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

Is it legal for a referee to be referring a basketball game if he is related to a player?

Asked by Joe almost 9 years ago

There is no prohibition in the NFHS rule book prohibiting relatives officiating a game. However, good sense should prevail. My state asks what schools an official is affiliated with to avoid conflicts of interests but that is for the state playoff system only. This should be avoided whenever possible.

Hi Ref, while watching my daughters high school games, lately I don't understand calls/not calls when shots are blocked. Assuming no body contact, can you explain the rule and when you might call/not call a foul on a blocked shot? Thx

Asked by P_Johnston almost 9 years ago

Assuming no body contact, the foul.no foul call would be because of illegal use of hands. That includes the follow through on a shot. One caveat is that if an offensive player has her hand on the ball it is not a foul for the defender to contact that hand (not the arm or wrist).

I am not sure I have answered your question, maybe you can spell out more specifically what kind of action you are concerned about?

2 players dive on the floor for a loose ball. 1 player obtains possession while still on the floor and rolls over a couple of times before he passes the ball .

Is this considered traveling

Asked by Paul mcgrath about 8 years ago

Usually, the refs will allow a slight sliding once a diving player has possession. But as soon as a player rolls over it is travelling.

Is juggling a loose ball (not yet have possession, still trying to get hold of the ball) from a pass while running toward basket considered violation/travel?

Asked by Alan almost 8 years ago

By definition, you cannot travel if you have not established possession. If you are tapping or bobbling the ball it is a referee judgement call if you have possession.

During a boy's high school basketball in California, the referee ran in front of a player as his teammate thru him the ball. The ball hit the referee in the stomach and went out for bounds. The refs gave the ball to the opposite team. Was this right

Asked by Margaret almost 9 years ago

Yes, it is correct. The ref is part of the floor where he stands. The last player to touch the ball before it goes out of bounds is responsible, and therefore the ball gets awarded to the other team.

Technical foul or not? Team B down by 3. Team B scores with 1.2 seconds left and calls a timeout. Team A and B come onto the court after the timeout. Team A has 6 players on the floor. Ref has yet to signal play to resume nor hands the ball to Team A for inbounding. Team B's coach yells to Ref that Team A has 6 players on the court. Team A calls timeout with ball never being put into play. Ref calls a technical foul on Team A for having 6 players on the court.

Asked by DaveFromPA almost 12 years ago

Based on your scenario this should not have been called a "T". Remember it is a technical foul to have more than 5 players on the floor DURING A LIVE BALL. In your description the ball never changed status to live because on a throw in the ball is only considered live when "it is put at the disposal of the team who will execute the throw in". Your ref made an error.

My son and another boy went for a rebound and both got their hands on the ball equally, but the bigger, stronger boy twisted, dipped and pulled the ball and him into his gut, with the result my son was "over the top." Was that a correct call?

Asked by Rod almost 12 years ago

This is a tough judgement call. If, both boys simultaneously held the ball or put force on the ball in opposite directions (as in a stuffed blocked shot) then it should be called a held ball (jump ball going to the possession arrow). If the ref rules that there was not dual possession then you have to call a foul and/or subject a player to really getting hurt. This does not happen too often at the boy's varsity level (quick and strength), but it happens. Opinion: good officials have a quick whistle for held balls to avoid the weaker player always getting a foul.