adult players are a pain to deal with, kids don't really care about playing, table people stink, the pay is bad....The list goes on and on.
One of the biggest gripes is how it can hurt your officiating because people don't use good mechanics. I find that pretty funny. During rec leagues or summer games, there are plenty of people who Cadillac it. They loaf down the court, don't blow the whistle much, and just don't put in their best effort. They're no different than players who dog it at practice to "save it for the game". Those guys are losers and/or they need the money.
Every time you step on a court, you need to perform. Earn your money. Earn the respect of the players and coaches. To quote the pirate boss from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, "Show some pride!"
Here are some thoughts to consider about working the long offseason:
1. You can always use great mechanics. If you think your mechanics need work, by all means work on them. If nobody else is doing them, who cares? For myself, I believe I have pretty good mechanics, and to be honest, there are times when I don't exhibit full-bore reporting/rotating mechanics in mundane offseason games, but I never let it bleed anywhere else in my game. You still have to communicate with everyone.
2. You need to hustle. If you cannot physcially hustle, or just cannot get up emotionally to give your best physical effort, don't do the games. There is never an excuse for not hustling and earning your check. Lots of guys get lazy during the summer. Eventually, almost all of them get lazy during the regular season. Don't do it.
3. This should be #1. Work on your judgment. You can watch kids playing pickup and work on your judgment. The more reps you get, the more situations you see, the better prepared you'll be to make judgment calls. Work on never guessing. Work on passing when there is no advantage/disadvantage. If you blow the whistle a lot, work on letting more go. If you let e'm play, trying blowing it more. By the way, if you are not hustling and being lazy, you're not helping your judgment.
4. Try some new stuff. Take different approaches with players, especially adults. Try different lines on coaches. Try a different persona. I have found a lot of things that don't work for me during offseason games, but I have learned a lot about how to deal with emotional players during adult leagues. Trying to work in other tecnhiques and styles that you admire in others and seeing if they work in your game is a great way to continue to improve. Offseason games allow you to do that in a less formal setting, especially when integration may be a little awkward and feel funny.
5. Don't worry about your partners. If they are not taking it seriously, and are going through the motions, just focus on yourself.
There should be little difference between regular season games and offseason games. Every game is important to the players, coaches, and parents. They all pay money to play, and pay you to officiate for them. Don't be the guy that tries to do everything the right way from November to March, and then becomes the lazy object of scorn that never crosses half-court, wants to avoid the bonus at all costs because it's just a summer game, and let players deck each other without penalty because they're dreaming about spending that $15 a game at WalMart on the fishing pole they've been saving for.
And don't ever use anything as an excuse to not try and get better every time you put the shirt on. Someone is always watching.
One of the biggest gripes is how it can hurt your officiating because people don't use good mechanics. I find that pretty funny. During rec leagues or summer games, there are plenty of people who Cadillac it. They loaf down the court, don't blow the whistle much, and just don't put in their best effort. They're no different than players who dog it at practice to "save it for the game". Those guys are losers and/or they need the money.
Every time you step on a court, you need to perform. Earn your money. Earn the respect of the players and coaches. To quote the pirate boss from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, "Show some pride!"
Here are some thoughts to consider about working the long offseason:
1. You can always use great mechanics. If you think your mechanics need work, by all means work on them. If nobody else is doing them, who cares? For myself, I believe I have pretty good mechanics, and to be honest, there are times when I don't exhibit full-bore reporting/rotating mechanics in mundane offseason games, but I never let it bleed anywhere else in my game. You still have to communicate with everyone.
2. You need to hustle. If you cannot physcially hustle, or just cannot get up emotionally to give your best physical effort, don't do the games. There is never an excuse for not hustling and earning your check. Lots of guys get lazy during the summer. Eventually, almost all of them get lazy during the regular season. Don't do it.
3. This should be #1. Work on your judgment. You can watch kids playing pickup and work on your judgment. The more reps you get, the more situations you see, the better prepared you'll be to make judgment calls. Work on never guessing. Work on passing when there is no advantage/disadvantage. If you blow the whistle a lot, work on letting more go. If you let e'm play, trying blowing it more. By the way, if you are not hustling and being lazy, you're not helping your judgment.
4. Try some new stuff. Take different approaches with players, especially adults. Try different lines on coaches. Try a different persona. I have found a lot of things that don't work for me during offseason games, but I have learned a lot about how to deal with emotional players during adult leagues. Trying to work in other tecnhiques and styles that you admire in others and seeing if they work in your game is a great way to continue to improve. Offseason games allow you to do that in a less formal setting, especially when integration may be a little awkward and feel funny.
5. Don't worry about your partners. If they are not taking it seriously, and are going through the motions, just focus on yourself.
There should be little difference between regular season games and offseason games. Every game is important to the players, coaches, and parents. They all pay money to play, and pay you to officiate for them. Don't be the guy that tries to do everything the right way from November to March, and then becomes the lazy object of scorn that never crosses half-court, wants to avoid the bonus at all costs because it's just a summer game, and let players deck each other without penalty because they're dreaming about spending that $15 a game at WalMart on the fishing pole they've been saving for.
And don't ever use anything as an excuse to not try and get better every time you put the shirt on. Someone is always watching.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Novel Idea About Coaches Yelling
The coach/official relationship is fascinating. The list of complaints about officials from coaches and administrators is long and never really ends. One of the entries of this blog is dedicated to relaying common complaints from coaches. From our side of the fence, coaches try to intimidate and badger us in the hopes of getting every call in their favor. They are ignorant, and often times the enemy, preventing us from doing our jobs peacefully.
What's wrong with that picture? It's untrue. While both sides can feel those ways at times, it is quite common that a mutual respect can be attained. We both know what each other needs to do. However, as human beings, we all have our own ideas about how to get it done. Some say the coach/official relationship is like a marriage, where mutual respect needs to be there to maintain a bond through minor disagreements. The problem is, the officials need to always maintain composure and act professionally at all times. We need to be the bigger person when things get emotional and personal.
Which brings me to the point of this entry. We all deal with aggressive coaches who can get very emotional and vocal during games. Some of these guys are just great when they are winning, and become difficult when games or individual calls don't go their way. As officials, we categorize these coaches. When an aggressive coach usually makes good points, he is "competitive". When a coach rants and raves about non-issues, he is "irrational". When a coach begs frequently, he is "whiny". Fair or unfair, these labels follow coaches, and they can have an effect on how we do our jobs, and manages the games.
I don't believe that a vocal coach means that he is against the officials. I am certain that there are coaches that hate officials, or will try to intimidate or badger officials into giving them that one call that may make a difference between winning or losing a 1-point game. However, I believe the best mindset for us is to be innocent and oblivious. We need to assume that players and coaches have no ill intentions.
Coaches, especially the best ones, hate to lose. The spend tons or time, energy, and passion into trying to win games by directing their players. During the game, that energy and passion has to go somewhere, especially when things don't go as planned. Players don't execute perfectly. Coach tells a player to do X and Y. Player does A and B. Coach asks why, and never gets a good answer. What's the result? Frustration. Same thing goes with calls the coach doesn't like, and despite our egos, we miss lots of calls. No good answer? More frustration.
Frustration results in energy having to go somewhere. Some coaches--and people--bottle it up. It may or may not explode. Others vent. Where can the coach vent? He can rip the players, and often does. He can passionately direct his team, and often does. However, you cannot spend 32 or 40 minutes doing that. The players will burn out and tune him out. What does that leave? The officials...
Some coaches like to scream "Travel!" throughout the game, even when they know that you have tuned them out? Why? Some say that it is in the hopes that they get that one travel call. I prefer to believe that it is just energy that has to go somewhere. Is it annoying? Yes. Is it any different than a 4-year-old boy who is so full of energy that he cannot sit still? No! Coaches cannot ride a treadmill during a game. They cannot sprint around. They cannot scream at the table. They cannot yell at the opponent, or tell their AD to jump in a lake. But they can vent on officials, for the most part, without penalty. It's accepted.
Next time you have a vocal coach that is not getting personal, instead of thinking he's being overly critical and annoying, try to remember that he has competitive energy and frustration built up that has to go somewhere. That small amount of empathy might help you deal with the coach better, and also keep your focus on doing what is best for the game--players and coaches--instead of getting annoyed with high maintenance coach. I know when I head the "Travel!" 25 times in a game, it doesn't bother me a bit. It makes me feel good that the coach is working that hard. It's not fun for me, but it is good for the game as long as I am not affected!
What's wrong with that picture? It's untrue. While both sides can feel those ways at times, it is quite common that a mutual respect can be attained. We both know what each other needs to do. However, as human beings, we all have our own ideas about how to get it done. Some say the coach/official relationship is like a marriage, where mutual respect needs to be there to maintain a bond through minor disagreements. The problem is, the officials need to always maintain composure and act professionally at all times. We need to be the bigger person when things get emotional and personal.
Which brings me to the point of this entry. We all deal with aggressive coaches who can get very emotional and vocal during games. Some of these guys are just great when they are winning, and become difficult when games or individual calls don't go their way. As officials, we categorize these coaches. When an aggressive coach usually makes good points, he is "competitive". When a coach rants and raves about non-issues, he is "irrational". When a coach begs frequently, he is "whiny". Fair or unfair, these labels follow coaches, and they can have an effect on how we do our jobs, and manages the games.
I don't believe that a vocal coach means that he is against the officials. I am certain that there are coaches that hate officials, or will try to intimidate or badger officials into giving them that one call that may make a difference between winning or losing a 1-point game. However, I believe the best mindset for us is to be innocent and oblivious. We need to assume that players and coaches have no ill intentions.
Coaches, especially the best ones, hate to lose. The spend tons or time, energy, and passion into trying to win games by directing their players. During the game, that energy and passion has to go somewhere, especially when things don't go as planned. Players don't execute perfectly. Coach tells a player to do X and Y. Player does A and B. Coach asks why, and never gets a good answer. What's the result? Frustration. Same thing goes with calls the coach doesn't like, and despite our egos, we miss lots of calls. No good answer? More frustration.
Frustration results in energy having to go somewhere. Some coaches--and people--bottle it up. It may or may not explode. Others vent. Where can the coach vent? He can rip the players, and often does. He can passionately direct his team, and often does. However, you cannot spend 32 or 40 minutes doing that. The players will burn out and tune him out. What does that leave? The officials...
Some coaches like to scream "Travel!" throughout the game, even when they know that you have tuned them out? Why? Some say that it is in the hopes that they get that one travel call. I prefer to believe that it is just energy that has to go somewhere. Is it annoying? Yes. Is it any different than a 4-year-old boy who is so full of energy that he cannot sit still? No! Coaches cannot ride a treadmill during a game. They cannot sprint around. They cannot scream at the table. They cannot yell at the opponent, or tell their AD to jump in a lake. But they can vent on officials, for the most part, without penalty. It's accepted.
Next time you have a vocal coach that is not getting personal, instead of thinking he's being overly critical and annoying, try to remember that he has competitive energy and frustration built up that has to go somewhere. That small amount of empathy might help you deal with the coach better, and also keep your focus on doing what is best for the game--players and coaches--instead of getting annoyed with high maintenance coach. I know when I head the "Travel!" 25 times in a game, it doesn't bother me a bit. It makes me feel good that the coach is working that hard. It's not fun for me, but it is good for the game as long as I am not affected!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Pre-Game Warriors: Walk The Walk
Pre-games are an important part of preparing for each game. Clinicians will beat it into all of our brains how important they are. Some guys like them. Some guys hate them. Like athletes, we all probably have our own styles and routines to get ready for games.
