[JRutledge]

Let me qualify my comments by first saying my partners in this game were great. I had a situation happen to me that I never have experienced in any varsity contest. I am not coming here like many to ***** or complain about my partners. The game we were working the other night was a real barn burner. This was a conference game between two teams that lead the conference at the moment. The game was close the entire game and the home team never had a lead more than 10 points. Most of the night they were trading baskets and the game always was in question. Well late in the second half we have a play that we talked about seriously afterwards.

I was the C and my partner was the T. One of the home players started to shoot a 3 point shot which was in the middle of the lane area above the top of the key. As the shooter goes up for the shot, the defender reaches in and puts his hands on the ball. Now I had probably a much better look considering the hand the defender used was in my clear view and I have a very clean look at this defense of the shot. The shooter was up in the air without bringing the ball up over his head because of the defender. As the shooter was in the air, the ball came loose and the shooter came back down with the ball. My partner has a whistle immediately and he calls a travel. Now from my point of view this was obviously the wrong call and part of the reason he might have not seen this as well as me, because he would not have seen the arm of the defender as he was kind of looking through the back as the shooter kind of turned his on the shoot attempt. Of course the crowd violently reacted negatively to the call and I immediately ran to him to give my partner some information. My first thought was to go with an inadvertent whistle and give the ball back to the home team because the shooter had possession when my partner made the call. As I was talking to my partner I happened to look towards the table (I was table side on this play) and noticed that the home team had the arrow. Then I suggested that we just go with a jump ball because ultimately I feel this was an easy way out and the play fit a jump ball under NF rules because technically the shooter was prevented from releasing the ball. Well my two partners agreed with my suggestion and I turned around and gave the jump ball signal toward the table. Neither coach said a word considering they were complaining most of the night. The assignor happened to be present and talked to us after the game. He did not seem to have a problem with what we did or the procedure.

Now my question is would you do the same thing if you were in my situation. If you would not do the same thing as I did on this call, why would you not?

If anyone reads many of my posts I am not in the “Get it right at all costs” camp. I tend to believe that my partners should be allowed to make calls that I may or may not agree with. Also would you have gone with the inadvertent whistle instead of the jump ball if you decided to give help?

Peace