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

SubscribeGet emails when new questions are answered. Ask Me Anything!Show Bio +

Share:

Ask me anything!

Submit Your Question

651 Questions

Share:

Last Answer on September 20, 2019

Best Rated

fouled on a shot....several refs told me when the player's feet touch the ground the shot is over & any contact AFTER, non shooting foul. most girls don't jump on shots so there would never be a shooting foul. what is considered "the act of shooting"

Asked by midd44 over 7 years ago

Ok, so first a player is in the act of shooting from the time they start the habitual act and motion of a shot to its completion (i.e.. lifting the ball with an arm movement on a layup, raising your forearm while the ball is in your palm to start a shot, etc. to full release AND followthrough, regardless of being on the floor or in the air.

Next, there is a special definition of an "airborne shooter". This is a shooter who has begun OR ended the habitual motion of a shot while in the air. Once the airborne shooter's feet touches the floor, he is no longer in the act of shooting. So an airborne shooter is afforded a shooting foul if he is fouled after release until he hits the floor. If fouled after release of the ball and after the shooter touches the floor, it is a non-shooting foul.

is it legal for a Referee per fiba ball rules to ask the scorer to rewrite a scoresheet game of a couple of players numbers are ineligible to read on the scoresheet?

Asked by is it legal for a Referee to ask the scorer to rewrite a scoresheet if there was aerror on the scoresheet where the nos looked messy an a bit ineligabke to read almost 8 years ago

Sorry, I am no expert on Fiba rules.

If a defensive player enters the FT lane during a foul shot early, realizes it, and gets back behind the lane line before the attempt, is it still a lane violation?

Asked by Mike about 7 years ago

Once a violation, always a violation. The referee should hold a fist straight out indicating a delayed violation. If the free throw does not go in, it is shot again.

If I am in the Triple Threat position and have not dribbled when faking my shot can I go up on the balls of my feet? I read that you cannot fake a shot going up on the balls of your feet even though I have not jumped for the shot.

Asked by Doug almost 8 years ago

Yes, as long as you keep your pivot foot in place, or if you have no pivot foot, you keep both feet down. Not sure why you would do this, even if it is legal.

Official erroneously says "2 shots" for A2 when it should be only one. No one moves except A3, who rebounds and scores. Then officials recognize mistake. Ruling?

Asked by scouttracker6 about 7 years ago

This is one of the 5 correctable errors in the rule book when recognized before the next dead ball, but the remedy is to correct the error on the free throw, but lt keeps the subsequent results. If A2 would have made the free throw it could have been reversed, but in this case no free throw needs to be taken down and subsequent results stand. A3s basket counts. Ball gies to B.

Is it illegal for a defensive player to purposely start blowing in the offensive players face? I assume this would fall under an unsportsmanlike conduct foul, but not sure.

Asked by Alan over 7 years ago

This is a new one for me! Yes, I would call it unsportsmanlike.

If contact occurs that would be a foul if the ball were live occurs immediately after the clock expires at the end of a quarter, is it a foul?

Asked by Jim over 7 years ago

If time has expired and the ball is dead, a personal foul is ignored unless flagrant. If flagrant, it is enforced at the start of the next quarter, unless the game has ended.