First Time on the Floor

[Dad]

Just take all the great advice given and simplify it for yourself. Work on one aspect each game and have fun.

I'll add one thing that helped me as a player and even more as an official:

Find a random game you want to watch. Watch it in 2x speed. Do it again and again until you can break down plays and actually see what's going on. Probably will seem impossible at first, but after a while you get used to it. This isn't for everyone, but for me it makes games in slow motion.

[LRZ]

When you go to games, especially involving officials from your association, ask if you could sit in on their pre-game and half-time. If the opportunity arises so you don't interfere with their game mind-set, ask questions about why they did things you didn't follow.

[RedAndWhiteRef]

Originally Posted by LRZ

When you go to games, especially involving officials from your association, ask if you could sit in on their pre-game and half-time. If the opportunity arises so you don't interfere with their game mind-set, ask questions about why they did things you didn't follow.

My football association actively encourages rookies who wouldn't be getting varsity games to ride along with a varsity crew on Friday nights to soak it all in.

[ChuckS]

So I survived my first week of scrimmages, and all of your advice and encouragement played a big part in that! Felt a little more comfortable each time out.

Avoided any major issues. . .but obviously still a LOT of minor ones!

-My first jump ball was perfectly straight up. . . .but WAY too high!
-As trail, called an illegal dribble, had all my signals correct and in order, but stayed to administer the throw-in
-As Lead, ball-watching reduced to almost never...but I know it has to be never
-Still sometimes have trouble visualizing my PCA..."free throw line extended" means I feel I need to glance at the FT line to get my point of reference, but that can't be correct, if it takes my eyes off of where they need to be
-During free throws, I need it to become automatic if I see a violation, knowing if it was on the offense or defense
-All my foul calls were "pushes" LOL I need to expand my repertoire!!
-I always reported fouls on the division line, not taking advantage of the entire reporting area
-They told me at our last scrimmage that as Trail, close down when the shot goes up, and you can call any fouls you see outside of your PCA. I know during the entire game you can call outside your PCA, but they said when the shot is up, PCAs do not exist.

So once again, I thank all of you for taking the time to offer me so much valuable advice. My first real game is Dec 22, doubleheader, Freshman Girls, then JV.

[dsqrddgd909]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

-They told me at our last scrimmage that as Trail, close down when the shot goes up, and you can call any fouls you see outside of your PCA. I know during the entire game you can call outside your PCA, but they said when the shot is up, PCAs do not exist.

Perhaps some of our vets can shed light on this? I've never heard that.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

... During free throws, I need it to become automatic if I see a violation, knowing if it was on the offense or defense ...

Somebody taught this (below) to me thirty-five years ago, and I've been doing it ever since.

As either the lead, or the trail, on every free throw, I look at the color of the shooter (let's say it's blue), and I say to myself, "Blue whistle. Blue whistle. Blue whistle ...", over and over, until the shot is released. This reminds me to immediately sound my whistle for an offensive lane violation, while also reminding me to have a delayed violation for a defensive lane violation (to see if the ball goes in, or not).

Like the Alka-Seltzer commercial used to say, "Try it, you'll like it".

[Dad]

Job well done, good luck in your first game(s).

As for PCAs not existing, you may want to ask them to elaborate. It's definitely not an FFA, and doing so will result in poor coverage. Trail's coverage includes basket interference, goaltending, and perimeter rebounds. If the shot is on your side it's your job to see if the shot went in or not. IE: Lead has a call and isn't watching the basket -- I would hope.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

... As trail, called an illegal dribble, had all my signals correct and in order, but stayed to administer the throw-in ...

So you made your partner run the entire length of the floor, while you just stayed in the same place. Well done grasshopper. You're already learning all the veteran tricks.

I worked a scrimmage with a young buck yesterday. I tried to talk him into working endline to endline while I stayed at the trial the entire six period scrimmage, but he wouldn't go for it.

These young guys aren't as gullible as they used to be.

[Rich]

My daughter played with a first time official on the floor yesterday. Fifth graders.

A dad was yelling at her. I was a bit too close, cause I turned and asked him how big a man he was for yelling at a teenaged (my guess - HS sophomore) girl doing her best.

I got an elbow from my wife and for once I told her she was out of line for shushing me.

[Stat-Man]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

-They told me at our last scrimmage that as Trail, close down when the shot goes up, and you can call any fouls you see outside of your PCA. I know during the entire game you can call outside your PCA, but they said when the shot is up, PCAs do not exist.

When I went to camp last summer, one of our association's veterans/officers suggested closing down on shots as the T by taking 2 steps towards the basket. I find this keeps me more engaged with the play and not wanting to change directions prematurely like I had the tendency to do as a rookie.