This year was funny for me. On about 5 occasions, I had what I call Pre-Game Warriors on the warpath in the dressing room before the game. These guys felt it important to spend between 15 and 45 minutes going over any possible scenario that could happen during a game. And the really funny part is, on every one of those occasions, the Warrior went out and did not follow what he covered in his extended pre-game. Every time.
On the flip side, I had a couple of buddies who were disappointed in the lack of a pre-game done prior to one of their games, and they felt that the lack of a pre-game hurt their personal performance, and that the crew wasn't the greatest either.
I think you can have a very good and effective pre-game in 5 minutes. If my life depended on a pre-game, here's what I would cover:
1. First and foremost, we cannot allow any non-basketball stuff to happen on the court. Cheap shots and dead ball contact must be penalized immediately. Pay attention during dead balls. Small things like shoving, chucking cutters, and using the upper body to fight in the post must be addressed. I don't care if you talk to the players, warn them, call personal fouls, or whack them--just take care of it so blood is not spilled and nobody is carted off with an injury. If they wouldn't do it to a buddy in a pickup game, they shouldn't be doing it on our floor.
2. We must limit negative emotions. Players and coaches will react to calls. We need to understand their emotions. We have to give them a couple of seconds to react, because we do miss calls, and sometimes they perceive we missed them. However, we must move on. Games don't stop because of a bad call. Again, just address it however you have to. Use your communications and people skills to de-escalate negative emotions.
3. Decide how the transition between the C and T will occur as the ball crosses half court.
4. Decide who is taking block/charge calls on strong-side drives between the T and the L.
5. Decide if you want to "hand-off" to a partner if you call a 5th foul on a player. I "hand-off" every single time.
6. Decide how to handle a T. I get goofy when I call them, so I want a partner to hear what I have, and then play quarterback, and tell me where to go, and what to do.
7. Last, if you come in to help, you have to be 100%. If I ask you if you had a good look, you missed it, but you can decide whether you want my help. If you passed on a foul, "Yes, I had a good look," will cause me to go away quickly. Don't offer me help unless you are 100%, even if I ask for it. Don't ever guess when offering help.
Done. If folks want to chat about other things, that is just fine. But make sure that if you want a long and extended pre-game, that you are not just dry humping your partners. Walk the walk. Talking the talk is for posers.
This year was funny for me. On about 5 occasions, I had what I call Pre-Game Warriors on the warpath in the dressing room before the game. These guys felt it important to spend between 15 and 45 minutes going over any possible scenario that could happen during a game. And the really funny part is, on every one of those occasions, the Warrior went out and did not follow what he covered in his extended pre-game. Every time.
On the flip side, I had a couple of buddies who were disappointed in the lack of a pre-game done prior to one of their games, and they felt that the lack of a pre-game hurt their personal performance, and that the crew wasn't the greatest either.
I think you can have a very good and effective pre-game in 5 minutes. If my life depended on a pre-game, here's what I would cover:
1. First and foremost, we cannot allow any non-basketball stuff to happen on the court. Cheap shots and dead ball contact must be penalized immediately. Pay attention during dead balls. Small things like shoving, chucking cutters, and using the upper body to fight in the post must be addressed. I don't care if you talk to the players, warn them, call personal fouls, or whack them--just take care of it so blood is not spilled and nobody is carted off with an injury. If they wouldn't do it to a buddy in a pickup game, they shouldn't be doing it on our floor.
2. We must limit negative emotions. Players and coaches will react to calls. We need to understand their emotions. We have to give them a couple of seconds to react, because we do miss calls, and sometimes they perceive we missed them. However, we must move on. Games don't stop because of a bad call. Again, just address it however you have to. Use your communications and people skills to de-escalate negative emotions.
3. Decide how the transition between the C and T will occur as the ball crosses half court.
4. Decide who is taking block/charge calls on strong-side drives between the T and the L.
5. Decide if you want to "hand-off" to a partner if you call a 5th foul on a player. I "hand-off" every single time.
6. Decide how to handle a T. I get goofy when I call them, so I want a partner to hear what I have, and then play quarterback, and tell me where to go, and what to do.
7. Last, if you come in to help, you have to be 100%. If I ask you if you had a good look, you missed it, but you can decide whether you want my help. If you passed on a foul, "Yes, I had a good look," will cause me to go away quickly. Don't offer me help unless you are 100%, even if I ask for it. Don't ever guess when offering help.
Done. If folks want to chat about other things, that is just fine. But make sure that if you want a long and extended pre-game, that you are not just dry humping your partners. Walk the walk. Talking the talk is for posers.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Basketball Suicide
I have seen a few blatant instances of what I have come to call "Basketball Suicide" by players, and thought it would be interesting to share this with whomever is bored enough to actually be reading this.
Some players lack emotional control. Nothing they do is a foul. They are persecuted. All officials hate them. They hate officials. When normal communication with these guys fail, we always have several tools to manage them: talk to captains, talk to coaches, call personal fouls, or call the technical. No matter how you deal with them, the chip on the their shoulder makes them appear to tilt when they walk.
You need to really be careful near the end of games with these folks. We all talk about "instigators" and "disruptors", who you have to pay close attention to on dead balls. However, put yourself in their shoes for a minute. They are tired. They are frustrated. More often than not, they are losing. If they have 4 fouls, you think they might boil over and deck someone, just to vent and not have to play anymore?
I've had this happen 3 times this year. All 3 times, a player has been in foul trouble, been unhappy with us, not been responsive to our efforts to communicate and reason with them, and when it became apparent that their team would lose the game, just snapped and intentionally committed a hard foul. Knowing it was 5, they simply went straight to the bench immediately following the whistle. The bad part--you know that the foul was intentional and could cause major problems in your game. The good part--he left the game quickly, quietly, and without the attention that an intentional or flagrant would give. Didn't even need to wait for the sub. Everyone in the gym knew, and the game went on smoothly without him.
The real question is, why is it not a flagrant or intentional? Tough call to make late in a game that is already decided. Unless you are sure that everyone saw a dirty, non-basketball play, would it be good game management to penalize this player for a blatant hard shove in the back on a rebound or ramming through a screen, especially when no escalation or reaction from the person who was fouled occurred? Would the film support and ejection? That is the ironic thing for me this year: in all 3 of these instances, the opponent who got decked did not even acknowledge the malicious intent; they just got up and went to the line.
However, keep in mind, that if you have a bad apple during your game who has been in foul trouble, and later in the second half it becomes apparent that his team will lose, be especially vigilant to prevent something ugly. Because players without emotional control may take the easy way out, along with frustration that could cause bigger issues for you when the game has been decided. "Basketball Suicide" happens more often than you think. Not many players lack emotional control; I'd say about 5%. But watch for the symptoms and try and head it off.
Some players lack emotional control. Nothing they do is a foul. They are persecuted. All officials hate them. They hate officials. When normal communication with these guys fail, we always have several tools to manage them: talk to captains, talk to coaches, call personal fouls, or call the technical. No matter how you deal with them, the chip on the their shoulder makes them appear to tilt when they walk.
You need to really be careful near the end of games with these folks. We all talk about "instigators" and "disruptors", who you have to pay close attention to on dead balls. However, put yourself in their shoes for a minute. They are tired. They are frustrated. More often than not, they are losing. If they have 4 fouls, you think they might boil over and deck someone, just to vent and not have to play anymore?
I've had this happen 3 times this year. All 3 times, a player has been in foul trouble, been unhappy with us, not been responsive to our efforts to communicate and reason with them, and when it became apparent that their team would lose the game, just snapped and intentionally committed a hard foul. Knowing it was 5, they simply went straight to the bench immediately following the whistle. The bad part--you know that the foul was intentional and could cause major problems in your game. The good part--he left the game quickly, quietly, and without the attention that an intentional or flagrant would give. Didn't even need to wait for the sub. Everyone in the gym knew, and the game went on smoothly without him.
The real question is, why is it not a flagrant or intentional? Tough call to make late in a game that is already decided. Unless you are sure that everyone saw a dirty, non-basketball play, would it be good game management to penalize this player for a blatant hard shove in the back on a rebound or ramming through a screen, especially when no escalation or reaction from the person who was fouled occurred? Would the film support and ejection? That is the ironic thing for me this year: in all 3 of these instances, the opponent who got decked did not even acknowledge the malicious intent; they just got up and went to the line.
However, keep in mind, that if you have a bad apple during your game who has been in foul trouble, and later in the second half it becomes apparent that his team will lose, be especially vigilant to prevent something ugly. Because players without emotional control may take the easy way out, along with frustration that could cause bigger issues for you when the game has been decided. "Basketball Suicide" happens more often than you think. Not many players lack emotional control; I'd say about 5%. But watch for the symptoms and try and head it off.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Managing Free Throws
One of the biggest things that we do not do well as officials is manage free throws. It seems like an easy thing to do, but many times teams and players are able to get away with a lot more during free throws to gain an unfair and illegal advantage. You can improve the game by being vigilant during free throws. The following are some comments I heard a few years ago from Dick Cartmell and other observations that I and a few others have made on this topic. These tenets and ideas have made a huge difference for me.
1. You must not allow players to be pushed under the basket. We've all seen it--red team shooting, on the "blockout", white pushes into red under the hoop resulting in tip in or possession for red. There are only 2 ways for the offensive team to secure the rebound on a missed free throw:
A. One is for a long rebound to come out where it can be tipped by a player jumping straight up or chased down towards the sideline.
B. The other is for the offensive player to move his feet quickly enough to establish his position and get the rebound without displacing the defensive player.
Allowing players to push towards the basket happens a lot. It should be difficult for an offensive team to get a rebound on a missed free throw. Unless they get the rebound by using quickess and outhustling the defensive team--which happens more frequently than you think--or the missed free throw is a complete brick that bounces out hard, you need to make sure that the offense doesn't steal the rebound by pushing. I know I make it a point, if the game is getting physical or it is late in the game, to tell the second guy "Don't push! Use your quicks!" when administering from the lane. Doesn't hurt to reinforce this when you need to. Players listen and adapt more than you realize.
2. It is illegal of the defensive player inthe 3rd slot on the lane to "pinch" the offensive player into the defensive player in the 1st slot. This is much more important in college, when the players on the lane can move upon the release of the shot. Pinching in so the offensive rebounder in the 2nd slot cannot use his feet to try and be quick to beat the block out is a foul. Some coaches teach the "pinch". Remember, if the goal is to allow freedom of movement, and you want to avoid pushing towards the hoop on free throws, you must manage this, too. Can't have one without the other. And no, this is not a Reese's commercial.
3. Disconcerting the free throw shooter. Typically, the higher the level, the less this occurs. However, you will occasionally have players put their arms up, and drop them on the shot. I tell them to make a decision "Up or Down", and that usually stops this issue. Not dealing with disconcertion can lead to escalation of attitudes, talking, and physical play. As much as coaches hate it, if it is blatant or happens after a warning, have the courage to call it. Once you call it once, I can almost guarantee you that it will not happen again in that game. And the players will know that you are correct and mean business.
