I administer a men’s league at our church with 12 teams. It’s existed for four years now and generally is a positive experience which has led to word-of-mouth growth in the number of teams and the level of competition. To keep fees low, we started with “call-your-own” which worked for two years but things started getting out of hand so we went to “volunteers” calling the games last year and this year. Most of our volunteers also play in the league and it’s usually guys with a little experience although we’ve got a couple varsity-level officials that help out as well. Last year, this is where I got my first taste of officiating and enjoyed it so much I got registered and am doing high school games at the freshman level.

The level of competition has definitely outgrown the caliber of officiating though it’s too late to impose any additional fees and “hire” out the work. We plan to raise the fees and hire it out next year, making it much easier for me to administer without having to line up volunteers each week. I end up having to help officiate most of the six games in addition to playing in one (it’s obviously very exhausting). This brings on the inherent problem of calling too many games involving the same teams…if less than half the guys don’t hate me by the end of the season I’ll call it a success.

Anyway, we’ve got some VERY large guys in the league this year which causes some problems for less experienced officials including myself. The play in the paint gets rougher each week as each large body tries to establish their position against other large bodies and/or the smaller guys try to prove their manhood by keeping their position against the behemoths. What are you guys looking for when you officiate the match-ups in the post, pre-shot or post-shot? I’ve learned to focus on the defense when possible for displacement or when offensive big men try to spin with the ball and “hook” their way around the defender. On rebounding situations, I’m looking for that shove from behind or hold. I realize every situation is unique but if there were any tips I’d appreciate it.

By the way, I understand why most of you avoid men’s leagues like the plague. Adult males who think they are God’s gift to the game trying to reclaim their glory days. They see every call or no-call as an affront to their over-charged ego’s. Oh well, for the most part, I enjoy it and see it as a way to gain experience, not necessarily friends.

Contact that hinders an opponent.

Look for displacement and contact through the opponent.

Watch for the swim move and hooks by the offense if the defender is playing behind and they turn and face, or the push off if the defender fronts them.

Watch for elbow extension on the defense up high and the knee to the butt down low. Watch for a pin and lock up with the inside arm or the subtle push to the lower back during an entry pass.

The best way to clean it up is call it early, the new double foul rule with POI also becomes a good tool to clean things up, and if they are too dumb to adjust, keep calling fouls and the problem disappears.;)

Thanks, good points. On the Knee-to-Butt, what do you tolerate in that situation?

There's no Knee-to-Butt under NFHS Rules. A player may not use his arms or legs to restrict an opponent's movement.

A suggestion: Formally establish what Rules your League plays under. NBA Rules (which all the guys watch) are wildly different than NFHS Rules. Personally, I'd use the NFHS Rules as a Benchmark as they are more restrictive of hard contact. (i.e., No bent elbow in the small of the back.)

Ah, men's church leagues. They pray before the game starts and then all hell breaks loose...

Church Basketball--The Brawl that Begins With Prayer.

Coming soon to a theater near you:

http://www.churchball.com


[Edited by Whistles & Stripes on Feb 16th, 2006 at 04:45 PM]

Geeze, from the trailer, it looks like a docmentary. :D

First time they start to lift, "Get the knee out," next time it's a foul.

Watch the defense so you see how the situation developed. Did the defender put the knee into the guy's butt, or did the offensive player push back and partially displace the defender, thus moving onto the knee.

When they tell you that you missed the call, just ask them to forgive you!