I've never heard the item about PCA's not existing during rebounding. Our state's mechanics manual shows diagrams where officials should be watching during rebounding action. They may not match the PCAs exactly, but each official has responsibilities during rebounding action.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

-They told me at our last scrimmage that as Trail, close down when the shot goes up, and you can call any fouls you see outside of your PCA. I know during the entire game you can call outside your PCA, but they said when the shot is up, PCAs do not exist.

Originally Posted by dsqrddgd909

Perhaps some of our vets can shed light on this? I've never heard that.

Well, to a point, that is true since PCA is more about on-ball coverage.

In 2-person, If the ball is in your PCA, you're on ball and if the ball is not in your PCA, you have off-ball, even outside of your PCA. Example: Lead is covering a matchup in the corner, the trail has the action in the paint. It's the lead's PCA but the lead can't cover the corner action and the paint at the same time.

In 3-person, the same idea applies to some degree as well, but not quite a extensively since the Lead isn't going to get pulled into action that far from the paint. However, there are plenty of times the C goes out of their primary for off-ball action....such as when the T might have a play in the corner but there is screening action around the top of the key.

Once the shot is released and the shooter is down, there is no on-ball coverage any more....and rebounding coverage is a lot more about angles than PCAs. If the rebound comes to the Trail's side with one player behind the other (as is often the case in a good boxout), there is a good chance the Trail will be straightlined. The C has the best view to see if there is a rebounding foul there. (Likewise for a rebound that comes off the rim towards the C).

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Rich

... a first time official on the floor yesterday ... A dad was yelling at her ... I turned and asked him how big a man he was for yelling at a teenaged ... girl doing her best.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Rich

Fifth graders.

We have a new Catholic middle school assignment commissioner, some guys left, I decided to try it for, at least, another year.

Girls "junior varsity" game yesterday. Fifth, and sixth graders. Blue team with white numbers against blue team with black numbers. Same exact color blue. My partner and I have almost sixty years of experience between us. We can handle this. We'll go black versus white. One minute into the game, held ball, easy, until we discover that the teams are going the wrong way, so we turn them around. Rich's teenage official could probably do a better job than my crew yesterday.

Same game. I turn to the crowd during a timeout and state "I've got twenty bucks that says that the blue team wins".

Next game, I turn to the crowd during a timeout and state, "I've got twenty bucks that says that Saint Mary's wins". You guessed it. It was Saint Mary's versus Saint Mary's.

Originally Posted by ChuckS

They told me at our last scrimmage that as Trail, close down when the shot goes up, and you can call any fouls you see outside of your PCA. I know during the entire game you can call outside your PCA, but they said when the shot is up, PCAs do not exist.

Originally Posted by dsqrddgd909

Perhaps some of our vets can shed light on this? I've never heard that.

Sure, the thinking is that Lead doesn't have a very good look at rebounding coverage. It is better for the Trail to be closing down and help Slot with rebounding coverage than for the Lead to be guessing about displacement.

It's also related to the weak-side block being one of the three areas in which we miss the most plays -- both Lead and Slot have bad angles looking at displacement from their positions and despite being the furthest official from the play the closing-down Trail has the best look.

[jTheUmp]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

-My first jump ball was perfectly straight up. . . .but WAY too high!

I did the same thing in a Varsity game on Friday night... it happens.

-As Lead, ball-watching reduced to almost never...but I know it has to be never

You will, of course, be ball-watching when the ball is in your PCA as lead (well, you'll be watching the player with the ball and the defender guarding her, but you know what I mean).

-Still sometimes have trouble visualizing my PCA..."free throw line extended" means I feel I need to glance at the FT line to get my point of reference, but that can't be correct, if it takes my eyes off of where they need to be

This gets better with time... and at FTLE, when in doubt, let the trail take it.

-All my foul calls were "pushes" LOL I need to expand my repertoire!!
-I always reported fouls on the division line, not taking advantage of the entire reporting area

Most of the time, nobody cares what you signal as a foul when you report it, so don't get too worked up over this yet.
As for always going to the division line... better that than some guys who won't even attempt to get to the reporting area.

-They told me at our last scrimmage that as Trail, close down when the shot goes up, and you can call any fouls you see outside of your PCA. I know during the entire game you can call outside your PCA, but they said when the shot is up, PCAs do not exist.

Definitely close down when a shot goes up. Yes, this means that you're going to occasionally get beat on a fast break going the other way. Them's the breaks. Besides, it's much easier to officiate fast breaks from behind than it is to officiate rebounding action when you're at the division line.

So once again, I thank all of you for taking the time to offer me so much valuable advice. My first real game is Dec 22, doubleheader, Freshman Girls, then JV.

You're welcome. Sounds like you're off to a good start... Just remember the three simple rules: "Slow Down. Call The Obvious. Don't F- It Up"