If you are the L, and there is a play across the key, do you always have the best look at the out-of-bounds call on the baseline?
Had a play where there was a couple of quick successive turnovers, as the new lead, I was just getting back to the baseline when a wild pass from the far side squirted out of bounds near the far corner. It was pretty obvious to me that it was going to be Blue ball, but the C was standing literally 20 feet away from the spot where the ball went out and the play was right in front of him. He hit the whistle and gave the ball to blue. After the game, he asked me if it was OK that he called that and made the pointing signal, because he wasn't sure I saw it due to the weirdness of the sequence. I told him I though it was great and it looked the best for the crew that he made the signal. The only time I'd be unhappy about someone calling my line is if they got it wrong. And guess what? I can fix that, and I'd only have to do it once!
I then noticed down the stretch in the NCAA games that this has become pretty common. If you don't have a good look at an out-of-bounds call across the key on the baseline as the L, give a look at the C and let him take it. It makes the crew look like they have great chemistry and teamwork, and it also helps you refrain from guessing.
Something to pre-game about with the know-it-alls and "stay out of my area and off my lines" kind of douchebags, who seem to be making a comeback in 2010. Teamwork trumps all. Remember that.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Game Management Insights
Had a couple of weird things this weekend with respect to game management that I wanted to toss out there.
Subs at the table is an interesting subject. For the last 10 years, I have been very good at being aware of when subs are being put in by a coach. I saw it as great game awareness and good game management to put my hand up to allow time for the sub to come in, or hold the ball until I gave it to the thrower. I watched some games earlier this year on television, and the Pac-10 guys are not doing that. I found that strange,but have really noticed since then that if the sub is not ready at the table, the ball goes in...And nobody bitches about it. I have started to not worry about waiting, and to be honest it has made game flow better. No more line of subs staggering one at a time into a game like a bunch of hobos. No more sending in a sub without really knowing who is coming out. Where does this help? In the end of a blowout game, when subs are staggering in haphazardly, and we are just waving them in without really paying attention--and the losing coach wants a T for 6 on the floor. We have no excuse for that. Coaches need to be organized. You are doing the game, and yourselves, a favor by not prolonging the stoppage of play. Whatever you gain by looking game aware or accommodating the coach is NOT worth the risk. As always, make your choice, but this is a choice I have made this year, and I think it is the best thing to do.
Another one--when discussing things with a player, coach, or another official, give them an out. I had my favorite occurrence recently, players chesting up and yapping resulting in the double T. Things then got really interesting when someone asked why racist statements can be made on the floor. I never heard anything racist, but there was a lot of energy about it. My response was, "I'm not saying it did not happen, but I did not hear it." Understand that everyone gets emotional and has opinions. By giving them an out, it prevents bad feelings. Avoiding absoultes, unless the film will show that you are without question 100% correct (which happens far less frequently than you think), you are always better off acknowledging the opinion without saying they are completely wrong. "I hear you coach, I just did not pull the trigger," works a lot more often than, "It was not a foul, coach." There are times for absolutes. I have found that most of us can minimize or lessen our use of them, and it will help your relationships with players and coaches, without succumbing to them. Trust me, they know when they are wrong, and sometimes it takes a day for them to realize it, just like it takes us a day sometimes to realize and admit we could have done something better. Giving someone an out is always a good thing to do during conflict.
Subs at the table is an interesting subject. For the last 10 years, I have been very good at being aware of when subs are being put in by a coach. I saw it as great game awareness and good game management to put my hand up to allow time for the sub to come in, or hold the ball until I gave it to the thrower. I watched some games earlier this year on television, and the Pac-10 guys are not doing that. I found that strange,but have really noticed since then that if the sub is not ready at the table, the ball goes in...And nobody bitches about it. I have started to not worry about waiting, and to be honest it has made game flow better. No more line of subs staggering one at a time into a game like a bunch of hobos. No more sending in a sub without really knowing who is coming out. Where does this help? In the end of a blowout game, when subs are staggering in haphazardly, and we are just waving them in without really paying attention--and the losing coach wants a T for 6 on the floor. We have no excuse for that. Coaches need to be organized. You are doing the game, and yourselves, a favor by not prolonging the stoppage of play. Whatever you gain by looking game aware or accommodating the coach is NOT worth the risk. As always, make your choice, but this is a choice I have made this year, and I think it is the best thing to do.
