Whose call?

[DownTownTonyBrown]

Bits,
Your responsiblities are very similar on the strong side (3-man terminology) as they are when the ball is on your side of the court.

However something I have been instructed for 3-man is that the official with the primary area where a play originates has that play all the way to the basket. I have also been instructed that 2-man is not this way - you have a primary area and should call all plays in your area. When the Lead moves to the same side of the court as the Trail, the Lead has expanded his area to include the area below the freethrow line extended to the 3-point line. This is now the Lead's primary area (see diagram 11 in your Officials Manual).

Getting back to the original play of this thread - drive from outside the 3-point line, dribbler cuts in, collision occurs (no location noted but discussion seems to indicate that most thought the location was in the key, in the primary area of the Lead.) Whose call is this. From my instruction for 2-man this should be the Lead's call...

However, I have just noted that in the Officials Manual for two officials in section #206, Pg 22, the same comment as for 3-man is made "When a player with the ball starts a drive to the basket from an official's primary area, that official has the player and the ball all the way to the basket."

Although this is not in gray text, IT IS A NEW STATEMENT from last year's 2001-2003 manual. ===> per this instruction, Trail's call.


I have worked with numerous officials that would not be upset in the least if you made a call that you thought needed to be made and that occurred out of your immediate primary area in the grey or joint responsibility areas. I have also worked with officials that would be absolutely furious if you made a call on a play that they had already passed on.

The only answer is pregame. Get that understanding and team spirit understood before the situation arises. Let your partner know that you will occasionally come across the key to help with ball side activities and who is going to call what while you are over there.