Partner Blows a Call

aepitaz · #1 (**permalink**) Sun Feb 01, 2004, 05:18pm

So I am the trail on a quick developing play down the court. My partner is in position running along the play. Defender big time bodies the offensive player in the air as the two come running down the lane, both players go to the floor.

There is a small delay, so I am about to whistle it from half court, but the hand comes up and he gets a whistle. He then pauses for what seems like an eternity and comes up with (wait for it....) an offensive foul. The defensive player never had anything that resembled position. This happens bench side in front of the offensive head coach who immediately loses it.

It is obviously the wrong call, the coach is screaming. I give him a hard look on the way to the table to see if he would like a quick conference but he goes right by me.

He ends up having to T the coach. Is there anything that I could/should have done to prevent this situation? It really made the last 6:30 of the game difficult to work.

Bart Tyson · #2 (**permalink**) Sun Feb 01, 2004, 05:29pm

Nothing you can do about the call. No one calls a perfect game. What do you mean about a "quick conference", and why are you going to the table?

BktBallRef · #3 (**permalink**) Sun Feb 01, 2004, 05:36pm

No way you try to stop him and talk about the call. That's the worst thing you could have done, other than trying to overrule him.

It's his call. If he screwed it, he screwed it. Don't make matters worse.

mplagrow · #4 (**permalink**) Sun Feb 01, 2004, 06:05pm

I was trail, the guard drove the lane and went up. Ball was stuffed and not released, easy jump ball call. My partner calls a travel and sells it. The gym went nuts wanting a jump ball. I let him work out of it, and he later told me he thought the shooter jumped and changed his mind. He thought I could have shared that with him if I knew he was wrong, but I wasn't going to start second guessing him after he made his call and even told the coach what he saw. It sets a bad precedent.

KingTripleJump · #5 (**permalink**) Sun Feb 01, 2004, 08:09pm

Yeah, don't try to talk about it on the court during the game. You can bring it up in the dressing room, which is probably the proper place--unless you guys are good enough buddies that you can talk about that kind of stuff on the court, without getting out of sync and/or upset.

canuckrefguy · #6 (**permalink**) Sun Feb 01, 2004, 10:36pm

Quote:

Originally posted by mplagrow
I was trail, the guard drove the lane and went up. Ball was stuffed and not released, easy jump ball call. My partner calls a travel and sells it. The gym went nuts wanting a jump ball. I let him work out of it, and he later told me he thought the shooter jumped and changed his mind. He thought I could have shared that with him if I knew he was wrong, but I wasn't going to start second guessing him after he made his call and even told the coach what he saw. It sets a bad precedent.

Hmmm, this brings up a good "what if" question.

If I did this, and everyone in the gym saw it, and it was THAT wrong, I'm not sure I would have a big problem with my partner "helping me out". A quick conference (emphasis on the "quick" part), a whistle, and a reversal, seems to fall under the "do the right thing" banner.

Other thoughts?

bob jenkins · #7 (**permalink**) Mon Feb 02, 2004, 09:12am

Quote:

Originally posted by aepitaz
Is there anything that I could/should have done to prevent this situation? It really made the last 6:30 of the game difficult to work.

How could you be sure of the "correct" call from the backcourt? There are several things that A1 *could* have done to warrant a foul call, even if B1 didn't have legal guarding position.

I'm not saying A1 did any of those things, but if your partner is right there looking at it and has a call, you have to leave it alone.

DJ · #8 (**permalink**) Mon Feb 02, 2004, 09:29am

Unless he asks for help it's his call and it is best left alone.

Ref Daddy · #9 (**permalink**) Mon Feb 02, 2004, 09:37am

A good pregame topic is just this.

We work out an attidude towards and a subtle signal between us regarding wanting to discuss "alternative's" to the call one of us make.

Mostly the signal is the other ref touch's their nose while making eye contact. Its a very un-noticed signal for a quick conference.

Semms to help in situations like this.

Trusting your parter is a 2 way street. Be it tough calls, disputed calls or over-ride calls.

Hardest is when scorekeeper puts points on the board. Real tough to overrule then.

Hawks Coach · #10 (**permalink**) Mon Feb 02, 2004, 02:42pm

Bang, bang, block or charge? Not an easy call on the run, and not one you want to be jumping in to change even if you think he may have booted it. He had the whistle, it became his call. A conference won't make things any better, IMO.

Smitty · #11 (**permalink**) Mon Feb 02, 2004, 02:56pm

The other day something similar happened to me. I was trail, my partner had the lead in great position. A player drives to the hoop and B player, to me, clearly steps in his path and causes a block. My partner calls it a player control foul much to the chagrin of the home fans. I was puzzled as well. At halftime I ask him what happened over there and he said the A player used his arm to push off, which was completely on the other side of my line of sight - I couldn't have seen that. Just goes to show you that it isn't always the way you see it from the other side.