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Originally posted by Ralph Stubenthal
I notice that women's officials use a fist rammed forward like a jab to report a player control foul whereas men's officials use the pat on the back of the head as we high school officials use.
Also, women's officials switch table side when they call a foul and men's officials switch opposite as do we.
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The college women's game has developed a philosophy much more closely aligned with the professional game. The officials in a women's game use mechanics, and to a large extent interpretations, that mirror the NBA game to a much larger degree than officials in a men's game. So many of the differences between "men's officials" and "women's officials" (for lack of better terms) can be traced directly to the mechanics and interpretations used in the NBA and/or WNBA.
The fist "punching" on offensive fouls is a pro mechanic. The hand behind the head obviously is not. Switching to table side on fouls is a pro mechanic. The men's officials still go opposite the table. You'll also notice that women's officials report the foul as they walk to the table ("walk and talk"), like the pros do. Men's officials are still supposed to hustle to the table, STOP, and then report the foul. Women's officials recognize an informal "no charge zone" under the basket much like the pro Restricted Area. Men's officials (by interpretation, although not always by practice) do not employ that concept.
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I also think I noticed that college officials don't raise their hand to stop the clock on OOB calls but merely point the direction. The clock is not chopped on after a throwin in the same manner either. They seem to go from a raised hand to a shaking fist with their arm making a 90 degree angle at the elbow.
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Stopping the clock is a regional thing. Some assignors think it looks sharp to stop the clock. Other assignors think it makes you look like a traffic cop. It's also a bit of a status thing. Burr, Higgins, and other big time guys don't care which way the assignor likes it. They don't stop the clock, and nobody is really going to tell them they have to.
Clenching the fist to start the clock is also a pro mechanic that has been adopted by the women's game, and to a smaller extent filtered into the men's game.
Chuck