We don't talk about managing free throws much, but paying rapt attention to these little details during a time when some players and officials have a tendency to relax a little bit will pay big dividends when you need them.
1. You must not allow players to be pushed under the basket. We've all seen it--red team shooting, on the "blockout", white pushes into red under the hoop resulting in tip in or possession for red. There are only 2 ways for the offensive team to secure the rebound on a missed free throw:
A. One is for a long rebound to come out where it can be tipped by a player jumping straight up or chased down towards the sideline.
B. The other is for the offensive player to move his feet quickly enough to establish his position and get the rebound without displacing the defensive player.
Allowing players to push towards the basket happens a lot. It should be difficult for an offensive team to get a rebound on a missed free throw. Unless they get the rebound by using quickess and outhustling the defensive team--which happens more frequently than you think--or the missed free throw is a complete brick that bounces out hard, you need to make sure that the offense doesn't steal the rebound by pushing. I know I make it a point, if the game is getting physical or it is late in the game, to tell the second guy "Don't push! Use your quicks!" when administering from the lane. Doesn't hurt to reinforce this when you need to. Players listen and adapt more than you realize.
2. It is illegal of the defensive player inthe 3rd slot on the lane to "pinch" the offensive player into the defensive player in the 1st slot. This is much more important in college, when the players on the lane can move upon the release of the shot. Pinching in so the offensive rebounder in the 2nd slot cannot use his feet to try and be quick to beat the block out is a foul. Some coaches teach the "pinch". Remember, if the goal is to allow freedom of movement, and you want to avoid pushing towards the hoop on free throws, you must manage this, too. Can't have one without the other. And no, this is not a Reese's commercial.
3. Disconcerting the free throw shooter. Typically, the higher the level, the less this occurs. However, you will occasionally have players put their arms up, and drop them on the shot. I tell them to make a decision "Up or Down", and that usually stops this issue. Not dealing with disconcertion can lead to escalation of attitudes, talking, and physical play. As much as coaches hate it, if it is blatant or happens after a warning, have the courage to call it. Once you call it once, I can almost guarantee you that it will not happen again in that game. And the players will know that you are correct and mean business.
We don't talk about managing free throws much, but paying rapt attention to these little details during a time when some players and officials have a tendency to relax a little bit will pay big dividends when you need them.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Coaches' Perspectives
Al Moberg of Oregon is the King of Communication. Every couple of weeks he sends out an e-mail to his officials outlining his observations in order to help everyone improve. Paul Cooley of Spokane sent out some areas of concern that the coaches had reported to him over the course of the first-half of league games this year. Going back to Mickey Crowley's rule that perception is very important, the following is an abridged list of some things we should all think about and try to phase out of our games:
1. Working hard for the majority of the game and then missing calls late.
2. Making late-game calls that have not been made earlier.
3. Officials becoming defensive when asked about a rule.
4. Officials incorrectly quoting rules.
5. Inappropriate and unprofessional comments made to players by officials.
6. Allowing one coach to bully officials, causing other coach to yell or get screwed.
7. Officials not on same page, calling different games on the same floor.
8. Officials not being approachable and maintaining open communications throughout the game.
9. Being surprised by plays/situations and having "no-calls".
10. Being too high as the C and T to make the right calls in the paint.
Keep these in mind as you go forward. They can and will help how you and your crew are perceived by coaches and assignors.
1. Working hard for the majority of the game and then missing calls late.
2. Making late-game calls that have not been made earlier.
3. Officials becoming defensive when asked about a rule.
4. Officials incorrectly quoting rules.
5. Inappropriate and unprofessional comments made to players by officials.
6. Allowing one coach to bully officials, causing other coach to yell or get screwed.
7. Officials not on same page, calling different games on the same floor.
8. Officials not being approachable and maintaining open communications throughout the game.
9. Being surprised by plays/situations and having "no-calls".
10. Being too high as the C and T to make the right calls in the paint.
Keep these in mind as you go forward. They can and will help how you and your crew are perceived by coaches and assignors.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
When 2 Trails Is Good
There are some situations where it is a good thing to have 2 T's. This goes agianst a lot of convention: "It is better to have 2 C's than 2 T's" is a common theme preached during training sessions and at camps. This philosophy is good, because you want both the C and the T to stay engaged in the play, and not bail out on rebounds when their support of the play around the basket is critical to get the best look and get it right. However, think about having 2 T's during the following situations:
1. If a team is purposefully slowing the ball down to milk the shot clock. This has happened in several of my recent games. The offensive team is running weaves well outside the top of the key to avoid the 5-second count on the ball handler. Lots of aggressive defense, lots of high screens, no real cuts to the basket or screens to free people up below the free throw line. By going ot 2 T's here, you get great looks at the screeners and secondary defenders, and have 2 guys actively involved in where the play is. You also don't have forced movement based on the L rotating ball side. If there is no play below the foul line, why would the L have to rotate? It is also very easy to slide back into the L-T-C alignment as the shot clock winds down, and the offensive team makes their play to score.
2. Same principle applies when there is no shot clock, and the defense is in a tight zone, usually a 1-3-1 or 1-2-2. If the offense decides to pass the ball east-west freqently out top to try and beat the top defender in the zone, you culd wind up with too many rotations. If the L is patient, and doesn't rotate until the ball is in play on one side or the other, you can have 2 T's, with the weak side T sliding down to C (2 or 3 simple steps) when the ball drops below the FT line on the opposite side, when their is potential for a scoring chance or post play, and the L rotates there.
As long as you're back to the L-T-C alignment on scoring plays and to support rebounding sequences, you can be a better crew by doing this at times. This is a great thing to talk about during a TO. This would be tough to pre-game, because it is is not a frequent occurrence, but if you like 45-minute pre-games, have at it!
1. If a team is purposefully slowing the ball down to milk the shot clock. This has happened in several of my recent games. The offensive team is running weaves well outside the top of the key to avoid the 5-second count on the ball handler. Lots of aggressive defense, lots of high screens, no real cuts to the basket or screens to free people up below the free throw line. By going ot 2 T's here, you get great looks at the screeners and secondary defenders, and have 2 guys actively involved in where the play is. You also don't have forced movement based on the L rotating ball side. If there is no play below the foul line, why would the L have to rotate? It is also very easy to slide back into the L-T-C alignment as the shot clock winds down, and the offensive team makes their play to score.
2. Same principle applies when there is no shot clock, and the defense is in a tight zone, usually a 1-3-1 or 1-2-2. If the offense decides to pass the ball east-west freqently out top to try and beat the top defender in the zone, you culd wind up with too many rotations. If the L is patient, and doesn't rotate until the ball is in play on one side or the other, you can have 2 T's, with the weak side T sliding down to C (2 or 3 simple steps) when the ball drops below the FT line on the opposite side, when their is potential for a scoring chance or post play, and the L rotates there.
As long as you're back to the L-T-C alignment on scoring plays and to support rebounding sequences, you can be a better crew by doing this at times. This is a great thing to talk about during a TO. This would be tough to pre-game, because it is is not a frequent occurrence, but if you like 45-minute pre-games, have at it!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Ed Rush Advice
Ed Rush is an outstanding clinician who is another of those folks who is at the forefront of new and innovative officiating theories. The points he makes are prety salient. Some of the unique ones are provided here:
1. "Elephants not Ants". Look for the big stuff, let the little stuff go!
2. We miss plays for 3 reasons:
a. Looking in the wrong place
b. Standing in the wrong place.
c. Not paying attention.
3. Always make quality calls on 4's and 5's. There are not many quality big men; their playing time is at a premium.
4. On plays going away from you as the C or T, make sure they are "High Certainty", and do not make a call if you are straightlined.
5. Most plays are not 5 on 5: a couple players almost always have the play off. Figure out who is playing basketball on each particular play and referee them.
6. Create a climate for the offense to get to the rim. That's what the game is about.
7. The closer defenders are to the basket, the more likely they are ‘protecting the hoop’, meaning they are jumping straight up – Verticality. Outside, typically, defenders are jumping toward the ball / offender… almost always!
1. "Elephants not Ants". Look for the big stuff, let the little stuff go!
2. We miss plays for 3 reasons:
a. Looking in the wrong place
b. Standing in the wrong place.
c. Not paying attention.
3. Always make quality calls on 4's and 5's. There are not many quality big men; their playing time is at a premium.
4. On plays going away from you as the C or T, make sure they are "High Certainty", and do not make a call if you are straightlined.
5. Most plays are not 5 on 5: a couple players almost always have the play off. Figure out who is playing basketball on each particular play and referee them.
6. Create a climate for the offense to get to the rim. That's what the game is about.
7. The closer defenders are to the basket, the more likely they are ‘protecting the hoop’, meaning they are jumping straight up – Verticality. Outside, typically, defenders are jumping toward the ball / offender… almost always!
Great Charlie Range Quote
It's been typed here before--most of us think we are better than we really are. Our self-evaluations are generally better than those of others. Some of that is vanity; some of it is the envy of others. Either way, Charlie Range has a great point:
"Be humble--humility is a good trait. Accept criticism--no game is without mistakes; what varies is the number and magnitude."
Remember that the number and magnitude are subjective. Work hard and be humble to ensure that most perceptions of your attitude and mistakes are in your favor.
"Be humble--humility is a good trait. Accept criticism--no game is without mistakes; what varies is the number and magnitude."
Remember that the number and magnitude are subjective. Work hard and be humble to ensure that most perceptions of your attitude and mistakes are in your favor.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Late Game Pre-Game
The subject of a pre-game is always mentioned as vitally important to the success of a crew on a nightly basis. Some officials want to go over as many details as possible, spending the better part of 30 minutes droning about very specific plays/coverages. Others refuse to do much of a pre-game, such as when veterans who have worked together a lot feel that there is little need for a long discussion.
Down the stretch of close games, it is generally a good idea for the crew to get together during timeouts. Some officials hate this. They feel that they know what they are supposed to do, and the last thing they want is the arrogant partner to tell them to "focus" during crunch time. Most of us don't really need a cheerleader at this point in a game, but that's almost always there.
However, it is smart to cover "what-if" scenarios for a final possession when the outcome of the game has not been decided. I was on a crew earlier this week that had the best late-game pre-game I'd ever been a part of, and as a result, we were completely prepared for all plausible situations that could occur. I figured it would be a good thing to share as either a lesson leanred, or a short checklist to think about.
We had 2 seconds left, red team down by 1. The white team had made a free throw to take the lead, and the red team called a TO to set up their inbounds play to score at the other end. The inbounder was able to move along the baseline if he had to, and it was apparent that the white team would be pressing. During the TO, we were able to discuss the following issues:
1. C was opposite table, and had the call for whether the final shot was good or not. However, C had to stay in back court to help manage the throw in, due to the press. Therefore, the crew decided that if a long pass was thrown to the far side, and the shot was taken from below the FT line on the T/L side of the court, that the L would make that call. If the shot came from anywhere short of the FT line, or on the same side of the court as the C, that the C would have the best look. If there was a shot near the opposite corner, possibly 70 feet away from the C, the L should take that.
