"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!