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

The player catches the ball under the basket with both feet planted. He then hops backwards landing on both feet and shoots the layup. is this a travel?

Asked by Coach Joe almost 10 years ago

As you describe it, it is traveling. If you catch the ball with both feet on the ground, when you lift one of the feet the other becomes the pivot. But if a player hops, neither foot is a pivot and it is traveling.

Player gets called for a foul which results in a spot throw in. Two technical fouls are then called when the ball is dead one on each team. Would the ball be then put in play at POI or do you go to the possession arrow?

Asked by DW24 over 9 years ago

The technical fouls offset and we go to the possession arrow for a throw in at half court.

Have you ever had to call a game winning shot not good because time expired?

Asked by Andrew almost 10 years ago

Yes, in a tie game I called travelling on a last second shot which went in. I sent the game into overtime and the team that travelled lost the game.

When does an assist begin & end. ex. If a player inbounds the ball to another player & the second player dribbles down court & scores does the first player still get an assist?

Asked by Jim over 10 years ago

This is a tough question. There was a Wall Street Journal article which addressed the grey areas of what an assist is. Here is a quote from that article:

"The NBA statistician's manual says an assist should be "credited to a player tossing the last pass leading directly to a field goal, only if the player scoring the goal responds by demonstrating immediate reaction to the basket." It sounds simple enough. As assist is a pass made to a shooter who scores. But when you try to apply this definition during a game, it gets murky. There are no details about how many steps shooters can take after receiving a pass; nothing about shot-fakes, head-fakes or pivot moves and no hard guidelines on how much time can elapse between the pass and the shot.

Can an offensive player while dribbling the ball initiate contact on a defensive player (who is running even with the offensive player) by running into the defensive player with his shoulder

Asked by Dean444444 almost 11 years ago

If it is "incidental", that is if the offensive player does not gain an advantageous benefit from the contact, then I would pass on the foul. BUT, if the defender is knocked back, or his legal forward momentum is disrupted to the detriment of his defensive positioning, then it is a player control foul (formerly called "a charge."

Can middle school referee eject fan in stand from the game? Referee kicked 67 year old Vietnam veteran and grandfather out of middle school game and only said to referee, that's what we're doing , cheering for our team sir. Ref told him to get out.

Asked by tener over 10 years ago

As I have stated before, refs can ask the home management function to eject fans from the gym. The refs have to be careful because after the game they may have to answer to the assignment chairman after the coach or principal complains. Anyway, during a game if I wanted to eject a fan I would not let the game proceed until the fan was ejected.

Can I email you a video and can you tell me if it is travelling? I have an ongoing argument and I need to put it to rest. Thank you.

Asked by Mike about 10 years ago

Sure. put in your email address and I will contact you.