2. If there was a long inbounds pass into the front court, the L would help mark the 3. On the L side of the floor, he would take it. On the opposite side, he would have to be able to help if the C was too far away to get a good look. (This was irrelevant to us, but relevant to this topic since a 2-point margin would have made this very important.)
3. The L would have to be aware of the red coach may try and call a TO to prevent a 5-second call if the inbounds play appeared to be in jeopardy. The red coach would probably be jumpy, so it was imperative to be aware of him, and make a strong and visible call if he got the TO prior to the 5-seconds or the inbounds pass was made.
4. On a long pass, the T would have responsibility to make sure the clock started on time and correctly. The C and L would be busy managing the play. On a regular/short pass, the L would make sure the clock started on time and correctly.
5. If we were going to have a foul on the defense, we would make sure that the offensive player had won the matchup, beat the defender(s), and had their chance to score legitimately affected. It could be a cut in the backcourt, or a foul on the shot after a long pass. No bailouts, but don;t be afraid to get the foul in the whole gym knows it was warranted.
End result was a short pass that resulted in one dribble, and lean towards the defender, and 70 foot have that fell 30 feet short of the hoop. All the preparation was for nothing, but it was cool that we had those details locked and loaded to maximize our chances of getting it right, having no game clock issues, and the L not stuck on the end line where he could not really contribute to the play. Other issues to be aware of in these siutations:
1. On free throws that can break a tie with very little time remaining, it is a good idea to specifically tell the shooter's teammates NOT to push on the rebound. The last thing they or you would want is to have a foul to put the other team at the line at the other end. Make that point and minimize that risk. It helped us in this instance prior to the last play.
2. Remember the 0.3 second rule. If tha is an issue, remind the players as the exit their huddle or lineup thatif they catch the ball, the shot won't count--it must be tipped.
3. Remind a team if they are out of timeouts prior to the ball being put in play. "No Chris Webbers!" will be met with a smile by most players and the point will be well made.
4. Coaches may tell you if they are running a trick play. Last month a coach told me as they were coming out that they would pass the ball between teammates along the baseline prior to throwing the inbounds (after the made basket by the opponent and subsequent TO). He wanted to make sure that we knew it was legal. Good thinking on his part, and it helped us.
If there are other good ideas, let's have them. Hope this is helpful, too.
Down the stretch of close games, it is generally a good idea for the crew to get together during timeouts. Some officials hate this. They feel that they know what they are supposed to do, and the last thing they want is the arrogant partner to tell them to "focus" during crunch time. Most of us don't really need a cheerleader at this point in a game, but that's almost always there.
However, it is smart to cover "what-if" scenarios for a final possession when the outcome of the game has not been decided. I was on a crew earlier this week that had the best late-game pre-game I'd ever been a part of, and as a result, we were completely prepared for all plausible situations that could occur. I figured it would be a good thing to share as either a lesson leanred, or a short checklist to think about.
We had 2 seconds left, red team down by 1. The white team had made a free throw to take the lead, and the red team called a TO to set up their inbounds play to score at the other end. The inbounder was able to move along the baseline if he had to, and it was apparent that the white team would be pressing. During the TO, we were able to discuss the following issues:
1. C was opposite table, and had the call for whether the final shot was good or not. However, C had to stay in back court to help manage the throw in, due to the press. Therefore, the crew decided that if a long pass was thrown to the far side, and the shot was taken from below the FT line on the T/L side of the court, that the L would make that call. If the shot came from anywhere short of the FT line, or on the same side of the court as the C, that the C would have the best look. If there was a shot near the opposite corner, possibly 70 feet away from the C, the L should take that.
2. If there was a long inbounds pass into the front court, the L would help mark the 3. On the L side of the floor, he would take it. On the opposite side, he would have to be able to help if the C was too far away to get a good look. (This was irrelevant to us, but relevant to this topic since a 2-point margin would have made this very important.)
3. The L would have to be aware of the red coach may try and call a TO to prevent a 5-second call if the inbounds play appeared to be in jeopardy. The red coach would probably be jumpy, so it was imperative to be aware of him, and make a strong and visible call if he got the TO prior to the 5-seconds or the inbounds pass was made.
4. On a long pass, the T would have responsibility to make sure the clock started on time and correctly. The C and L would be busy managing the play. On a regular/short pass, the L would make sure the clock started on time and correctly.
5. If we were going to have a foul on the defense, we would make sure that the offensive player had won the matchup, beat the defender(s), and had their chance to score legitimately affected. It could be a cut in the backcourt, or a foul on the shot after a long pass. No bailouts, but don;t be afraid to get the foul in the whole gym knows it was warranted.
End result was a short pass that resulted in one dribble, and lean towards the defender, and 70 foot have that fell 30 feet short of the hoop. All the preparation was for nothing, but it was cool that we had those details locked and loaded to maximize our chances of getting it right, having no game clock issues, and the L not stuck on the end line where he could not really contribute to the play. Other issues to be aware of in these siutations:
1. On free throws that can break a tie with very little time remaining, it is a good idea to specifically tell the shooter's teammates NOT to push on the rebound. The last thing they or you would want is to have a foul to put the other team at the line at the other end. Make that point and minimize that risk. It helped us in this instance prior to the last play.
2. Remember the 0.3 second rule. If tha is an issue, remind the players as the exit their huddle or lineup thatif they catch the ball, the shot won't count--it must be tipped.
3. Remind a team if they are out of timeouts prior to the ball being put in play. "No Chris Webbers!" will be met with a smile by most players and the point will be well made.
4. Coaches may tell you if they are running a trick play. Last month a coach told me as they were coming out that they would pass the ball between teammates along the baseline prior to throwing the inbounds (after the made basket by the opponent and subsequent TO). He wanted to make sure that we knew it was legal. Good thinking on his part, and it helped us.
If there are other good ideas, let's have them. Hope this is helpful, too.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Report Card
One of the best basketball officials in the world is Mickey Crowley, who has had a distinguished career as an official and assignor for over 40 years. He was gracious enough to provide us with his list called, "Steps In Moving To The Next Level". This is the most comprehensive list I have ever seen--65 line items to meausre yourself against. This is an awesome tool to use to meausre yourself, identify your weaknesses, and make improvements in your game and approach to it, because nobody on Earth is great at all 65. Enjoy this gift from the man who was nice enough to send me a copy of this snail-mail style!
1. Work with great officials.
2. Listen and learn from everyone.
3. Think all the time.
4. Get a great look at plays. (Seaquence/Catalog/Repeat)
5. Be in great condition.
6. Be excellent mechanically.
7. Know the rules.
8. Understand the perception is everything in order to gain credibility.
9. Exude confidence.
10. Sell plays equally.
11. See the same game at both ends with partners.
12. Work hard; sweat as much as possible.
13. Be consistent game to game.
14. Use your common sense.
15. Treat everyone with total and uncompromising respect.
16. Choose your words carefully; eliminate excess talk.
17. Be a great partner.
18. Be global with your vision; local with your calls.
19. Be firm, fair, and polite with everyone.
20. Make the big call right.
21. Never be surprised.
22. Be persistent, set reachable goals, and pick them off one at a time.
23. Work games in segments.
24. Work today’s game.
25. Admit it when you are wrong.
26. Know what to say and what you say in situations.
27. Keep a game-by-game journal of what you have learned.
28. Manage the game and all aspects of it.
29. Forget the politics, jealousies, and negatives.
30. Don’t worry about who has what particular game.
31. Remember that every single game is huge to someone.
32. Work twice as hard the night after the biggest game of your life.
33. Pay attention to the business at hand. “Don’t talk to the minister just before the sermon.”
34. Perfect Preparation Prevents Pee-Poor Performance
35. Smile
36. Give yourself time to develop.
37. Teach officiating to someone; it makes you better.
38. Make an excellent table presentation every single time.
39. Never walk when you can run.
40. Rebound from a bad call; make the next one right.
41. Never challenge the supervisor in public.
42. Don’t rely on anyone else to get things done for you.
43. Have a quality support system.
44. Take the best qualities of other officials and make them yours.
45. Watch yourself on isolated video tape.
46. Chart every whistle 3-5 games per year.
47. Get a constant pre-game routine.
48. Use the law of readiness to guide you to the next level.
49. Accept teaching and criticism openly and objectively.
50. Look/See/Wait/Blow
51. Be a good no-call official.
52. Ask for help when you don’t know; never make one up.
53. Never lose control.
54. Break up fights when they start.
55. Know what you can say and to whom you can say it.
56. Objectively evaluate your weaknesses.
57. Be humble.
58. Be a human being.
59. Get an unbreakable bond with someone.
60. Call you own technical fouls.
61. Be beyond reproach in all that you do.
62. Make each fellow official better.
63. Be “athletic”; look ready to work; “Prowl”.
64. Be aware of body language, how you stand, and facial expressions.
65. Recognize the game has been played for a long time and will continue long after you are gone. Respect your part in the game.
1. Work with great officials.
2. Listen and learn from everyone.
3. Think all the time.
4. Get a great look at plays. (Seaquence/Catalog/Repeat)
5. Be in great condition.
6. Be excellent mechanically.
7. Know the rules.
8. Understand the perception is everything in order to gain credibility.
9. Exude confidence.
10. Sell plays equally.
11. See the same game at both ends with partners.
12. Work hard; sweat as much as possible.
13. Be consistent game to game.
14. Use your common sense.
15. Treat everyone with total and uncompromising respect.
16. Choose your words carefully; eliminate excess talk.
17. Be a great partner.
18. Be global with your vision; local with your calls.
19. Be firm, fair, and polite with everyone.
20. Make the big call right.
21. Never be surprised.
22. Be persistent, set reachable goals, and pick them off one at a time.
23. Work games in segments.
24. Work today’s game.
25. Admit it when you are wrong.
26. Know what to say and what you say in situations.
27. Keep a game-by-game journal of what you have learned.
28. Manage the game and all aspects of it.
29. Forget the politics, jealousies, and negatives.
30. Don’t worry about who has what particular game.
31. Remember that every single game is huge to someone.
32. Work twice as hard the night after the biggest game of your life.
33. Pay attention to the business at hand. “Don’t talk to the minister just before the sermon.”
34. Perfect Preparation Prevents Pee-Poor Performance
35. Smile
36. Give yourself time to develop.
37. Teach officiating to someone; it makes you better.
38. Make an excellent table presentation every single time.
39. Never walk when you can run.
40. Rebound from a bad call; make the next one right.
41. Never challenge the supervisor in public.
42. Don’t rely on anyone else to get things done for you.
43. Have a quality support system.
44. Take the best qualities of other officials and make them yours.
45. Watch yourself on isolated video tape.
46. Chart every whistle 3-5 games per year.
47. Get a constant pre-game routine.
48. Use the law of readiness to guide you to the next level.
49. Accept teaching and criticism openly and objectively.
50. Look/See/Wait/Blow
51. Be a good no-call official.
52. Ask for help when you don’t know; never make one up.
53. Never lose control.
54. Break up fights when they start.
55. Know what you can say and to whom you can say it.
56. Objectively evaluate your weaknesses.
57. Be humble.
58. Be a human being.
59. Get an unbreakable bond with someone.
60. Call you own technical fouls.
61. Be beyond reproach in all that you do.
62. Make each fellow official better.
63. Be “athletic”; look ready to work; “Prowl”.
64. Be aware of body language, how you stand, and facial expressions.
65. Recognize the game has been played for a long time and will continue long after you are gone. Respect your part in the game.
