My vote is the end of game call/no-call on obvious contact. No amount of reading or studying can prepare you for what happens at the end of games, and your judgement and nerves are put to the test like no other situation (for me).

Just hope that the shooter sells it well enough if the contact truly alters the shot; then blow your whistle and SELL SELL SELL!!

I would say calling a delayed foul (one that is VERY obvious) that happens right in front of your partner.

Could you explain the circumstances on this one a little bit more? I'm kinda confused. What exactly do you mean by "delayed"? And do you mean something that occurs directly in front of your partner, and out of your area?

I know which foul he means
 

The one that I saw from the bench (I had the best angle you know) :)

Close Block/Charge going against Home team in weaning seconds of a 1 point game. GET OUT FAST!!

I think that's what is meant. There are some that you just have to go get....rare but sometimes necessary. B1 hits A1 in the face and there's blood spraying from the nose. You saw the contact and give you partner a chance to call it. He doesn't. You have to jump on it. It's not about his/her area. It's about doing the right thing for the kids.

This one is pretty extreme but there are several more that I could think of.

Your scenario is an easy call tho lol. Let's see blood spraying, who is going to argue that.

If it is a non-basketball play then go get it. Other than that, no we shouldn't and no there aren't many other situations. Your partner is getting paid too so he/she should do their job. I'm sure some will disagree with this but I think planning for no calls out of my area and adjusting to a few is far better than planning on a few and making many. Discipline, discipline, discipline. Crew concept, primary, ref the defense, focus.

Like someone else mentioned the tough calls are the calls against the home team. Anybody can call against the visitors. A crucial call at the end of the game is the most fun.

I'm not talking about a non-basketball play such as a punch. I was talking about a swat at the ball but accidently but forcefully making contact with the face. (Several other more typical examples could be made but this one was simply to illustrate the obviousness of the contact.)

I agree that we shouldn't be looking to call something in front of our partners and should indeed plan not to. But, when we do see something that is more than marginal that everyone in the gym but our partner saw and we are 110% sure about it and 110% sure they they blew it, it is our job to call it.

They hire us to refereee the entire game for them, not just 1/2 (1/3) of a game. We work together as a crew and sometimes we pick up for each other. To not make a call that we know is the right call just because it was in front our partner is not doing the best job for the game.

There's no such thing as "it's not my call" if you see it. However, there is such a thing as "I wasn't looking there" or "I couldn't tell from here, my partner was in a much better spot." Coaches appreciate the honesty.

I've missed calls that partners have picked up. My response was "Thanks". Sometimes I was looking at something else or even just simply had a brain fart.

However, I don't like someone blowing in my area just because he's got a faster whistle than me. I worked with a guy last year who I could swear was doing it on purpose to make it look like he had to cover my area and that I was missing the calls. He beat me to the wistle too many times to count on stuff right in front of me and I wasn't that slow with it. With that and other comments throughout the game, it was clear it was his ego he was working on rather than the game.

Sorry Big Guy, block/charge is the easist call in the game.

For me, the toughest call in the game is the first foul call I make. Here's why: I know that with that first foul call, I am setting the level of contact I will use the rest of the game as a guideline for calling all the rest of the fouls. Certainly, the first one may be a really hard foul and will be obvious, but much more often, it's a "normal" foul. I have to make sure I haven't "set the bar" too low or too high.

This calls importance is magnified by the fact that I make the same call the same way from the beginning of the game until the end of the game regardless of how close the game is at the end. If you are the type (and we all know there are a lot of you) who require more contact at the end of a close game for a foul than you have required up until that point, then I guess deciding when to call a foul in the last minute is the hardest for you. For me, it's the easiest because I have an entire game of precedence to use by that time.

Personally, the hardest foul for me to get right is the one behind me when I'm new lead breaking down court. I don't mean behind and off toward the far sideline, I mean directly behind me. If the players are all spread out, and the ball's at the front of the pack, trail probably can't help much. I've got a lousy angle, and can't be sure whether defense had good position. The only way to reduce errors on this situation is to get to the sideline as quickly as possible, and don't cut toward the basket! The other possibility is to stop and let the play flow past, and then step in from behind. Sometimes, none of this works, and I'm stuck calling or no-calling based on a very limited view of what happened. YUCK!!

I would have to agree there. Even if you are wrong about the call on the block/charge, if you sell it perfect, no one will have as much nerve to argue with you.

Especially if you get out fast!! :)