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

Since im not sure how to reply to your answer on 4 shoots for a technical let me rephrase, there is only one technical and there are 9 team fouls makeing the technical the 10th does this situation recieve 4 free throws

Asked by Brandon Jackson over 10 years ago

No, you do not award 4 free throws in this scenario. While tehnicals count against team foul bonus totals you do not get a technical and a common foul for the same action.To illustrate, let's assume there are 8 team fouls on team b and a technical foul is called. Team a gets 2 free throws and the ball, and the bonus count goes to 9. Then on the next play team b commits a common foul. Team a shoots 2 free throws because the count goes to 10.

You are dribbling and then grab the ball with two hands and then drop it and then pick it up. Is that legal?

Asked by action jackson over 9 years ago

Yes. If it is a legit fumble.

Offensive player catches the ball and jumps like he's shooting a jumpshot (has yet to dribble). Can he use his dribble while in the air and drive or is putting the ball on the floor now a travel?

Asked by Philip almost 10 years ago

The player needs to begin the dribble before lifting the pivot foot, so if a player jumps before dribbling he only has 2 options...shoot or pass before landing on the floor. Starting a dribble after lifting your pivot foot is travelling although not usually called in the nba.

Toward the end of the basketball game there was a foul called. The ref came over and said it was either on #20 or #21, he asked who had the most fouls. #21 did so he called the foul on #21 and it fouled him out. Was this the right procedure?

Asked by Heidi about 10 years ago

As of about 10 years ago, NFHS refs are allowed to consult with the scorer's table if they are unsure of who the foul is on, or who the shooter should be. However, it is sloppy officiating in a 3 man crew when none of the officials know who was involved in a foul. In my opinion, it is inappropriate to levy a foul based on personal foul counts. If the table knows with confidence who committed a foul then they can help. Otherwise, the official must determine who fouled, or else don't blow your whistle.

That seems to be the generic answer to the slamming/spiking the ball issue. So shouldn't it state this in the rule book? Otherwise, I agree, it could be used arbitrarily by some less than idea ref to punish one team over another.

Asked by Daniel over 10 years ago

The rule book does not spell out all the ways of committing a technical foul. I believe that working your way up through ranks sifts out most referees with poor judgement and thin skin, not always but at most levels it is so competitive that the better officials tend to move forward and ref the better games. That is how the system cultivates good judgement - and I'll admit there are officials who come in with a chip on their shoulders and stretch their judgement unfairly against a team or player, but it is the assignment chairman's job to weed out these kind of officials.

the other team has 5 team fouls and fouls one of are players after the call a double tech is called 1 on each team do we still keep the ball or does it go to alternate possesion

Asked by murph over 9 years ago

It goes to the possession arrow.

Where does it say that a referee can through someone out of an high school basketball game? I need it in black and white.

Asked by Dana over 10 years ago

Your question makes me think you have been tossed out of a gym and you object. Here it is in black and white.

In the NFHS rulebook, Rule 2 Officials and Their Duties, Section 8 Officials Additional Duties, Article 1, "The officials shall penalize unsporting conduct by any player, coach, substitute, team attendant or follower.In the same section under Article 1, "NOTE: The home management or game committee is responsible for spectator behavior, insofar as it can be reasonably be expected to control the spectators.The officials may rule fouls on either team if its spectators act in such a way as to interfere with the proper conduct of the game … When team supporters become unruly or interfere with the orderly progress of the game, the officials shall stop the game until the home management resolves the situation and the game can proceed in in an orderly manner."

In practice the way this works is an official notifies home management that a fan's behavior is unacceptable and the officials ask that home management eject the fan. Home management always complies because to refuse would force the official to penalize the home team starting with technical fouls potentially leading to a forfeited game. I only asked home management to throw out a handful of people in 20 years of officiating and they never refused my requests.