Wrong ball in WCC semi?

[Nevadaref]

In Nevada and California the State Championship games are played at one site with the contests alternating between boys and girls teams. It is important to check that you have the correct ball prior to the start of each contest.
This is precisely what could have happened in the WCC tourney at the Orleans arena in Vegas as two women’s games were followed by two men’s games.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

In Nevada and California the State Championship games are played at one site with the contests alternating between boys and girls teams. It is important to check that you have the correct ball prior to the start of each contest.
This is precisely what could have happened in the WCC tourney at the Orleans arena in Vegas as two women’s games were followed by two men’s games.

If that is what happened that is what happened. That is not entirely on the officiating crew if again you never work any women's games. You see what they provide for you. Now should officials be more aware of the situation to not allow this to happen? Sure!!! But it is like not seeing an illegal uniform until the players take off their warm-ups. You are thinking everything is fine until it is either pointed out to you or you something does not seem right. We are not perfect. As I said this almost happened to me this year and I have a routine that I do every game as the Referee and I noticed something kind of quickly. Otherwise, I might have gone through the game and my partners might not have noticed either until later. The host should be aware of what pile the balls are coming from and not put anyone in that situation.

Peace

[rockyroad]

Based on the radio announcers comments, the guards from both Gonzaga and USF complained about the ball to the refs because it was very slick. Announcer said it was a brand new ball. So they switched to a different ball. I have heard and read nothing about using a women's ball - yet.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

I am retelling mt tale of woe for the benefit of newer members of the Forum who may have heard the first fifteen (🤣&#129315 times I have told.

I started officiating in 1971 and officiated women's college from 1974 to 2008. Daryl H. Long That is his username in the Forum; he no longer comments since he had a very serious stroke in 2016.) and I officiated many women's together over the years.

We had a women's JC game in the early 1990s at Owen's Comm. Coll. OCC, back then had a very good wome's program, and its basketball court was at the far end of an open multi-purpose building. The bleachers, Team Benches, and Table were on the wall side of the Court with a folding chair with a spare Game Ball sitting on it in case the Ball being used went flying down the other end of the building. Which might happen once or twice a game but not as often as one might think.

We start the game and a couple of minutes into the game the Ball goes flying down to the other end of the building. We grab the Ball on the chair and go our Mmerry way while some retrieves the errant Ball and puts it on the chair.

We play until late in the 1st Half with the "chair ball" and OCC is up by 10 or 12 points (including making 3 or 4 33-Point FGs) when an OCC player goes to the FT Line and she looks at the Ball and says: "Hey! This is a guy's ball!" And sure enough it was.

We grabbed the "original game" Ball off the chair, made sure that it was a women's Ball, and finished the game. OCC went on to lose the game by 10 or 12 points, 😅.

I cannot tell the difference by sight very well and cannot palm the 28.5 inch ball. I have to visually inspect the ball to see 28.5 on it.

MTD, Sr.

[so cal lurker]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

I cannot tell the difference by sight very well and cannot palm the 28.5 inch ball. I have to visually inspect the ball to see 28.5 on it.

I'm not surprised that refs would not notice the size difference, but I'm shocked that players would not notice the first time they caught the ball. I'm far, far from as skilled as those players, and I notice immediately when I pick up the women's ball off the rack at the gym.

[bucky]

I am surprised that the labeling is not clearer. That 28.5 mark is quite small and the ball typically has to be searched. Why not make it obvious, even from a distance. There are many ways to do that.