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

you call a foul and the table does not tell you it should be a bonus situation. B1 inbounds the ball and scores. then the table informs you the previous call should be a bonus. is it correctable.

Asked by tony about 9 years ago

This error is correctable, as long as it is discovered during the first dead ball after the clock has been started. When B1 scores, the ball is dead and the free throw should be awarded. The points scored by B1 shall remain counted.

While the shot clock is winding down a player throws a pass and it hits the rim. After it hits the rim the shot clock goes off. His teammates catches the ball. Is this a shot clock violation or a new shot clock?

Asked by Max almost 10 years ago

There is no shot clock in NFHS rules. In NCAA men's rules it is a violation for a team to fail to make a try for a basket AND have the ball touch the ring or flange before 35 seconds.

Notice the rule states "a try …" which means that a pass would not qualify even if touched the ring. Not sure what pro rules state.

A player jumps from outside the court line, catches the ball mid air and lands inside, is it still out of bounds? And with backcourt violation?

Asked by Max about 9 years ago

A player who alights in the air is considered to have court position from where his feet last touched the court. If the player jumps from out of bounds and touches the ball before he touches the court inbounds, it is a violation. There are 2 exceptions to this rule: 1) a defender who leaps from his front court to intercept a pass and lands in his backcourt, and 2) a defender who leaps from his front court to intercept a throw in and lands in his backcourt.

after a made basket player A is allowed to run the baseline after attempting a throw in the ball was deflected back out of bounds doe player A retain the ability to run the baseline?

Asked by wayne almost 10 years ago

No. After a ball is deflected out of bounds the throw in should be a spot throw in. If there is a throw in after a basket, and a team calls time out, then the offense can still run the end line.

One player on defense loses his shoe while the offense is running a play. The Ref calls for play to stop so the player can put his shoe on. Seems to me he should have waited till the play was over. What do you say?

Asked by Mike over 10 years ago

The ref should stop the game right away if a player is injured or in imminent danger.  The ref can delay the play stoppage to allow the offensive team to complete a play if there is no immediate danger to any players.  The refs are also to stop play immediately if there is a vision issue such as lost contact lense or glasses knocked off someone's head.

In your situation, I would have let the offense finish the play - BUT if the offense was driving to the basket and then kicked the ball back out out to reset the play, I would have stopped the game, 

i reffed basketball this morning my partner blew an indavertand whitsle the team ran down court scored the basket put the points on the board because nobody heard the whitsle can we take the points off the board and go back to where the indvartand wh

Asked by don jenkins about 9 years ago

If your partner said that he whistled the ball dead inadvertently, it does not matter if no one in the gym heard it - the ball was dead when he blew his whistle. He should have taken the points off the board, apologized to the coach and put the ball in play at the point of the inadvertent whistle.

On a designated spot throw in. Can a player take one step forward to adminster a throw in

Asked by Rox almost 10 years ago

On a spot throw-in, a player must stay within a 3 foot area along the out of bounds boundary. That three foot area extends from the out of bounds line all the way back to the wall, or the first obstruction (bleachers, table, etc.).  

So to answer your question, as long as the player does not step in bounds before releasing the ball, he can take as many steps forward short of breaching the out bounds line.