Basketball Referee

Basketball Referee

Rndballref

20 Years Experience

Chicago, IL

Male, 60

For twenty years I officiated high school, AAU and park district basketball games, retiring recently. For a few officiating is the focus of their occupation, while for most working as an umpire or basketball referee is an avocation. I started ref'ing to earn beer money during college, but it became a great way to stay connected to the best sports game in the universe. As a spinoff, I wrote a sports-thriller novel loosely based on my referee experiences titled, Advantage Disadvantage

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Last Answer on September 20, 2019

Best Rated

3 questions please ...
1) Player A inbounds a pass but the pass is swatted back at him by his opponent(B)...the ball touches player A on a fly ... whose ball ?
2) While dribbling a player loses control and steps out of bounds - but the ball remains

Asked by Alex almost 12 years ago

If A is standing out of bounds, and a ball that was in bounds touches him before hitting the floor out of bounds, A is considered to have caused the ball to go out of bounds. 

What is a typical NBA ref salary and what is the difference between the three refs and what they do?

Asked by Alias over 11 years ago

According to theriches.com beginning NBA referees make $150,000 and senior officials make up to $550,000.  In every game, one official is designated as the "referee" and the others are "officials".  In NFHS, the referee has certain additional duties such as picking who will toss jump balls, giving pre-game instructions etc..  But the "referee" is not supposed to overrule the other two officials.  I suspect that in the NBA, senior officials might have additional duties such as travel arrangements, meetings, training, rule advisories, etc.

A call was made that if you don't have position of the ball your team on the bench can't count down the clock. Is this correct?

Asked by Dean over 11 years ago

I believe that is a made up rule.  The only way to construe a violation would be to consider it unsportsmanlike, but that is a stretch.  The way to handle it is if there is a dead ball after the team was counting approach the coach and ask if the coach considers counting in that way sporting.  Maybe he will stop them, but as a ref I would not call a foul.

Is there such a thing as an intimidation foul?

Asked by point guard about 11 years ago

No, you will not find intimidation in the rule book.  There are unsportsmanlike fouls which may overlap intimidation.  There is one local team which places two captains at the helf-court line during warm ups with their team in a few lines facing them.  The captains move side to side with the players chanting in cadence. The drill ends with the team diving forward toward midcourt shouting in unison either "team" or "defense".  It is very intimidating to the other team, but absolutely not illegal.

When two players are scrambling for a loose ball can one player "screen" the other from trying to reach it and therefore letting it go out of bounds?

Asked by Josh about 12 years ago

You are allowed to screen or block out if you get to a space before your opponent leaves his feet to get to that spot.  It is no different than blocking out on a rebound.

Player has two free throws. Shoots the first then the other team calls a timeout. Is this fine or should the second free throw have been shot and then the timeout been granted when the other team gains possession?

Asked by Mike about 11 years ago

When the ball goes through the basket it is a dead ball and anyone can call timeout until the team takes possession (even after a made basket by your team while on offense, until your opponent picks up the ball).

After the first of 2 free throws there will not be team possession, so either team can call time out until the ball is at the disposal of the shooter for his second free throw.

Need help... Jump ball situation--When can one of the Two jumpers grab and have legal possession of the ball, after the touching by one of the two jumpers?

Asked by Tom over 11 years ago

Here's the jump ball rule:  Neither jumper shall 1) touch the ball before it reaches its height, 2) leave the circle until the ball has been touched, 3) catch the jump ball, or 4) touch the ball more than twice.  

These restrictions are in place until: the ball contacts one of the eight non-jumpers, an official, the floor, a basket or the backboard.