I can't believe......

[JRutledge]

There are many things officials do not know, even the most obvious things to us. I know, when I teach officials in my class the things that even experienced officials have to be taught is numerous. The rules can be hard to completely grasp if you are not familiar with certain situations.

Peace

[ChuckS]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

There are many things officials do not know, even the most obvious things to us.

Last year I called a kicked ball on team A (offense) as T, point to the throw-in spot for Team B, and my partner gives me that look. He tells me that I am wrong, it is Team A ball, only kicked ball violations on the defense are penalized!!

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

... only kicked ball violations on the defense are penalized!!

Maybe in practice, but not in theory. Any intentional kick is a violation, the way that James Naismith and God intended. A defensive player often kicks the ball intentionally as a defensive move to stop a pass (picture guards at the front of a zone defense doing jumping jacks). One has to ask themselves why would an offensive player intentionally kick a ball when it would seldom be a good offensive move (there are often more efficient ways of moving the ball from one location to another). A general rule of thumb (utilized incorrectly by ChuckS's partner) is that many, though certainly not all, defensive kicks are intentional, and thus, violations; and that many, though certainly not all, offensive kicks are unintentional, and play on.

Back in ancient times, when I was working boys high school recreation, I had a ball handler lose the handle on the ball as he was on a fast break with a teammate ahead of him wide open. The ball handler kicked the loose ball from the floor to his teammate for a wide open layup. I called the violation and the coach complained that it wasn't a defensive kick. I replied that I believed that it was kicked intentionally. I later discovered that the ball handler was an All State soccer player.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

... the things that even experienced officials have to be taught is numerous.

In my new life as a subvarsity official, a few nights ago my young partner called a three second violation and administered the throwin from the closest spot to the violation rather than the point of interruption on the other side of the lane (where the ball was). As old trail, new lead, this allowed me to stay put rather than rotate across the court.

I complimented him at halftime on the administration of the throwin, but he admitted that he really didn't know the rule, rather he didn't want to force me to rotate (he works a lot of recreation league games with modified mechanics). I was pretty sure that he actually had done it correctly, but he had me questioning myself, so I had to confirm it by looking it up when I got home.

There are an awful lot rules in basketball. Lots to remember. Lots to forget.