Controversial ending
The MHSAA D3 title game ended in what can best be described as controversial fashion. The game, which featured a pair of 27-0 teams came down to the final 10 seconds. Iron Mountain (IM) HS was leading Pewamo-Westphalia (PW) 52-51. Iron Mountain broke the pressure and a pass was thrown to a wide open player who appears to take one step before making a layup with roughly 5 second left. The shot was waived off due to a traveling violation called by the center official who was near half court, not by the lead official who was underneath the basket and much closer to the play.
At this point IM has only committed 3 team fouls in the second half. The logical play is for the defense to foul with only a second or two left. PW brings the ball to roughly half court where the IM defender appears to reach for ball and grabs the PW player partially around the waist. The officials rule an intentional foul, giving PW two free throws which they sink to take the lead, and the ball out of bounds with 0.7 seconds left on the clock. I don't know if video will be available of the ending as the MHSAA is pretty tight about videos being used on outside websites. It was controversial to say the least. It was a great day of basketball in Michigan. The first game, D4 was a blowout. The second game was a buzzer beater as Ypsi Lincoln stunned UofD Jesuit 63-62. This was followed by the D3 IM vs PW game. The nightcap was long time Michigan power River Rouge losing by 3 to Hudsonville Unity Christian. This game came down to a pair of 3 attempts in the final 10 seconds by River Rouge, then a missed front end by UC before an off the mark 3/4 court heave by River Rouge that had the correct distance but was well off line. |
Here is a link to the last few seconds of the game. You make the call.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUX8u4vWjwM |
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I have watched this play now 50 times and I still can't, with 100% certainty, tell you if the player fully possessed the ball with a foot on the floor or with both feet in the air. And that's the difference between a travel and a legal play here.
So my lead's (who wasn't even off the floor for some reason) gonna live and die with this 100% of the time. There's zero chance I'm coming in to save the day from 50 feet out on a play that tight. |
Everybody Get Behind The Division Line ...
Why did the official wave the nine black team players away from their bench area while their teammate was about to take the two free throws for the intentional foul? For free throws when there are no rebounders in the marked lane spaces the nine nonshooters have to remain behind the free throw line extended, and behind the three point arc. Almost all of the nine black team nonshooters were behind the free throw line extended. Just move the offenders behind the free throw line extended. The ten white team players were allowed to congregate at their bench area. Doesn't seem fair.
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Check out this article from Detroit Free Press:
MHSAA basketball bad calls in state finals can be avoided. Here's how https://www.freep.com/story/sports/h...ls/3194470002/ |
It must be the end of a sports season in Michigan again: Mick McCabe wrote one of his usual Post-Season Bash the Refs articles. :rolleyes: :(
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You can not like the messenger but that doesn’t mean the message is wrong. I struggle with this ending and I agree with his message on officials needing to work on their craft. I don’t know these three officials and don’t want to say they don’t but have seen enough mhsaa officials that absolutely do not do any work to try to improve and our constantly rewarded when it comes to state assignments.
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The message is a bunch of crap. A crew maybe misses one call (I am not fond of the T reaching that far over a non-elephant) and there are calls to burn it all down. I applaud the MHSAA for putting together a system to ensure the same officials aren't chosen year after year. Oh the humanity that people have to sit two years after a state assignment! |
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If I’m trail, there is no way I’m going to call the travel. That’s my partners call all the way.
And now you why I hate a team that’s up ....fouling. Make them beat you....of course that’s why I don’t coach. |
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I think both these were "rough" and the officials that made the call will be under a lot of scrutiny, and deservedly so (I don't agree with the hate and public outcry, but the internal structure - assignor/evaluators/etc - should be the one addressing this). To make that travel call from half court or beyond, with 2 other guys with decent to good looks MUCH closer is rough.
The intentional foul.....there may be a case to be made, however it's a very lose case. At least it wasn't the same official that made both calls. I'd rather miss a blatant travel than call one that isn't there, especially from 50+ feet away at such a crucial time. In the end, and from my experience, expect these guys back on the same type of games next year :D. |
Referee Screws U.P School Iron Mountain Out Of State Championship – Pro Sports Extra |
Buried in this article is a different camera angle of the 2 plays. Gives a much better view of the Int. Foul call...not saying it was the correct call, but does give a better view of what the ref saw. |
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I can now definitely state that the player did NOT travel. He caught the ball with both feet on the floor. He then took a step towards the basket with his right foot. This makes his left foot the pivot. He next picked his left foot while transferring his weight to his right foot in motion towards the goal. Now he jumps off of the right foot and shoots prior to with foot returning to the floor. The intentional foul is correct by the rules book. There is no attempt to play the ball and the offensive player is simply grabbed around the waist with both hands from behind (well, both from the side and behind as the defender comes from an angle). This is the call that the NFHS has been asking officials to make in their POEs for several years now. Just because it is still rare as many officials are resistant to following the NFHS instruction and making this call, doesn’t mean that it isn’t correct. |
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Btw the D1 Final ended 64-62. Lincoln held the ball for the last 1:14 while the game was tied at 62 and then scored on a long 2 at the buzzer after rebounding their first attempt which missed. |
Travel ???
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Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk |
I think the IF was way worse than the travel call.
The trail who called the travel, in my opinion, got the call wrong. But "if" the official believed there was an obvious miss on something like this (travel, double dribble, etc), then I have no issue coming to get this from that position. And the official's mechanics were excellent. We pregame that all the time -- come get something obvious, which is what the official thought he was doing. I hate the IF call. This was a defender who got beat and illegally contacted the opponent. This would never be called an IF in any other circumstance except the official assumed that the player was trying to foul to stop the clock. This is an official way overthinking the situation. You can always upgrade too, so no reason to give a preliminary IF signal. |
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I feel completely opposite to you. The T coming for this travel is horrible. Trust your partner. It's the height of arrogance to think you are better than the official standing right there. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro |
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I do agree that the official was overthinking the situation, but also something else was going on. Twice it appeared that the player fouled the ball handler before the IF and nothing was called. Had this been a team trailing on the scoreboard instead of leading, my guess is that the first or second foul would have been called. I think there is a substantial level on inconsistency when it comes to fouls by teams ahead compared with teams that are fouling to stop the clock to extend the game. What I did find interesting is right after the game ended, there was a shot of the Iron Mountain coach talking to the individual in charge of basketball for the MHSAA. I don't know what was said, but I'm can guess knowing the individual in question. |
Be Late, Be Right, Be Needed ...
100% right?
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Escalating ...
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There is no mechanic good enough for calling a marginal travel call from 50+ feet away when one official is 5 feet and the other 15 feet away from the play. I don't care how good you look with your fist in the air, closing in, and making a big demonstration of a call that at best is 50/50. As an official you are throwing yourself under the bus and I cannot defend your call in any capacity. It's one you get to defend to any irate coaches that want an explanation. |
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The YouTube video does not show a very good view of the "IPF". So my question to the Forum is: "Where in the hell is the IPF? Where the hell is a PF?"
MTD, Sr. |
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A travel that is marginal at best in both real-time and slow-motion is probably one of the smallest mice an official could go after. Both deecee's and my sentiment were expressed quite a bit last night during my association's first baseball/softball meeting by those that also officiate basketball and/or watched the game. If I felt the need to call something out of my primary, this wouldn't be it. |
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