Where Primary and Secondary Areas Blur: How To Help Partners Well
“Trust your partners” is a phrase that is heard all the time at officiating camps, during pre-games, and training sessions. Each of us has a primary area of the court where we have the responsibility to take the on-ball matchup. Our personal credibility is based on how well we officiate on-ball, since that gets the most attention from the coaches, administrators, and fans. While “trust your partners” is a general reminder to officiate off-ball well, we sometimes lose sight of why we have partners. There is a disconnect between the literal interpretation of “trust your partners” and crew credibility. While poaching calls is bad for individuals and the crew, and “Oh My God” calls have to be made by anyone-anytime-anyplace--giving good help is very important to getting it right as a crew.
When the ball gets into the low post, or gets near the vicinity of the basket on a drive, all 3 officials should be aware of what is going on, because a scoring chance is imminent. During these times, there is almost no chance that a bad screen or significant off-ball contact will be occurring well away from the ball, almost all of the pertinent things the crew needs to watch will be on-ball. The offense is making their move; the defense is reacting to prevent the basket. Most of your primary players will be doing one of 3 things: watching the drive/setting up for the kickout pass, moving towards the basket to prepare for a rebound, or becoming secondary defenders rushing the ball. Only the third of those will affect that game. That’s when you will shift most (not all) of your focus from off-ball to the play affecting the game—the scoring chance.
The important thing to remember, is to determine who has the best look at the play. In the low post, there are times when the L will not have the best look. If the ball is out of your primary, but circumstances of the play allow you to have the best look of the 3 officials, and you have “high certainty” that a foul has occurred, that is exactly when you want to reach and go help. That makes you more effective, and also gives the crew a higher credibility. Note the bolded and underlined type, because they are critically important. Here are some examples of when you can provide “great help” to your partners:
1. As the C, when the ball is in the opposite low block, which way does the post player turn? If the players turns towards the inside, you will have a great look at contact on the inside half of the offensive player, and also of any secondary defender rotating from your side. If he turns outside, you have almost no look. Either way, after the shot attempt, you will have the offside rebounding responsibility.
2. As the T, when the ball is on the block, you also in a great position for two things: helping on the play rotating back inside to the front of the basket, and also the wide view of the players feet. The L will be looking up high for contact, so the T can be very helpful in watching for travels and hacks at waist-level in the post.
3. The same principles apply on drives to the basket down the lane. We all know that the official stays with a drive that starts in his primary, but when the driver gets mid-key, that official may not continue to have the best look at the play. If you see contact from a secondary defender coming from your primary, that’s a great time to help out. Best-case scenario: You have a double-whistle and you can give it up to the primary. Worst-case scenario: You have made a call that the primary could no longer see the best, and helped the crew.
4. Often times, the C can get straightlined when the offensive player beats his man, either on the dribble or a drop-step in the post. We try to never call across the key as the L, but many times in this situation, there is a hack down low, where the C is straightlined. That’s a great time for the L to come across and help.
5. On a drive to the basket from the wing, or on a rebound situation, the C or T can be very helpful by getting the block/charge or “over the back” on the opposite block. Again, if the ball goes that way on a drive or rebound, not much off-ball will be occurring.
As always, perceptions can be that “it’s not your area” when you make these calls. Make sure that you call them confidently, because remember, you must have “high certainty” to make them. Closing on those calls also helps the perception.
You should also not have to be making these types of calls on a regular basis. If you get them in my primary once or twice a game, you’ll hear, “Great pickup!” from me. But when you pick your spots based on who has the best look, you help the crew, and the game, a great deal.
When the ball gets into the low post, or gets near the vicinity of the basket on a drive, all 3 officials should be aware of what is going on, because a scoring chance is imminent. During these times, there is almost no chance that a bad screen or significant off-ball contact will be occurring well away from the ball, almost all of the pertinent things the crew needs to watch will be on-ball. The offense is making their move; the defense is reacting to prevent the basket. Most of your primary players will be doing one of 3 things: watching the drive/setting up for the kickout pass, moving towards the basket to prepare for a rebound, or becoming secondary defenders rushing the ball. Only the third of those will affect that game. That’s when you will shift most (not all) of your focus from off-ball to the play affecting the game—the scoring chance.
The important thing to remember, is to determine who has the best look at the play. In the low post, there are times when the L will not have the best look. If the ball is out of your primary, but circumstances of the play allow you to have the best look of the 3 officials, and you have “high certainty” that a foul has occurred, that is exactly when you want to reach and go help. That makes you more effective, and also gives the crew a higher credibility. Note the bolded and underlined type, because they are critically important. Here are some examples of when you can provide “great help” to your partners:
1. As the C, when the ball is in the opposite low block, which way does the post player turn? If the players turns towards the inside, you will have a great look at contact on the inside half of the offensive player, and also of any secondary defender rotating from your side. If he turns outside, you have almost no look. Either way, after the shot attempt, you will have the offside rebounding responsibility.
2. As the T, when the ball is on the block, you also in a great position for two things: helping on the play rotating back inside to the front of the basket, and also the wide view of the players feet. The L will be looking up high for contact, so the T can be very helpful in watching for travels and hacks at waist-level in the post.
3. The same principles apply on drives to the basket down the lane. We all know that the official stays with a drive that starts in his primary, but when the driver gets mid-key, that official may not continue to have the best look at the play. If you see contact from a secondary defender coming from your primary, that’s a great time to help out. Best-case scenario: You have a double-whistle and you can give it up to the primary. Worst-case scenario: You have made a call that the primary could no longer see the best, and helped the crew.
4. Often times, the C can get straightlined when the offensive player beats his man, either on the dribble or a drop-step in the post. We try to never call across the key as the L, but many times in this situation, there is a hack down low, where the C is straightlined. That’s a great time for the L to come across and help.
5. On a drive to the basket from the wing, or on a rebound situation, the C or T can be very helpful by getting the block/charge or “over the back” on the opposite block. Again, if the ball goes that way on a drive or rebound, not much off-ball will be occurring.
As always, perceptions can be that “it’s not your area” when you make these calls. Make sure that you call them confidently, because remember, you must have “high certainty” to make them. Closing on those calls also helps the perception.
You should also not have to be making these types of calls on a regular basis. If you get them in my primary once or twice a game, you’ll hear, “Great pickup!” from me. But when you pick your spots based on who has the best look, you help the crew, and the game, a great deal.
Super Bowl
How much more robotic could the R be for Super Bowl 42? Not something I'd really want to emulate. I've heard that Ed Hochuli was scheduled for the game but was withdrawn because he was mentioned in the Mitchell Report...
Monday, January 28, 2008
Tips From an HS Legend
Steve Simonson from Cashmere is one of the best high school officials in Washington, and has been for many years. He consistently works State Championship games, and is also one of the best speakers you will ever get a chance to listen to. He also works tirelessly to help other officials improve, from performing clinics around Eastern Washington for the WIAA to observing at camps. A Hall-Of-Famer to be for the WIAA, Steve has a few great tips for what makes an official great, and what makes an official not so great. They're pretty simple, but then again small amounts of gold are worth a lot:
- Successful officials work to improve every time they work.
- They are professional in all they do and show a respect for the game.
- We are in the people business. We must resharpen our people skills.
- Poor officials are better than the game; they act abrasively and arrogantly.
- Poor officials never admit a mistake and try to cover them up. Coaches know when you are lying.
- Poor officials don't understand the concept of team. We have to have the BEST TEAM on the floor.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
An Inside Look--Great Article
This is a fantastic article written about 14 years ago. Believe it or not, basketball has not changed, and there is an awfu llot of good information in here. Take what you want out of it.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n6_v217/ai_14995641
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n6_v217/ai_14995641
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Fun-Da-Men-Tals!--Court Positioning
Yeah, we all hear the chant when a team travels and the student section thinks they're funny, but they're really not. But there are some fundamentals that we lose sight of and focus on, that we need to calibrate from time to time to stay on track.
One thing I have really noticed the past couple of years is the lapses in being in position. Your court positioning is absolutely critical to being able to get angles on plays and maximize your chances of getting calls right. If you watch games on TV, there really is very little differentiation between those officials in terms of where they position themselves as the L, C, or T during a game. However, the lower the level you watch, the more variation you will see. There has to be something to that, and we all need to try and be more aware of our court positioning.
The biggest variation I see amongst us common folk is the misconception of where the 28-foot mark really is. This is important, because as a T, you are supposed to set up at this depth. How many times do you see the T being within a couple steps of half-court when the ball is below the top of the key? Two things to remember. First you should never let the ball get behind you as the T in the half-court--it's OK to be at half court when the ball is out front, but as the ball moves north-south towards the basket, and eventually goes below the top of the key, you need to slide down with it. Second, the 28-foot mark is no more than 1-2 steps higher than the top of the key. Think about it, top of the key to the basket is 20, and there is probably 5 feet between the basket and baseline. Dial that in!
C's also have a tendency to work very high. I see a lot of C's working in the T position, at the 28- foot mark. You need to start at the foul line, and perhaps work a step or two in either direction, when you need to get an angle. You should never be any higher than the top of the key, and never lower than a step below the foul line.
As the C, when the ball swings to your side, you may have to come up higher to get the angle on your matchup. And that's OK! Why? Because if you have a matchup in your primary as C, over 90% of the time the L should be rotating over. If you go higher, or "top-side" to take the ball matchup, you will wind up at the depth to be the new T anyway. However, remember that if the L does not rotate, and the ball matchup goes away, return to the foul line base position, otherwise you have created 2 T's, which is a no-no.
L is an interesting place. Guys on TV seem to work almost exclusively in Window 1 (edge of key) and Window 2 (halfway between edge of key and 3-point line). You also should be a step or two off the line. In 2-man, we are taught to get deep on the baseline. Why? Because we need to see contact up high on shots/posting, and also watch feet for travels. As an L in 3-man, the T is there to support you on travels in the post, so you can be closer to the floor. They rule of thumb is, you should be able to see the front of the rim as the L.
Last positioning issue--taking your on-ball matchup. When the ball is in your primary, that is your focus. You have the ball and the defender. The other 2 guys can take the other 8 players. Aggressively take that matchup. Move closer to the matchup, move the keep the angle you need to see the play, and square your body to it so your partners know you have it. Lots of people take the matchup, but don't move a lot physically. Send the message to the partners and everyone else in the gym that when the matchup in your primary starts that you own it, and your focus and attention is nowhere else. It will help you do better, help your crew focus more on the off-ball players like they should be anyway, and the perception of what is going on with the crew.
So how does this help?
1. It will give you better angles on plays, especially if you move and stay physically active on matchups in your primary.
2. It will reduce the number of long-distance calls you make, which helps with perceptions. Even when you close, you don't want to be doing that very often.
3. It will force you to stay engaged on rebounds, not "cheat" back on shots. Remember Top Gun? "Engage, Maverick! Get in there, Mav!" This is a very common "ding" when evaluators observe and rate/comment.
One thing I have really noticed the past couple of years is the lapses in being in position. Your court positioning is absolutely critical to being able to get angles on plays and maximize your chances of getting calls right. If you watch games on TV, there really is very little differentiation between those officials in terms of where they position themselves as the L, C, or T during a game. However, the lower the level you watch, the more variation you will see. There has to be something to that, and we all need to try and be more aware of our court positioning.
