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
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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Team possession ends when the shot goes up. If the ball touches an offensive player's hand, but he does not direct or control the ball, team possession has not been re-established and therefore no backcourt violation.
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I am not sure what you mean by trap. Are you saying the defender steps closer and prevents the dribbler from moving because of the outstreched arm of the dribbler? Then yes, the defender can move as long as he is entitled to the spot on the floor. But if you are saying the defender somehow holds the arm of the dribbler it is a common foul. If I have missed the point of your question rephrase it and I will try again.
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Yes, of course the ref can. As I have addressed in prior questions, there is a Home Administration function (usually the athletic director, but always a representative of the home team). Home Administration is responsive to the referees needs including safety and timeliness. If a referee asks Home Administration to remove a fan, they will do it. Each referee has a different tolerance so it rarely happens. But if you get personal, or disrupt the game you should be tossed.
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Indirectly referees and the home school have the authority. In NFHS rules there is a function called home management. It is usually the athletic director, or a representative of the AD. The rule book states that in the absence of a designated home management person, the home team head coach will assume that function.
Directly from the rule book: The officials shall penalize unsporting behavior by player, coach, substitute, team attendant or FOLLOWER.
Further the book states: ... the officials may rule fouls on either team if its supporters act in a way to interfere with the proper conduct of the game.
It also cautions the officials to be careful applying penalties so as not to unfairly penalize a team.
When I officiated, I never engaged in an expulsion dialog with a fan. I simply went to home management (the AD) and said something like, "the guy in the third row with the blue shirt has to go. Home management always complied with my request and escorted the unruly fan out (or used an on site police officer to be the escort) and the AD often apologized about a overzealous home team fan.
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Great question. In my career I have called very few T's on coaches. My approach is two-fold. 1) if the coach is working me up and down the court, I will talk calmly on a dead ball (never stop officiating on a live ball - ignore the coach). I will say, "coach, your constant rants are unwarranted, and may prevent me from doing my job. If it persists without specifics, I will be forced to call a "T" and have you seatbelted to the bench". 2) if the coach wants/needs to discuss a particular play on a dead ball, always in front of the bench, don't let the coach come on the court - walk him back to the bench, he will follow: a) I ask the coach what he saw on the play. If I saw something different, I tell him and explain that if I saw it his way, I would have called it his way, but I didn't.. b) If I saw the same thing, but believe he is misinterpeting a rule or a mechanic, I explain why I am calling it the way I did. For example, if a coach tells me that a player is camped out in 3 seconds and I have ignored it, I explain that I am applying advantage/disadvantage and will only call 3 seconds if it is material to the play - so he may be technically right, but that is my call. c) If I have booted the call, I admit it to the coach and tell him that since calling (or ignoring) a play, I have replayed it in my mind, and think I made an error. They always stop the harrassment when you admit an error. It is tough when you are young - they treated me differently as my hair grew gray than when I first started out - sure, my judgement improved, but also coaches usually try to push around young officials. In summary, ref the best you can. Be honest with yourself about blown calls, and have the strength to explain your calls - if you can't explain your calls, you should not be wearing the stripes.
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You are correct. The ball is dead after a goal is made, when it is apparent that a free throw is unseuccessful, when it is to be followed by another free throw or a throw in, a held ball occurs, a player/team control foul is called, most of the time when the whistle blows, a free throw violation, or a time out.
The ball becomes live on a jump ball when it is tossed by the referee, when it is at the disposal of th thrower on a throw in, or on a free throw when it is at the disposal of the shooter.
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