Wrong ball in WCC semi?

[Nevadaref]

The Gonzaga-USF men’s WCC semi was just halted with 18:31 on the clock in the first half and the crew swapped out the game ball.
Did they perhaps begin with a women’s ball from the earlier games in that same building? That would be embarrassing.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

The Gonzaga-USF men’s WCC semi was just halted with 18:31 on the clock in the first half and the crew swapped out the game ball.
Did they perhaps begin with a women’s ball from the earlier games in that same building? That would be embarrassing.

Happens easier than some think. For one if you do not work girls or women's games ever, you might not automatically notice. It almost happened to me in a game, but I caught it right before the tip. I looked at the ball and then asked a partner. He confirmed the ball was a woman's ball and we exchanged the ball. I am lucky if I work a single girl's game the entire year. So it can happen.

Peace

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

That would be embarrassing.

[BillyMac]

The first year the NFHS went with a girls ball, we had a highly respected official accidentally (some might say carelessly) use a girl's ball in a boy's high school varsity game. The error was brought to the crew's attention at the first free throw.

The legend of "The Girl's Ball In A Guy's Game" lasted over thirty years. We were still talking about it at the official's wake.

This past past season I worked a boy/girls middle school doubleheader. Between the games I told my young partner the story of "The Girl's Ball In A Guy's Game".

He responded, "Boys and girls used to use the same size ball?".

I wanted to yell at him to get off my front lawn, but we were in a gym.

[SC Official]

Serious question for the mods...

Have the rules gotten more lax on this forum? There was a time when pointless threads and posts made for no reason other than to play "gotcha" at higher-level officials would be deleted. Now it seems I'm seeing way more content that would have been deleted in the past.

I've seen multiple threads with certain posters basically calling for the heads of higher-level officials making mistakes, and this stupid thread just seems to be an attempt to call attention to a possible mistake without an opinion about how we could learn from it. And as far as I've noticed, those posts haven't been thrown out or posters reprimanded.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by SC Official

... to play "gotcha" at higher-level officials would be deleted ... without an opinion about how we could learn from it.

My post, The Legend Of The Girl's Ball In A Guy's Game, was posted with great respect for my unfortunate late colleague. After the incident he officiated several more state finals, was a mentor to many officials, including myself, and was still considered one of our best officials. But we all loved "yanking his chain" for his one unfortunate indiscretion.

And there is a lesson to be learned from this thread, take a close look at the ball before the game starts, maybe it's got a blemish on the surface, is under/over inflated, or is for a different gender, etc.

Forty years ago my local board donated its services to a high school basketball tournament that benefited scholarships. It was held in (at the time) the Hartford Civic Center (NHL Whalers hockey, NBA Celtics preseason, NCAA UCONN men and women basketball). For most of us it was our first game in such a large, expansive, bright facility, almost a little imposing, perhaps even a little intimidating.

First game at the site, one of our highly respected officials went to report the first foul of the game and he reported it to the press table, on the side of the court opposite the scorer's table. We had a large contingent of officials in the stands and we were all on the floor laughing our heads off. And thus began the legend of "Reporting To The Press Table". After the incident he officiated several more state finals, was a mentor to many officials, including myself, and was still considered one of our best officials. But we all loved "yanking his chain" for his one unfortunate indiscretion.

He retired from officiating many, many years ago. Saw him at a wake a few weeks ago and we talked about the legend and he laughed about it, and seemed to be pleased that we all still remember him.

It's not mean spirited, it's all about camaraderie and respect (and don't let it happen to you).

I don't "yank the chain" of officials that I don't respect. Probably true for many of us.

[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.