The biggest variation I see amongst us common folk is the misconception of where the 28-foot mark really is. This is important, because as a T, you are supposed to set up at this depth. How many times do you see the T being within a couple steps of half-court when the ball is below the top of the key? Two things to remember. First you should never let the ball get behind you as the T in the half-court--it's OK to be at half court when the ball is out front, but as the ball moves north-south towards the basket, and eventually goes below the top of the key, you need to slide down with it. Second, the 28-foot mark is no more than 1-2 steps higher than the top of the key. Think about it, top of the key to the basket is 20, and there is probably 5 feet between the basket and baseline. Dial that in!
C's also have a tendency to work very high. I see a lot of C's working in the T position, at the 28- foot mark. You need to start at the foul line, and perhaps work a step or two in either direction, when you need to get an angle. You should never be any higher than the top of the key, and never lower than a step below the foul line.
As the C, when the ball swings to your side, you may have to come up higher to get the angle on your matchup. And that's OK! Why? Because if you have a matchup in your primary as C, over 90% of the time the L should be rotating over. If you go higher, or "top-side" to take the ball matchup, you will wind up at the depth to be the new T anyway. However, remember that if the L does not rotate, and the ball matchup goes away, return to the foul line base position, otherwise you have created 2 T's, which is a no-no.
L is an interesting place. Guys on TV seem to work almost exclusively in Window 1 (edge of key) and Window 2 (halfway between edge of key and 3-point line). You also should be a step or two off the line. In 2-man, we are taught to get deep on the baseline. Why? Because we need to see contact up high on shots/posting, and also watch feet for travels. As an L in 3-man, the T is there to support you on travels in the post, so you can be closer to the floor. They rule of thumb is, you should be able to see the front of the rim as the L.
Last positioning issue--taking your on-ball matchup. When the ball is in your primary, that is your focus. You have the ball and the defender. The other 2 guys can take the other 8 players. Aggressively take that matchup. Move closer to the matchup, move the keep the angle you need to see the play, and square your body to it so your partners know you have it. Lots of people take the matchup, but don't move a lot physically. Send the message to the partners and everyone else in the gym that when the matchup in your primary starts that you own it, and your focus and attention is nowhere else. It will help you do better, help your crew focus more on the off-ball players like they should be anyway, and the perception of what is going on with the crew.
So how does this help?
1. It will give you better angles on plays, especially if you move and stay physically active on matchups in your primary.
2. It will reduce the number of long-distance calls you make, which helps with perceptions. Even when you close, you don't want to be doing that very often.
3. It will force you to stay engaged on rebounds, not "cheat" back on shots. Remember Top Gun? "Engage, Maverick! Get in there, Mav!" This is a very common "ding" when evaluators observe and rate/comment.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Tips for Watching Film
I would encourage anyone to get as much film as possible and watch it. The NBA and NCAA uses film extensively to force officials to see what they do, in an effort to give them as much feedback as possible to improve performance. No different than with players.
When you first watch yourself on film, it is quite bizarre. You don't realize how your mechanics look. You don't realize how your body looks when you run. You think you got a particular call correct, but the film shows something different. And it always changes. I watched a film from 1/5/08. Before seeing the film, I thought that my call selection was average at best, and that we had not managed some emotional moments from players and one coach well during the game. I wanted to see if there were precursors or other factors that caused these things. After the watching it, I was happy to see that the calls made were actually good, and that the tense situations did not look bad on film at all. In fact, I'm not sure the average observer watching the tape would have thought we had those issues at all. What was mortifying to me was my court positioning. I was too high as the C, and too high as the T at times. When I made calls from there, even though they were correct, they could have looked better had I been positioned better. I don't see those calls made from those positions on TV. So film is an awesome tool.
Kirk Barlow provided another set of notes he took when Violet Palmer spoke at a camp. She is one of the first two women that got hired by the NBA a while back. We all remember the comments made about women reffing in the NBA. Well, the other lady did not last, but Violet is still working the NBA. And the NBA takes feedback and training to the ridiculous level. They have to watch a ton a film and get graded on just about every second they're on the floor. So who better to advise on how to watch film and get the most out of it? Here's her set of tips:
Rotation and Court Coverage – Live ball and dead ball! Make sure you are in the correct position relative to the players and the ball, strong side, weak side.
Angles – good position to ‘look through’ your match up. No straight-lines. Call your primary area!
Referee the Defense
Accept the ball at intersecting points. Ball comes into your primary, aggressively take it.
Communication – Eye contact, body language, posture, mechanics, etc…
Game Management – among all the other things, be good with clocks, can really help you look like you’re on top of everything.
When you first watch yourself on film, it is quite bizarre. You don't realize how your mechanics look. You don't realize how your body looks when you run. You think you got a particular call correct, but the film shows something different. And it always changes. I watched a film from 1/5/08. Before seeing the film, I thought that my call selection was average at best, and that we had not managed some emotional moments from players and one coach well during the game. I wanted to see if there were precursors or other factors that caused these things. After the watching it, I was happy to see that the calls made were actually good, and that the tense situations did not look bad on film at all. In fact, I'm not sure the average observer watching the tape would have thought we had those issues at all. What was mortifying to me was my court positioning. I was too high as the C, and too high as the T at times. When I made calls from there, even though they were correct, they could have looked better had I been positioned better. I don't see those calls made from those positions on TV. So film is an awesome tool.
Kirk Barlow provided another set of notes he took when Violet Palmer spoke at a camp. She is one of the first two women that got hired by the NBA a while back. We all remember the comments made about women reffing in the NBA. Well, the other lady did not last, but Violet is still working the NBA. And the NBA takes feedback and training to the ridiculous level. They have to watch a ton a film and get graded on just about every second they're on the floor. So who better to advise on how to watch film and get the most out of it? Here's her set of tips:
Rotation and Court Coverage – Live ball and dead ball! Make sure you are in the correct position relative to the players and the ball, strong side, weak side.
Angles – good position to ‘look through’ your match up. No straight-lines. Call your primary area!
Referee the Defense
Accept the ball at intersecting points. Ball comes into your primary, aggressively take it.
Communication – Eye contact, body language, posture, mechanics, etc…
Game Management – among all the other things, be good with clocks, can really help you look like you’re on top of everything.
From the Pac-10 to the Big 9...
Got a set of notes through Kirk Barlow from Lou Campanelli, who was the assignor for the Pac-10 conference at that time. Campanelli was a longtime NCAA D-1 coach, last coaching Cal-Berkeley just prior the Jason Kidd era. In looking through his high-level view of officials, and what he deems as important for his staff, there really is very little difference between what is expected of officials. What works for Campanelli's staff would work for anyone, any time, and at any place.
1. Write your goals down – keep them visible and in sight.
2. Success comes at a price – what are you willing to pay to get there?
3. “You are what you believe yourself to be!”
Believe in yourself… if you don’t, how can anyone else?
If things don’t go exactly as planned, “Find a way to get back into the game…”
4. “Mediocrity is excellent in the eyes of the mediocre…” Don’t settle!
5. Don’t ever forget why you started reffing… Officiate for the ‘Love of the Game’!
6. Make every game your masterpiece! Don’t cheat the players, coaches or fans.
For everyone in that gym, it’s the most important game of the night!
7. ATTITUDE – Your attitude in life will determine your altitude.
8. The higher up you go in this game, the bigger the egos… Be able to manage coaches and other officials – temper your ego.
What Lou looks for in young officials:
Appearance
Dress/look Professional – dress for success. All Pac-10 officials wear a jacket and tie to their games. This gives the coaches and players a standard, something to respect.
Persona/Demeanor
Don’t avoid coaches, give them an answer at the earliest opportunity – keep it short.
Use the stop sign – let them know you mean business when required.
Honesty
Not admitting mistakes alienates you from coaches and partners.
Gut Calls
Can you make them in a hostile environment???
Crew Support / Teamwork
Release a call at the right time…
Game Management
Can you diffuse a bad situation?
Responsibility
Can you handle it?
Accountability
Others
Voice
Selling the call
You gotta love it – no wannabe officials
Willing to work your way up – don’t expect too much, too soon
Number One Thing – GOOD PEOPLE!
Character and Fire
What Coaches Want
Consistency
Communication
Understand the game
Effort and Hustle
Call the obvious
Professionalism
Care about the game and the players
If you ‘T’ a coach, let him know that its over – No Grudges!
1. Write your goals down – keep them visible and in sight.
2. Success comes at a price – what are you willing to pay to get there?
3. “You are what you believe yourself to be!”
Believe in yourself… if you don’t, how can anyone else?
If things don’t go exactly as planned, “Find a way to get back into the game…”
4. “Mediocrity is excellent in the eyes of the mediocre…” Don’t settle!
5. Don’t ever forget why you started reffing… Officiate for the ‘Love of the Game’!
6. Make every game your masterpiece! Don’t cheat the players, coaches or fans.
For everyone in that gym, it’s the most important game of the night!
7. ATTITUDE – Your attitude in life will determine your altitude.
8. The higher up you go in this game, the bigger the egos… Be able to manage coaches and other officials – temper your ego.
What Lou looks for in young officials:
Appearance
Dress/look Professional – dress for success. All Pac-10 officials wear a jacket and tie to their games. This gives the coaches and players a standard, something to respect.
Persona/Demeanor
Don’t avoid coaches, give them an answer at the earliest opportunity – keep it short.
Use the stop sign – let them know you mean business when required.
Honesty
Not admitting mistakes alienates you from coaches and partners.
Gut Calls
Can you make them in a hostile environment???
Crew Support / Teamwork
Release a call at the right time…
Game Management
Can you diffuse a bad situation?
Responsibility
Can you handle it?
Accountability
Others
Voice
Selling the call
You gotta love it – no wannabe officials
Willing to work your way up – don’t expect too much, too soon
Number One Thing – GOOD PEOPLE!
Character and Fire
What Coaches Want
Consistency
Communication
Understand the game
Effort and Hustle
Call the obvious
Professionalism
Care about the game and the players
If you ‘T’ a coach, let him know that its over – No Grudges!
Development/Mentorship
A lot of people are always going to ask the question, "How do I move up?" That can mean having your ratings improve, getting better games, or working at a higher level of basketball. Officiating is no different than any other job or activity which requires an organization. You have to work with others, but also be able to improve your personal performance to achieve more. Having someone who has been there before, and can offer advice to help you advance is crucial. However, each of us is also bombarded with unsolicited offers of guidance, sponsorship, and help. At the end of the day, everyone with have a different career path and trajectory, and while the overall trend is what you have done for yourself, there are always hiccups and great breakthroughs along the way.
The following is a great excerpt from someone who has been a mentor/sponsor for literally hundreds of officials, and illustrates what each of us needs to do if we want to move up:
I can assure you that you will be a "changed" official to help you attain the next level; but you must be prepared to absorb guidelines, POE's, and a philosophy that is conducive to the best decision making techniques and understanding what it takes to separate yourself from the average official.
