Out-of-Bounds Play and Dealing with Refs

[Lew Riley]

I coach a 5th/6th grade girls basketball team and a 7th/8th grade girls team. We start our playoffs today--Saturday. One loss and we are remanded to the Consolation Bracket.

You folks have been so helpful to me that I wish I'd discovered this site eons ago. In any case, I have two questions: the first an easy objective one, and the second a not-so-easy (I don't think) subjective question.

1) Can an inbounder under her own basket run behind the baseline from Point A to Point B at any time, or can she do so only after the opposing team makes a basket?

2) I have three very tall girls on my 5th/6th grade team. One in fact is probably the best 11-year-old softball pitcher in America, but she just decided to play basketball this year--and she's just not tall; she obviously has game.
My other two big girls are good, too. But here's the problem. The big girls get myriad fouls called against them for barely touching an opponent, while they get hammered right and left and rarely get a foul shot.

In fact, my softball whiz has shot only four shots this 10-game season. I realize the fact that the girls are tall might generate some sympathy for the smaller opposition players, but the tall girls are just as emotional as the smaller ones, and they aren't learning in this situation. In fact, the mother of the pitcher asked one of the refs after the last regular-season game why her daughter could continually be hacked and pushed and pulled and hammered and never get a call. After some querying, the ref said, "We do give preference to the shorter players."

Is there anything I can do--perhaps discuss the situation before the game. Or should I just grin and bear it. WE have a Zero Tolerance rule in our leagues, which precludes referee-baiting of any kind. Not that I would!

Thanks again for all your positive feedback.

[Jurassic Referee]

1) Your inbounder can only run the endline after a made or awarded basket. They also can retain that right if certain violations occur with the right circumstances during that throw-in. Btw, the endline that you're running is under your opponent's basket, not your basket. Your basket is at the other end of the court--the one that you are shooting at.

2) Grin and bear it. All players, not just your big girls, have to learn to play through contact. We don't get everything we should, unfortunately.

[mick]

Originally posted by Lew Riley
But here's the problem. The big girls get myriad fouls called against them for barely touching an opponent, while they get hammered right and left and rarely get a foul shot.

Lew,
In many games the rules are not equally applied for big people and little people. It's not fair; it's inconsistent.

Like JR said on offense your big girls should learn to play through the contact.

On defense, I offer the following:

Take the officials' judgement out of the game.

Teach your big girls to play "straight-up". That means the arms, the jumps are perfectly vertical, perfectly up with no bending the arms or flicking the hands toward the offensive opponent.

Explain to them that they are forcing the opponent to shoot "over the mountain", that their opponent will not be able to see the basket, that blocking the shot may be accomplished after the shooter releases the ball, instead of before the release while the ball is in or on the hand.

Show them that their hands are often not as quick as smaller, compact girls and that attempting to attack a dribbled ball is asking for illegal contact.

Work with them to play the game away from the floor and above the waist, ... until their co-ordination catches up to their athletic ability.

mick