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
Fifteen minutes before the game, the officials are to take their positions on the court. An Umpire (U1 & U2) stand on the sideline at approximately the free throw line extended. While walking to their positions, all officials are to look for obstructions, short throw in areas, proper bench locations, and proper coaches boxes. The referee stands at half court. The umpires are tasked with 2 things: get a count of the players and look for faulty or illegal equipment (metal clips in hair, unauthorized uniform variances, etc.). The referee takes the player count from both umpires and between 10-12 minutes before gametime the referee checks the scorer's book to 1) ensure that the book has at least as many entries as there are players warming up, and 2) that the starters are designated in the bokk no later than 10 minutes before game time. Once the book is verified, the referee calls the umpires together along with team captains and coaches. The referee normally conducts the pregame with mandatory state-required admonishments. Then the referees go back to their positions and right before the nationa anthem stand in front of the scorers table.
I never found a coach trying to take advantage of equipment except there have been over or underinflated balls that I have adjusted. Many referees carry an inflation pin in case they have to let some air out of a game ball.
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No, by rule they cannot, but it depends (and the following discussion assumes the offensive player does NOT have the ball):
Coaches teach the armbar technique but if the arm in the back prevents an offensive player from moving to another legal spot, it is holding.
If the armbar is set within the verticality the defender is entitled to, and the defender's forearm is used to keep from being pushed backward by the offensive player then there is no foul, or an offensive foul.
I always looked to see if the armbar moved foreward to push the offensive player off his spot, then it is a foul. If the armbar did not push the opponent, I would not call it
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The answer is yes. A rule change for this coming season (2014-15) in NFHS rules states: Arm sleeves, knee sleeves, lower leg sleeves and tights are permissable as long as they meet the color and logo restrictions.
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Read my answer to the above question, and add this. If I was observing an official who called a foul on a half court tip a shooting foul, I would do all I could to keep him from working a varsity (also a sophomore) game. I will grant you that a player can go through the habitual shooting motion of a shot anywhere on the court and if fouled it could be a shooting foul, even from the back court (as in the end of the quarter), but a tip from half court is unskilled and undeserving of a shooting foul - I would always call a halfcourt tip foul a common foul.
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Special Education Teacher
Should special-needs students be separated from other students?
Stand-Up Comedian
How do you fend off hecklers?
Social Worker
What do you think that New York does better or worse than other States?
I call it bad preventative officiating. One of the officials should count the players after each time out, and prevent the play from starting until you have ten players on the floor. However, once the play starts the fifth player cannot come back in until there is a dead ball whistle.
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Technically speaking, it is a technical team foul for not coming onto the court in a timely manner after a time out or start of a quarter or overtime. Preventive officiating would dictate giving the team a little leaway to come onto the court, but if a coach refuses then a T should be called.
Sounds like the ref was confused because if the possession team is slow to come on the court it is legitimate to put the ball down on the throw in area and begin a five count. However, when the defense refuses to come out, T is the appropriate penalty, not putting the ball in play without the defense.
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In the violations section of the rule book regarding free throws, it states that the free throw shooter shall have neither foot beyond the vertical plane of the edge of the free throw line which is further from the basket.
This restriction ends when the ball hits the ring, backboard or until the free throw ends.
So no, a player cannot soar through the air leaping from the semi-circle to dunk a ball - he would have to cross the vertical plane of the free throw line.
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