This can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. The key to this advice is learning and using the "best decision-making techniques", because that relates to your judgment and game management skills, which are the two main building blocks of all officials. It's not the officials who enforce the extreme letter of the law in all situations that separates themselves from the "average official". It's also not the politically-connected person that gets opportunities early and stands out in that manner to his peers. Without being able to incorporate the right advice, tips, and philosophies into your own individual game, you're stuck. You have to have your own style, that fits with your natural personality, to manage the game. And you learn by listening, trial, error, and correction.
If you want to work Varsity high school games or get more of them, you need to apply improvements to your game at the level you are at. You need to be absolutely crushing your games, because then the next step is easy. If you want to work college basketball, same thing--you should be crushing your high school games, impervious to pressure and staying out of trouble as an individual and with your crews. If you are a U2 in college, you need to be the best official on the floor every night, while working your role as a U2, and you'll get your shots at U1 and R, along with more games. Too many of us think we are better than others see us. Human beings also have a natural tendency to be jealous of others, and compare ourselves to others. Until you can turn the magnifying glass on yourself, then the excuse of "it's not fair" can continue to bog you down a bit.
Try to think of officiating as being a distance runner. Do whatever you have to do to improve your times. If someone else is faster, try and learn how they train and approach races, to drive yourself against the clock. At some point, if you have the talent and have prepared, your times do get better. Same way with officiating. Remember, you control what you do and how you do it, so embrace that and get after it!
The following is a great excerpt from someone who has been a mentor/sponsor for literally hundreds of officials, and illustrates what each of us needs to do if we want to move up:
I can assure you that you will be a "changed" official to help you attain the next level; but you must be prepared to absorb guidelines, POE's, and a philosophy that is conducive to the best decision making techniques and understanding what it takes to separate yourself from the average official.
This can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. The key to this advice is learning and using the "best decision-making techniques", because that relates to your judgment and game management skills, which are the two main building blocks of all officials. It's not the officials who enforce the extreme letter of the law in all situations that separates themselves from the "average official". It's also not the politically-connected person that gets opportunities early and stands out in that manner to his peers. Without being able to incorporate the right advice, tips, and philosophies into your own individual game, you're stuck. You have to have your own style, that fits with your natural personality, to manage the game. And you learn by listening, trial, error, and correction.
If you want to work Varsity high school games or get more of them, you need to apply improvements to your game at the level you are at. You need to be absolutely crushing your games, because then the next step is easy. If you want to work college basketball, same thing--you should be crushing your high school games, impervious to pressure and staying out of trouble as an individual and with your crews. If you are a U2 in college, you need to be the best official on the floor every night, while working your role as a U2, and you'll get your shots at U1 and R, along with more games. Too many of us think we are better than others see us. Human beings also have a natural tendency to be jealous of others, and compare ourselves to others. Until you can turn the magnifying glass on yourself, then the excuse of "it's not fair" can continue to bog you down a bit.
Try to think of officiating as being a distance runner. Do whatever you have to do to improve your times. If someone else is faster, try and learn how they train and approach races, to drive yourself against the clock. At some point, if you have the talent and have prepared, your times do get better. Same way with officiating. Remember, you control what you do and how you do it, so embrace that and get after it!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Managing Players Fouling Out
Heard a great philosophy this year from Paul Simpkins of Pasco. During a pre-game, Paul said that if he calls the 5th foul on a player, he will tell one of his partners to go administrate the notification of the coach, starting of the clock, and substitution at the table. He will do that on every occasion, no exceptions. That is an awesome idea.
Hopefully, and more often that not, when a player fouls out, it is routine. The foul was a good call, everyone knows it was, and nobody gets upset. However, we know that players almost never commit their 5th, and sometimes the call is a tough one, and the coach is not happy. We always talk about "handing off" the administration when things could escalate with the coach during these foul-out situations. Simpkins has a great point--why even take the risk in any situation? Also, but being in the habit of robotically having someone else administrate is this situation, you eliminate a judgment you have to make--should I do this myself or have a partner do it?
Chalk up another small technique that can help improve game management.
Hopefully, and more often that not, when a player fouls out, it is routine. The foul was a good call, everyone knows it was, and nobody gets upset. However, we know that players almost never commit their 5th, and sometimes the call is a tough one, and the coach is not happy. We always talk about "handing off" the administration when things could escalate with the coach during these foul-out situations. Simpkins has a great point--why even take the risk in any situation? Also, but being in the habit of robotically having someone else administrate is this situation, you eliminate a judgment you have to make--should I do this myself or have a partner do it?
Chalk up another small technique that can help improve game management.
"Worst Call In The Game"
Most of us have heard this from Dick Cartmell. The worst call in the game, according to him, is the travel that wasn't really a travel. Dick's sound bite, "Travels should slap you in the face", is pretty basic at the core, but it makes a ton of sense, and every one of us is guilty of it at some point. If we can get better at implementing this simple idea, it will make us a lot better. Why?
It's an easy call. More times than not, coaches will complain that we miss travels. However, when you call a travel, and the coach disagrees, the negative emotion doesn't last too long. It doesn't really have time to build up. At the time, it's not a severe penalty, and the game starts up again pretty quickly. Some officials will call a travel just prior to substantial contact, when an offensive player is out of control, to avoid calling the block/charge. When have you ever seen a coach or player go ballistic after a travel call and get T'd up?
Traveling is one of the toughest calls to get right every time. The ones that occur out front, when someone who begins a drive gets happy feet, or someone who is not obstructed moves a pivot foot--those are simple. However, when a player drives into traffic, when some contact occurs on a play, or when post players make moves with their back to the basket, it gets much more difficult. There are a lot of bodies around, contact is usually more important to see in those situations, and feet do move quickly when players are athletic.
One exceptional official I know says that he is weak at identifying and calling travels. He just admits it. What does that do? It allows him to err on the side of missing some travels, instead of calling ones that may not be obvious to everyone, basically following Cartmell's tenet.
On film, it is easy to see travels when they occur, if you watch for them. And there are a lot of times when a travel is correctly called, and the complaints come long and loud. However, if you assume that we miss this call on both sides, and consciously work to only miss on what I term "baby travels" that are not very obvious or do not give the offensive player an advantage, the flow of the game and perception of the officiating crew will be better. Think about it!
It's an easy call. More times than not, coaches will complain that we miss travels. However, when you call a travel, and the coach disagrees, the negative emotion doesn't last too long. It doesn't really have time to build up. At the time, it's not a severe penalty, and the game starts up again pretty quickly. Some officials will call a travel just prior to substantial contact, when an offensive player is out of control, to avoid calling the block/charge. When have you ever seen a coach or player go ballistic after a travel call and get T'd up?
Traveling is one of the toughest calls to get right every time. The ones that occur out front, when someone who begins a drive gets happy feet, or someone who is not obstructed moves a pivot foot--those are simple. However, when a player drives into traffic, when some contact occurs on a play, or when post players make moves with their back to the basket, it gets much more difficult. There are a lot of bodies around, contact is usually more important to see in those situations, and feet do move quickly when players are athletic.
One exceptional official I know says that he is weak at identifying and calling travels. He just admits it. What does that do? It allows him to err on the side of missing some travels, instead of calling ones that may not be obvious to everyone, basically following Cartmell's tenet.
On film, it is easy to see travels when they occur, if you watch for them. And there are a lot of times when a travel is correctly called, and the complaints come long and loud. However, if you assume that we miss this call on both sides, and consciously work to only miss on what I term "baby travels" that are not very obvious or do not give the offensive player an advantage, the flow of the game and perception of the officiating crew will be better. Think about it!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Judgment/Awareness Philosphies--Al Moberg
Al Moberg of Salem, Oregon was an NCAA D-1 official for many years, and currently does evaluations for the NBA. He prides himself on being in the forefront of officiating philosophies, traveling around the world to teach and train officials on the best techniques for judgment, game management, and game awareness. Here are some great ideas from him for calibrating judgment and game awareness:
1. There are 2 Major Tenets make officiating very simple:
a. Reward Good Defense
b. Allow Offensive Freedom of Movement
Freedom of Movement is an important principle. It is a FOUL to impede an offensive player.
Impede = Disrupt/Displace/Dislodge. These are good terms to remember and use.
Impeding a player also means you have affected the offensive player’s BSRQ: Balance, Speed, Rhythm, Quickness. That affects the game.
2. Block/Charge, 3 Criteria:
a. Did the offensive players invade the defender’s space? Good term to use.
b. Was the offensive player able to change direction before contact?
c. Was the offensive player out of control?
These are all reasons to call a charge, and not "screw the defense".
3. Eliminate Guessing. Period.
4. Quote: “If you are going to blow the whistle and stop the game, you had better have a very good reason for doing so.”
5. Don’t overcall the paint. If a defender gets a piece of the ball first on a block attempt, let secondary contact with the arm go. The ball is already gone. That’s a good play that should not be penalized.
6. At the end of the game AND as the T, you must have “High Certainty” when you make a call. Be very focused in this situations, as this is where credibility is earned or lost.
7. See the whole play develop: Start/Develop/Finish. New officials make a lot of calls at the start—the veterans and great officials make calls after the finish of the play. “Who cares if you are a little late?”
8. Be purposeful, quick, and direct when you go to report. Don’t meander or to the ultra-cool slow walk like you own the gym.
9. “Do the Math”. Check the game/shot clock every trip as the T. It may come in handy if you can remember.
1. There are 2 Major Tenets make officiating very simple:
a. Reward Good Defense
b. Allow Offensive Freedom of Movement
Freedom of Movement is an important principle. It is a FOUL to impede an offensive player.
Impede = Disrupt/Displace/Dislodge. These are good terms to remember and use.
Impeding a player also means you have affected the offensive player’s BSRQ: Balance, Speed, Rhythm, Quickness. That affects the game.
2. Block/Charge, 3 Criteria:
a. Did the offensive players invade the defender’s space? Good term to use.
b. Was the offensive player able to change direction before contact?
c. Was the offensive player out of control?
These are all reasons to call a charge, and not "screw the defense".
3. Eliminate Guessing. Period.
4. Quote: “If you are going to blow the whistle and stop the game, you had better have a very good reason for doing so.”
5. Don’t overcall the paint. If a defender gets a piece of the ball first on a block attempt, let secondary contact with the arm go. The ball is already gone. That’s a good play that should not be penalized.
6. At the end of the game AND as the T, you must have “High Certainty” when you make a call. Be very focused in this situations, as this is where credibility is earned or lost.
7. See the whole play develop: Start/Develop/Finish. New officials make a lot of calls at the start—the veterans and great officials make calls after the finish of the play. “Who cares if you are a little late?”
8. Be purposeful, quick, and direct when you go to report. Don’t meander or to the ultra-cool slow walk like you own the gym.
9. “Do the Math”. Check the game/shot clock every trip as the T. It may come in handy if you can remember.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Advanced Topics
The following 6 items are from Tom Spitznagel, an exceptional official from Portland, Oregon. Incorporating these correctly will help you become a very good partner on a 3-man crew, and help make sure that calls are made correctly as a crew:
1. On a drive from the C side to the basket, the T needs to be able to step in and make a call if both the C and L get straight-lined. This often happens around the low block across the key. The same thing happens on rebounds, and is why the T needs to stay home and not cheat back on the shot. Close when you make this call, and you'll look a lot better when you have to make it.
