- 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.
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:
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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