double whistle and 2 different calls...
 

how do you vets handle a double whistle with 2 different calls? was in a game recently when A1 as doubleteamed at top of the key. i was trail and the play was in my area. my partner and i blew the whistle at the same time (double whistle). i had double dribble and he had held ball. we came together. i told him that only A1 had her hands on the ball and that it couldn't be a held ball and that A1 dribble was the second dribble thus it's a violation for double dribble. but he insisted. so, since he has 10 years more experience, i let his call stand.

but, i was wondering how much you "argue" with your partner about the correct call after coming together? Especially with an official who has more experience than you. i didn't want to make the situation worse by insisting on a violation call. which was the correct call and was in my "area" of responsibility to call. i guess we should have pre-gamed this double whistle situation better. but, how would you handle this situation?

thanks!

I agree it should have been pre-gamed. Let's stay in our primary, other than that. We would have gone with the illegal dribble. Without regards to how many years she/he may have RESPECT THE CALL!!!! At the half, we would have had a discussion on who's watching who's area.

I tend to be more inclined to call the held ball, especially if my partner is really insisting on that call. That is a much safer call and it is harder to dispute the call.

Now this was your call based on the coverage areas, but there are always exceptions to this rule. Also the circle area is an area where all officials are likely looking under the right circumstances. I guess it depends on the angle either of you have on the play that would ultimately be the decision on whose call you go with.

I know people might not like this, but if a veteran is really insistent they got the call right, I am likely going to go with their call. The reason for that is if the veteran is respected I would rather them take the heat for a call like this because they could handle it better. We are a team, but just like a football team the QB gets more of the credit for things that go good or bad. On a non-game changing play I will likely differ to the veteran.

Peace

I have to agree with JRut - since this was a non-important call (in the grand scheme of things), I would defer to the official who is most insistent. I'm not sure I would automatically defer to them just because they were a senior official, but because we look better as a crew not standing on the floor arguing amongst ourselves. But I would certainly have that discussion at halftime, or after the game, as to why my partner would be making such a call in my area. Perhaps it really was in the "gray area" JRut mentions. Perhaps you were too close to the play and didn't see it like everyone else in the gym. Or, perhaps, my partner was (in their mind) trying too hard to help out a less-experienced partner. But spend as little time as possible discussing the call on the floor - pick one and go with it. Then see if that can be avoided in the future.

Can you guys explain to me how a call which determines who gets the ball and potentially changes the arrow is "non-important"?

John - get together & go with what seems right with as little discussion as possible. I would be tempted to give this call to the T since he has a better view of the top of the key, but there would be times I might defer if the L was 118% sure and could explain with a little better than "'cause I said so". But don't base your decision on who's been working longer.

When you have disagreements you have to resolve them. If both officials equally think their call is right, who is right? Are you going to go to the video tape? Are you going to sit there for 5 minutes and argue the situation? Of course our goal is to "get it right" but that has limitations.

Also I did not say who was better. Who is better is very subjective. So if you want to get along and have that veteran support you later, you better learn to "play the game" or you might find yourself having many other calls questioned or without a lot of support. I guess this experience I have has taught me some things.

Peace

We don't argue at all.
We quickly discuss.

[For this interpretation, I am assuming your partner is not an official that trys to make every call on every part of the floor. 10 yr. officials should be better than that.]

Where was the ball? Could you see it clearly the entire time? Were you ever partially screened by the action? Was there any chance that a defender touched the ball ?

Assuming the play happened as you say but you momentarily lost sight of the ball:

• One of the two defenders may have touched the ball and the play was getting ugly. Your partner may have thought there "may have been a foul", but didn't clearly see one. So, in order to reset (stop an ugly play) he called a held ball.
• You were not totally sure that a defender's hand was, or was not, on the ball, or that the ball handler thought the ball was hit out of the ball handler's hands. But you clearly saw the ball handler start a second dribble.

My guess is that you did not have a continuous, full view of the ball, or your partner would not have called the held ball.

If there actually was a held ball that you did not see, the held ball had to have occured before the 2nd dribble. Going with the held ball was a good idea.

If we have a double whistle working 2 man at the top of the key, I take the call from T no matter what. L shouldn't be looking at the top of the key. If they are, they are not doing their job correctly.

Did you ask your partner about this play after the game? If so, what did he/she say?

Personally I do not know how you would have a double dribble with hands of the defender all over the ball to the point there is a held ball seen by another official. I did not see the play, but I would be glad that someone felt that there was something else taking place in such a close play like that. If I call a double dribble and it was not there, that is going to be a much more scrutinized call than any held ball. You better get that call right. The problem is you are coming at this about egos, I am talking about survival. I could give a damn about the egos involved. But if you are the younger, less respected official calling a violation that is not there, who do you think is not going to get the benefit of the doubt? Who do you think might not be working anymore in that conference for making a possible big call on something that is border line at best? You tell me.

Peace

You come off to me as a person that thinks everything in life is fair. That is a noble position, but often not true. I never said anything about bowing down to anyone. I am saying if a veteran is so sure about a call, I am not going to go against them so I will take all the heat for a possible mistake. If I am the younger official and I am wrong, there are many veterans that will not support you when it is all said and done. When I say "play the game" that means that you should also look at the bigger picture. You have two officials that disagree. Someone has to give up the call. We both cannot be right. I am just going to defer to the person that has the trust of the assignor and coaches and let them take the heat if they are wrong. Not many people are going to be mad at a younger official if they defer to a more experienced person. Younger officials do not have the same margin for error.

Peace

From your response, it sounds like you are worried about your ego. I thought ego was not important? ;)

In my experience the assignors usually put more pressure on the veteran to keep things from getting out of hand. I know I have been asked to be the "lead" official because of who my partner or partners are. And I know when I work with older and more accomplished officials, they were told similar things when I have worked with them. I am just addressing a trick of the trade. If you think you have all the answers, by all means make a bigger deal out of a double whistle and see what happens.

Peace

Jmo...
 

...But I would think that any veteran official worth his salt would have deferred to the Primary in a non-game saving situation. I've only been working 5 years but if I were on the court with a 1st or 2nd year official and we had a double whistle in his/her primary (again, assuming a non-game saving situation) I would have nodded for him/her take the call without even coming together. And if the coach would have had a question for me I simply would say my partner had a LOT better look than I did.

Yes, I agree, <B>every</B> call and no-call we make is important during a game. My point was a discussion over a violation in the second quarter has a lot less realistic importance than that same call in a tie game with under a minute.
The only difference is I would defer if the L was 121% sure, but otherwise, I agree.

thanks for all the responses...
 

thanks for your thoughts. in reference to the play, the reason i was surprised my partner called a held ball, was that i had a clear view of the play the entire time. and at no time, did the defender have their hands on the ball. thus, my surprise at the call. we worked thru it. wasn't a big problem, nor did it look "bad" that we came together on the play. personally, had i been L and my partner been T, i would have deferred to him, since it was in his "primary". i don't have a problem with my parnters calling anything in my area. i just want to get it right all the time.

my reason for posting this situation was to try and figure out how to handle the situations that happen with a double whistle and 2 different calls. this was just one situation that happened to me. i just wanted to make sure we did get it right and move on.

from all of your responses, i will address double whistles better in my pre-game. so, thank you, you all helped me out with this situation. i'll definitely be able to handle this situation better the next time it happens!