Fun With The Division Line ...
 

Should this have been ruled a backcourt violation? Observe the play and make a ruling as to whether or not this should have been ruled a backcourt violation or a legal play.

https://storage.googleapis.com/refqu...af3PS1AzKL.mp4

Two choices: This is a legal play. This is a backcourt violation.

My comment: This is a backcourt violation. The four elements for having a backcourt violation are: there must be team control (and initial player control when coming from a throwin); the ball must have achieved frontcourt status; the team in team control must be the last to touch the ball before it goes into the backcourt; that same team must be the first to touch after the ball has been in the backcourt. Ball gained backcourt status when it hit the division line.

I don't think the ball ever reaches the FC until Green 3 gets the ball.

Green 23's foot on on the division line when he touches the ball, and the ball bounces on the division line before green 3 gets the ball

Bob is right as usual. Ball never has FC status until #3 brings the ball across. Tricky to see live because of the spots you have to look at that arent close at all to each other. With the luxury of going frame by frame its easier to see. Legal play.

Legal play. The player who taps the ball has a foot on the division line which makes his location in the backcourt and hence his touch of the ball also keeps the ball with backcourt status. The ball then strikes the floor in the backcourt prior to being possessed by a teammate moving from the backcourt to the frontcourt. Therefore, no violation occurred on this play.

Pass that originates in the back court, that is deflected by an offensive player who is standing on the division line, then bounces in the back court again. No violation.

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I cannot tell where he was when the ball was deflected. If you cannot determine then do not make a violation call in this kind of situation. Get the big ones.

Peace

Yep, I was going to follow up to my post. If you're an official on this play and you cannot clearly see that the player who deflected the ball had FC status, you don't blow your whistle.

Division Line ...
 

Agree. Looked again at 1/4 speed (available to IAABO members) and Green #22 is on the division line when he touches the ball. Missed that the first time.

You're making our point. When you looked at it the first time, how were you able to definitely say that he had FC status? Nobody looking at the video could say they the player with FC status, so we shouldn't be blowing our whistles.

Blown Call ...
 

First time through, real time, no slow motion replay, I put myself in the position of an official on the floor, with no more, and no less, than the usual anticipation of what could happen, split second to react, didn't see Green #22's foot on the division line, and I blew the call (not the rule, but the call). Wasn't my first blown call, and won't my last blown call.

Again, you're missing my point. You looked at a play and you said you did not see his foot on the line. But it was so close to the line you also could not have seen it if it was in the front court. We should not be guessing on these calls because it looks like it might be a violation.

That's the mindset that needs to change.

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"It's better to miss something that did happen than to call something that didn't happen."

Binary Decision ...
 

Agree regarding not guessing when unsure. I didn't guess. From my perspective, it didn't just "look" like a violation, I was sure that it was a violation. At the split second it occurred, I was sure that his foot was fully in the frontcourt, not touching the division line. Yes, in a perfect world, it should be binary decision, not on the line, or on the line. No gray area. No possibility of an error. Maybe I was concentrating on something else and was using my peripheral vision? Maybe I distracted myself by going through the backcourt rule in my head? I assumed something incorrectly. There was a lot going on in transition. I was wrong. Is is what it is, a mistake, poor judgement, nothing more. Live and learn. But I honestly can say that I didn't guess.

https://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.g...=0&w=298&h=171

Always Listen To bob ...
 

Agree. Who's quote?

We need to see a violation not anticipate or think there was one just because there were a lot of things going on.

if you write it off as something that can't be corrected or just as "oh well I made a mistake", then how are you going to teach someone else not to do the same?

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Written Off ???
 

Who wrote it off? Who said that it can't be corrected? Who said my calling skills (or anybody's) can't be improved (in this case, better concentration)?

Every time I enter the court, I try to work a perfect game. That's always my goal. Never done it. Not yet.

But I keep on trying by always learning, observing, listening, reading, videos, clinics, gaining experience, and building on past mistakes.

Even at my age, one can (and should) teach an old dog new tricks. To do otherwise would be disservice to the game of basketball and to basketball officiating.

When I, or anybody else, starts getting "set in one's ways", it's time to hang up the electronic whistle.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XEL65gywwHQ/hqdefault.jpg

Thoughtful Introspective ...
 

So I just returned from my daily second-heart-attack-preventing walk/bicycle/kayak session (no gym, doctor's orders due to COVID, walk today, too cold and windy for a bike ride), gave me time to think, and was re-living my first time real speed though the video to figure out why I screwed up (not an excuse, it was inexcusable, but a reason). If nothing else, thoughtful introspective shows one that I do care about improving. I figured it out. I remember that I was concentrating on the ball touch, or lack of, by the player in the middle of the floor, paying primary attention to the "touch" and (obviously) not enough attention (in hindsight) to his foot six feet away from his finger. I was distracted. I incorrectly assumed something that didn't happen. I was wrong. Lesson learned: Concentrate, pay better attention.

Bad calls. Wrong calls. Incorrect calls. Impactful, or not impactful. All these bother me. When they don't bother me any more, it's time for me to hang up my black belt.

Early in my career, bad calls like this bothered me throughout the remainder of the game, effecting my concentration, and thus, my performance. I finally learned to file it away during the rest of the game, and to lose sleep later that night analyzing the "screw up" to improve.

Summer Wind (Frank Sinatra, 1966) ...
 

Past three consecutive games. Three partners wearing black belts. All four (including me) very experienced veteran officials heading into the winters of their careers and helping our local board to cover those "hard to cover" mid-afternoon middle school assignments. One guy is working his 51st year (still works some varsity games).

It was only a few years ago that we had a veteran official working a state tournament final wearing a black belt.

Note: I tell the rookies in my mechanics training classes to purchase beltless slacks. Belted slacks with black belts are so passé, as am I.

https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.u...=0&w=225&h=179

IAABO Survey Says …
 

Disclaimer: For IAABO eyes only. Below is not a NFHS interpretation, it's only an IAABO International interpretation which obviously doesn't mean a hill of beans to most members of this Forum.

https://storage.googleapis.com/refqu...af3PS1AzKL.mp4

IAABO International Play Commentary: Correct Answer: This is a legal play.

There needs to be three things to occur for a backcourt violation to occur:
1) Team A has to have control of the ball in the frontcourt.
2) A Team A player last touched or was touched by the ball in the frontcourt.
3) Team A player is the first to touch the ball in the backcourt after it has been in team control in the frontcourt. (9-9-1)

In this play, Green #10 saves the ball near the sideline in his backcourt and begins to dribble, establishing team control. He passes the ball to Green #22, who is standing on the division line (backcourt status) when the ball deflects off his hand. Green #3 is airborne from the backcourt (backcourt status) as he catches the ball and dribbles into the frontcourt.

Since the ball did not obtain frontcourt status before Green #3 caught the ball (with backcourt status), this is a legal play. Had Green #22 obtained frontcourt status when he deflected the ball, the subsequent catch by Green #3 with backcourt status would have caused a violation.

Here is the breakdown of the IAABO members that commented on the video: This is a legal play 83%; This is a backcourt violation 17% (including me).