Another one--when discussing things with a player, coach, or another official, give them an out. I had my favorite occurrence recently, players chesting up and yapping resulting in the double T. Things then got really interesting when someone asked why racist statements can be made on the floor. I never heard anything racist, but there was a lot of energy about it. My response was, "I'm not saying it did not happen, but I did not hear it." Understand that everyone gets emotional and has opinions. By giving them an out, it prevents bad feelings. Avoiding absoultes, unless the film will show that you are without question 100% correct (which happens far less frequently than you think), you are always better off acknowledging the opinion without saying they are completely wrong. "I hear you coach, I just did not pull the trigger," works a lot more often than, "It was not a foul, coach." There are times for absolutes. I have found that most of us can minimize or lessen our use of them, and it will help your relationships with players and coaches, without succumbing to them. Trust me, they know when they are wrong, and sometimes it takes a day for them to realize it, just like it takes us a day sometimes to realize and admit we could have done something better. Giving someone an out is always a good thing to do during conflict.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Red/Yellow/Green
Got a great little philosophy from Will "The Thrill" McKay last week. We've all noticed that the NBA and NCAA D-1 guys have seemed to call tight out front and loose near the basket. Thrill picked up a way to understand that at a camp last summer. I've added a twist to it that I think further accentuates this.
Think of the basket as the capitol city of the basketball court. The offense wants to invade and take the city by scoring. The defense wants to protect its basket and prevent the invader from scoring. The offense can launch missiles with finesse by gunning long-range 3's, or they can grind out close-range shots by setting screens, crashing to the basket, and using physical dominance to get there.
Thrill will tell you to divide the front court into 3 areas, the Red Zone, the Yellow Zone, and the Green Zone.
The Red Zone is above the top of the key. The only scoring attack from here is a long-range bomb. It's not near the battle front of the war on the basket. Hand-to-hand combat should be rare. You don't need or want rough post play 30 feet from the basket. Therefore, you should be intolerant of physical play when you are more than 20 feet from the basket. Bad screen 30 feet fro the basket is not going to provide an imminent scoring threat, so it will be called tightly. Finesse and quickness rule the Red Zone.
The Yellow Zone inside the 3-point arc but outside the key. Screens may be set, guys start to drive the basket. However, you are still quite a way away from the basket. It will not be an area of all-out defense. The offense is still trying to position themselves to attack the basket. You will want to let a little more go than in the Red Zone, but still understand that the offense has not gotten into the Green Zone yet, where victory becomes imminent, and the defense may get desperate.
The Green Zone is the key and the post area. Ball gets in there on post play, the defense will rush down there to protect the basket. Coaches will scream at the defense to prevent open lay-ins. Players will try and play through contact in the final push for the position or shot. Just like Russia piled millions of people to protect Moscow to the last man in World War 2, the good team will desperately try and prevent the basket when the ball gets in the Green Zone. Again, the threshold for a foul here is higher than in the Yellow Zone, and lot more than the Green Zone.
Fouls are fouls. But the strategy of the game is to score baskets. Understanding how physical the game should be with respect to how far away from the basket the basketball is, and where the offense is trying to go with the basketball, will help you get the right balance of when fouls should be called, and when you should pass. This metaphor and description may illustrate a way to think about it and give you something to think about. Or, it may not. I liked it--it's what I see on TV, and there is a reason they're there and most of us are not.
Think of the basket as the capitol city of the basketball court. The offense wants to invade and take the city by scoring. The defense wants to protect its basket and prevent the invader from scoring. The offense can launch missiles with finesse by gunning long-range 3's, or they can grind out close-range shots by setting screens, crashing to the basket, and using physical dominance to get there.
Thrill will tell you to divide the front court into 3 areas, the Red Zone, the Yellow Zone, and the Green Zone.
The Red Zone is above the top of the key. The only scoring attack from here is a long-range bomb. It's not near the battle front of the war on the basket. Hand-to-hand combat should be rare. You don't need or want rough post play 30 feet from the basket. Therefore, you should be intolerant of physical play when you are more than 20 feet from the basket. Bad screen 30 feet fro the basket is not going to provide an imminent scoring threat, so it will be called tightly. Finesse and quickness rule the Red Zone.
The Yellow Zone inside the 3-point arc but outside the key. Screens may be set, guys start to drive the basket. However, you are still quite a way away from the basket. It will not be an area of all-out defense. The offense is still trying to position themselves to attack the basket. You will want to let a little more go than in the Red Zone, but still understand that the offense has not gotten into the Green Zone yet, where victory becomes imminent, and the defense may get desperate.
The Green Zone is the key and the post area. Ball gets in there on post play, the defense will rush down there to protect the basket. Coaches will scream at the defense to prevent open lay-ins. Players will try and play through contact in the final push for the position or shot. Just like Russia piled millions of people to protect Moscow to the last man in World War 2, the good team will desperately try and prevent the basket when the ball gets in the Green Zone. Again, the threshold for a foul here is higher than in the Yellow Zone, and lot more than the Green Zone.
Fouls are fouls. But the strategy of the game is to score baskets. Understanding how physical the game should be with respect to how far away from the basket the basketball is, and where the offense is trying to go with the basketball, will help you get the right balance of when fouls should be called, and when you should pass. This metaphor and description may illustrate a way to think about it and give you something to think about. Or, it may not. I liked it--it's what I see on TV, and there is a reason they're there and most of us are not.
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