last second shot

[ctpfive]

Last night Vgirls game, I am the trail official, clock winding down(to end 3rd per.). I checked the clock(.2 seconds) and then glanced to the player who was well into her shooting motion but had not yet released the ball. The ball was released at approximately the same time the buzzer sounded, or maybe slightly before. I counted the basket. Nobody argued and my partner thought it was a good call. No backboard light. I need a little help in this situation, because it seems to me that there is a lot to watch for. What are some key points that might help me out here? Thanks in advance.

[BktBallRef]

WATCH the shot.

LISTEN for the horn.

[refnrev]

Ditto to what BBR just said. Only time I had a problem with this was a very small gym with a very loud crowd. Thank God the shot rimmed out. In a close game when it comes down to that last shot for a win/loss or OT and its my call, I get a real rush!

[JugglingReferee]

BBR has is right on.

I've also found that with these situations, I go with what my first gut instinct is. We're human beings and I think that when we know we're going to have a tough decision to make, we're better prepared for it when we know it's coming.

You may not know it, but you've been training for sitchs like these with every call you make!

[refnrev]

One thing that I find helpful is that when we have a dead ball with 30 seconds or under, I always look at my partner and tap my wrist where my watch would be to remind them we have a short clock. Many of them do this, too. It helps keep us focused at the end of a period.

[tjones1]

Communication is a big key. If I'm the trail (2-man) or opposite table (3-man) and there isn't much time, I put my left arm in the air with one finger and the pat over my heart area with my right arm. This allows my partners to know that I've got this and I am aware of the situation.

[blindzebra]

Originally posted by sfriede
Last night Vgirls game, I am the trail official, clock winding down(to end 3rd per.). I checked the clock(.2 seconds) and then glanced to the player who was well into her shooting motion but had not yet released the ball. The ball was released at approximately the same time the buzzer sounded, or maybe slightly before. I counted the basket. Nobody argued and my partner thought it was a good call. No backboard light. I need a little help in this situation, because it seems to me that there is a lot to watch for. What are some key points that might help me out here? Thanks in advance.

You should not need to look at the clock during the play.

What I'll do when I have the last shot is I'll keep a count even if I don't have one...backcourt or closely guarded...or I'll continue whatever one I had then dropped.

I'll use a wrist flick and not the full-arm count.

This keeps me from being surprised by the horn and it will save you in case of a timer's error.

[Jurassic Referee]

Always be cognizant of the score. The rule of thumb is:
-If a made basket will prevent overtime, count the basket.
-If a made basket will cause an overtime, then the try is too late.

Grin.

[Mark Dexter]

Originally posted by sfriede
I checked the clock(.2 seconds)

Just remember, the 0.3 or less rule for a try only applies to the ball being inbounded when the clock is stopped.

That said, 0.2 seconds doesn't seem like much time for you to re-focus on the shooter and get a good view of the attempt. From 3-5 seconds down, whoever has the last-second shot should be focused solely on the ball.

[M&M Guy]

I agree with Mark - you need to stay focused on the shooter. In the beginning I used to be caught up in looking back and forth between the clock and the players, and I used to miss things all the time. That was when I was taught about just being aware of the clock instead of watching the clock. Communicate with your partner(s) during a dead ball, change of possession, maybe a lull in the action, when you are at 1 minute left, or maybe 30 sec. left. Talk about how you will communicate this during your pre-game. If you know you're getting close, and you have the last shot, listen for the horn while concentrating on where the ball is. I had a sitch where the clock was winding down, 4th qtr., tie game, home team has the ball for the final shot. I have the last shot, and I'm watching and listening, and my partner has a shooting foul just when I thought the horn was going to go off. (It was obvious - no one argued the foul.) However, when I looked up, the clock said 0:00! (This scoreboard clock did not show tenths.) But I knew I didn't hear the horn, even in that loud gym. Of course, the visiting coach thought he heard the horn, and would've been happy going to overtime instead of home team shooting free throws. The way we ended up convincing him the game wasn't over was having the clock operator turn on the clock, and a fraction of a second later the horn went off. We ended up putting 1 sec. back on the clock and shot the free throws. Of course, the guy misses the first one, but thankfully made the second one, and the game was over after a wild shot. But I had been confident enough with my knowledge that the horn had not gone off because I was concentrating on listening for it. If I had been just watching the clock, I might've seen the 0's and waved off the foul and worked an overtime for free.