2. On a full-court press, the C has foul line to foul line responsibilities. Be aggressive from the C if help is needed on a block/charge across the way. In addition, you need to pick up travels if the offensive player is surprised by a defender as he turns and starts a dribble while breaking a press. Getting that travel before contact helps you and your partner who is stuck with a block/charge call that can be avoided if the travel occurs first and the C gets it.
3. “Sneak a peek” on 3’s. Lead should help mark corner 3’s in a transition situation. It’s OK to glance if it is easy and convenient to help out partners on 3’s. Ensure it is correct for the crew.
4. If there is nobody in your area as the C, take the on-ball defender. You’ll be helping your partner at the spot where the most can go wrong and hurt the crew, but understand it’s still his primary.
5. As the L, don’t let your eyes slip above the FT line. Most of these calls (<50%) you make from there are wrong; most made below the FT line are right.
6. Center/Lead can help out with 10 second call in backcourt if they can see the shot clock/big picture view. It takes a lot of guts to do this, but the shot clock can be your biggest ally in countering the "fast-count" claim coaches always make when it's called.
1. On a drive from the C side to the basket, the T needs to be able to step in and make a call if both the C and L get straight-lined. This often happens around the low block across the key. The same thing happens on rebounds, and is why the T needs to stay home and not cheat back on the shot. Close when you make this call, and you'll look a lot better when you have to make it.
2. On a full-court press, the C has foul line to foul line responsibilities. Be aggressive from the C if help is needed on a block/charge across the way. In addition, you need to pick up travels if the offensive player is surprised by a defender as he turns and starts a dribble while breaking a press. Getting that travel before contact helps you and your partner who is stuck with a block/charge call that can be avoided if the travel occurs first and the C gets it.
3. “Sneak a peek” on 3’s. Lead should help mark corner 3’s in a transition situation. It’s OK to glance if it is easy and convenient to help out partners on 3’s. Ensure it is correct for the crew.
4. If there is nobody in your area as the C, take the on-ball defender. You’ll be helping your partner at the spot where the most can go wrong and hurt the crew, but understand it’s still his primary.
5. As the L, don’t let your eyes slip above the FT line. Most of these calls (<50%) you make from there are wrong; most made below the FT line are right.
6. Center/Lead can help out with 10 second call in backcourt if they can see the shot clock/big picture view. It takes a lot of guts to do this, but the shot clock can be your biggest ally in countering the "fast-count" claim coaches always make when it's called.
Missed Calls
This is a great topic, and one that can be thought about a little differently. We always hear, "You missed that call!" Sometimes the commentor is 100% correct, and when they are, you agree with them. It happens. More times than not, we don't agree with them. Then, the commentor can be ignored or considered an idiot, depending on how you feel.
But how often do the players, coaches, and fans have a legitimate gripe? More often than any of us think. NBA officials average about 93% correct on their calls according to their exhaustive review of films and evaluations. That means the best in the world, who watch every game film with evaluators and officiate as a full-time job, will miss 7% of the time. D-1 college guys are probably a little less. High school? I'd guess you can range from the low 80's to the 70's. The point is, we all miss more than we think we do. It's OK. We can just admit it.
The only missed calls are the ones you admit that you missed.
Some calls are very easy. Grandma in the top row at Art Dawald can see that the kid drove in and got tackled. All of us get that 99% of the time. However, we've all choked. We've all, for some reason, just not seen it the right way, or just didn't process the play fast enough to hit the whistle and call the foul. So while you'd get this play 99% of the time, you might miss it 1%. That's also probably when you'd admit that you missed one. You want your parnter to help you. You'll also thank him for it.
Most calls are not that easy. On a simple drive to the basket, there is contact. How much information do we have to process in a short period of time? Tons. You have to decide if the driver beat his man on the play and earned the right to get to the bucket without BSQR being disrupted, or if the defender (either primary of secondary) earned his position by using his skills. Was the contact in the torso? Was in initiated by the offensive player? Was the defender straight-up or leaning? Was a piece of the ball gotten first, and the contact was incidental because the shooter was off-balance or looking to draw the foul, or did the defender have to make contact in order to get to the ball? There are several other ones, too. By the way, you have about 2 seconds to see, process, and decide. And this happens on every competitive matchup during a game!
It's harder to admit that you missed these. There are calls that are fairly obvious, and you call those 80-90% of the time. There are 50-50 calls, that can really go either way--should I pass or not--and that is at your discretion. Then there are the calls that are less obvious. When you call them, they usually result in the crowd, the coaches, and/or the players getting pissy. And when you get them right, it is a good feeling. Almost euphoric. You're showing your skills as an official.
What's the point to all of this? The only way you can continue to improve your judgment is to listen to the feedback associated with your calls. If you are passing on a lot of those 80-90%, you might be letting them play too much. If you think you are getting a lot of those tough calls that nobody else sees or "has the balls" to call, and the players and coaches are stupid for reacting to several of them in a short period of time, you might be trying to force things. When you have good judgment, there is the correct balance of getting the right percentage of obvious calls, and making the tougher, less frequent calls. And you'll know this because your partners, the players, coaches, will typically understand. Even the astute fans will get it, too. It's called "credibility".
That feedback, as unpleasant as it can be at times, can be used to make you better, if you can be open enough to admit you make mistakes--much like players and coaches do when they see films. We're all in the same game.
I'll never say someone missed a call, unless they acknowledge they did. However, if the perception of the masses is that a call was missed, the whole crew is responsible for not getting it. And everyone can learn from that feedback from time to time.
But how often do the players, coaches, and fans have a legitimate gripe? More often than any of us think. NBA officials average about 93% correct on their calls according to their exhaustive review of films and evaluations. That means the best in the world, who watch every game film with evaluators and officiate as a full-time job, will miss 7% of the time. D-1 college guys are probably a little less. High school? I'd guess you can range from the low 80's to the 70's. The point is, we all miss more than we think we do. It's OK. We can just admit it.
The only missed calls are the ones you admit that you missed.
Some calls are very easy. Grandma in the top row at Art Dawald can see that the kid drove in and got tackled. All of us get that 99% of the time. However, we've all choked. We've all, for some reason, just not seen it the right way, or just didn't process the play fast enough to hit the whistle and call the foul. So while you'd get this play 99% of the time, you might miss it 1%. That's also probably when you'd admit that you missed one. You want your parnter to help you. You'll also thank him for it.
Most calls are not that easy. On a simple drive to the basket, there is contact. How much information do we have to process in a short period of time? Tons. You have to decide if the driver beat his man on the play and earned the right to get to the bucket without BSQR being disrupted, or if the defender (either primary of secondary) earned his position by using his skills. Was the contact in the torso? Was in initiated by the offensive player? Was the defender straight-up or leaning? Was a piece of the ball gotten first, and the contact was incidental because the shooter was off-balance or looking to draw the foul, or did the defender have to make contact in order to get to the ball? There are several other ones, too. By the way, you have about 2 seconds to see, process, and decide. And this happens on every competitive matchup during a game!
It's harder to admit that you missed these. There are calls that are fairly obvious, and you call those 80-90% of the time. There are 50-50 calls, that can really go either way--should I pass or not--and that is at your discretion. Then there are the calls that are less obvious. When you call them, they usually result in the crowd, the coaches, and/or the players getting pissy. And when you get them right, it is a good feeling. Almost euphoric. You're showing your skills as an official.
What's the point to all of this? The only way you can continue to improve your judgment is to listen to the feedback associated with your calls. If you are passing on a lot of those 80-90%, you might be letting them play too much. If you think you are getting a lot of those tough calls that nobody else sees or "has the balls" to call, and the players and coaches are stupid for reacting to several of them in a short period of time, you might be trying to force things. When you have good judgment, there is the correct balance of getting the right percentage of obvious calls, and making the tougher, less frequent calls. And you'll know this because your partners, the players, coaches, will typically understand. Even the astute fans will get it, too. It's called "credibility".
That feedback, as unpleasant as it can be at times, can be used to make you better, if you can be open enough to admit you make mistakes--much like players and coaches do when they see films. We're all in the same game.
I'll never say someone missed a call, unless they acknowledge they did. However, if the perception of the masses is that a call was missed, the whole crew is responsible for not getting it. And everyone can learn from that feedback from time to time.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sometimes 100% Is Not 100%
No matter how well you know the rules, how much experience you have, or how many people agree on something, there are times where you and a lot of other people are wrong. You need to keep this in mind. Being argumentative is good. Being stubborn and/or defensive is foolish.
4th quarter of a relatively important game, and red was taking the ball out after a made basket against a full-court press put on by white. Kid throws a long pass, to a players to jumped from the front court, caught the ball, and landed in back court. I as the C, straddling half-court. The T, blows a whistle, runs from the baseline with a weird mechanic, and after a second we figured out that he called over-and-back.
The gym went ballistic. The white coach went crazy. He screamed at me, and my answer was, "I don't know what he called. I think he called over-and-back." I then just got away. Moving down the sideline, the red coach says, "Gee, got a break there, huh?" After the game, it was not discussed. As soon as the T leaves, the L told me he couldn't believe that call. We both thought it was wrong. Both coaches thought it was wrong. Fans of the white team I work with thought it was wrong.
That summer, I was asked about it again. One of my friends said the call was right. We argued about it for about a month, on and off. I finally asked another friend who knows the rules front and back, who also said the call was correct. I then went to the rule book, and alas, the call was correct.
My mistake was, and a lot of people incorrectly agreed with this, is that since both feet and the ball had not been established in the front court yet, that I could not have an over-and-back violation. I still maintain that this makes common sense, but it also pointed out a hole in my knowledge of the rules, which is probably unacceptable after 12 years. Point is, we all want to get together and get calls right. There are times when the lone dissenter is 100% correct, even when there are a ton of people who disagree, even for what seem like valid reasons. Remember that you can be wrong on rare occasions, when you are 100% sure of something. Just be smart enough to acknowledge it.
4th quarter of a relatively important game, and red was taking the ball out after a made basket against a full-court press put on by white. Kid throws a long pass, to a players to jumped from the front court, caught the ball, and landed in back court. I as the C, straddling half-court. The T, blows a whistle, runs from the baseline with a weird mechanic, and after a second we figured out that he called over-and-back.
The gym went ballistic. The white coach went crazy. He screamed at me, and my answer was, "I don't know what he called. I think he called over-and-back." I then just got away. Moving down the sideline, the red coach says, "Gee, got a break there, huh?" After the game, it was not discussed. As soon as the T leaves, the L told me he couldn't believe that call. We both thought it was wrong. Both coaches thought it was wrong. Fans of the white team I work with thought it was wrong.
That summer, I was asked about it again. One of my friends said the call was right. We argued about it for about a month, on and off. I finally asked another friend who knows the rules front and back, who also said the call was correct. I then went to the rule book, and alas, the call was correct.
My mistake was, and a lot of people incorrectly agreed with this, is that since both feet and the ball had not been established in the front court yet, that I could not have an over-and-back violation. I still maintain that this makes common sense, but it also pointed out a hole in my knowledge of the rules, which is probably unacceptable after 12 years. Point is, we all want to get together and get calls right. There are times when the lone dissenter is 100% correct, even when there are a ton of people who disagree, even for what seem like valid reasons. Remember that you can be wrong on rare occasions, when you are 100% sure of something. Just be smart enough to acknowledge it.
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