Help Request: Inconsistency of Travel Call
 

I had been meaning to pose this question to forum--as I had observed this to occur frequently in "girls/women" games and it was not called--could someone here pls lend some insight / experience.

Sitch: Female player (A1) receives a pass coming off an elbow area screen, and prepares to shoot a jumpshot; however, prior to releasing the shot A1 does a small hop step without taking a dribble. All of this is part of A1's "gathering" process--then A1 shoots the shot.

Is this "gathering" process a travel violation? If not, then when a similar type of "gathering" occurs in boys/men games it is called a travel. I have yet to observe that it is called a travel in girls/women games--at neither the NF, NCAA, nor WNBA levels.

Which led me to wonder: do we as an officials community tend to treat such a 'gathering' step with bias--i.e., allowing it on the female side, yet penalizing it on the male side? I can honestly say that in this past NF season when I observed it to occur I did not whistle it a violation--neither did my partners. OK, so I admit I have become an "enabler" to this issue.:eek:

There are at least four other types of biases that inhere with girls/women games on various violations that are also not called---but let us focus first on the above-cited one first.

Thanks in advance for any input/guidance.

I'd like to hear the other four biases. As far as the OP, I dunno. I haven't really paid that much attention. I call the obvious travels and don't call the ones that aren't.

Man, we talk a LOT about travels around here.

@ BD Ref: ok thanks for your input--the 'gathering' motion is quite obvious anytime you watch a female player prep for a jumper, I am beginning to think that calling it a violation has been "lost in the ether'' due to our collective enabling of it-- and yes, 'travel' call discrepancies are a common item of discourse.

I haven't noticed a particular difference, but I haven't been looking for it or logging it either.

When it's a travel, it's called. When it's a form of a (legal) jump stop, it isn't.

@ BR_the "legal jumpstop" consideration is not in effect here as there was no dribbling action that preceded the jump shot. In the case I'm describing the series of actions is: catch ball, make a small hop step [i.e., 'gather'], then shoot. Thanks for you input tho.

You cannot catch the ball then hop. I don't know what you mean by 'gather', but you can't gather the ball once it has already been caught.

What you are describing is a travel.

This really depends on what your definition of gathering is. You called a hop step gathering so I'm lost at what your point is.

@ DAD thanks for the input: Pls let me clarify--and hopefully not make it more obtuse---the small "hop step" motion taken after the ball has been caught is what I am talking about.

The "gather" term was the wording I used to describe the cumulative actions of: 1) receiving the pass, and then, 2) preparing to shoot the ball (which often includes: re-posturing the body for the shot, getting feet set, and ball re-positioned). However, for female players their "gather" also frequently includes a small hop-step just prior to releasing the shot--without a prior dribble action.

It is this small hop-step that is wrapped up into the cumulative action of shooting by female players that I am questioning---I see this hop-step ignored by officials (i.e., not called a travel--which ostensibly it is a travel). This is what has led me to believe that we officials are "enablers" of this action by female players.

I will ask some female ref colleagues if they concur with my observations.

The perceived bias may be due to the fact that the girls do this move more than the boys. You see it hundreds of times during girls games but not as much in the boys and you get the funny look travels called.

You'll see this more called more at lower levels as they dont usually leave their feet before they catch the pass.

Yep, as the players get older they'll be taught to step into the catch instead of catching and then stepping.

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Lots of variables here:

- I don't see it called more in guys games than girls here. If anything the other way but I think its because guys can be more dynamic on the catch so they can muddle the timing of actually trapping the catch and leaving the floor. That may be related to the discrepancy your seeing in the distance covered on the hop and what officials notice?

- When have they actually caught and secured the ball it may be in your judgement the catch is finalized and then they hop it may be the judgement of other officials they are still securing the catch when the hop starts.

- How many feet are on the ground post catch and pre jump. Technically if only 1 foot is in contact with the ground when the catch in finalized and then they can hop to 2 and shoot if they don't pivot.

In Kansas Ref's defense, I have seen and observed this same inconsistency. And it has bothered me, too. I know it's technically a travel, but it's not obvious and generally no one from the opposing bench is screaming "travel, travel!" (probably because they have girls that do it, too), so my tendency is to let it go. Gosh does the place go nuts when you waive off a 3 from the corner because of this call. And it's like three seconds....once you call it, the Pandora's Box is open.

On the other hand, we're probably re-enforcing bad habits in girls' basketball.

This would be a good candidate for an NFHS POE. But it won't be a POE if the committee isn't concerned, and I don't think they are.

You can "jump stop" while MOVING or dribbling. No one catches the ball with only one foot on the floor while not moving.

If the player catches the ball with both feet on the floor and then jumps and lands and then shoots -- yes, that's traveling. I see it called all the time. I didn't think that was what you were asking.

I call this a travel every time I see it. A player cannot catch the ball and then step into the shot. That's an unfair advantage and I don't care how wide open they are.

Travels in mens and womens game not called when stepping into jumper
 

On the men's side, I often see

Most often in Men's game: Right foot (pivot foot) on floor and left foot in air while catching the ball and stepping into the shot. Left foot lands. Right foot comes up and comes down. Shot. I rarely see this travel called at HS or college level even though the pivot foot came up and came down. I could start calling this and feel good about myself for calling the middle school games I would work by the rule book.

Most often in Women's game: Both feet on floor. Catch ball. Step forward with both feet, sometimes simultaneously in a "hop". Shot. Sometimes a travel is called.