Two Man Lead Questions
 

I only work 2 man so think 2 man here.

Generally speaking I start out wide on endline. My thinking is if the ball swings to other side of the court or gets down low in paint I should be closing down to lane extended or so . I also have been closing down when there is minimal activity in front of me but lots of in the paint activity going on.

Is my thinking correct or what ? I had a senior ref be pretty adamant about me ALWAYS staying out wide, to get a better angle--his thinking seemed a little extreme to me.

Feedback please.....

I definitely disagree with your "senior ref". As the Lead in a 2-person system, you should generally start off about halfway between the lane line and the 3-point line. If the ball comes in the 3-point area on your side, you can either open up to the play (turn your shoulders parallel with the endline) or move even closer to the sideline.

As the ball moves to the other side of the court, you should move closer to the lane, roughly a step or two outside the lane. If/when the ball comes into the post on the opposite side of the lane, you should move across the lane and officiate "ball-side". You'll have a better look at the matchup on the far block if you get over to that side of the lane.

This is the "A-B-C" positioning for 2-person. "A" is the wide starting position; "B" is the "close down" position near the lane line; "C" is the ball-side position.

Having said all that, there are gyms where you can't use that kind of positioning. If there's no room on the endline, you may have to stay wide simply because you're too close to the players to move along the endline. If that's the situation you were talking about, then maybe your senior ref had a point. But in most gyms, you have at least a few feet of depth on the endline and you can position yourself according to where the ball and the action are.

Setting up wide gives you the best chance of seeing "between" the post players - and very important in 2 Man.

As the play presses to the lane and basket - then drift in.

What kind of Mechanics do this apply to? NCAA, NFHS or FIBA? (yes they're quite diffrent, at least FIBA and the other ones)

All good answers. Remember that you need to box in all of the players so you need to be out as wide or wider than any players on your side. As far as rebounding, after a shot goes up, if you have room, take a step or two back to widen you angle so you can see more of the play. The best way to position yourself well as lead is to have a C and T out there with you. :D

Two-whistle is everlastingly a game of intelligent trade-offs, and any one-size-fits-all answer is going to be wrong at least some of the time. Some guys really like to work wide, and if that works for them, great. I've tried it, and it doesn't work for me much of the time. I find there are a few different situations you commonly face as lead, and I handle them each differently.

• If the ball is out of my area, and the post play is the most interesting matchup in my area, I'm going over to watch it.
• If the ball is across the key and likely to come into the far post, I'm going across, in time to watch them set up for the entry pass
• If the ball is wide in my area, I'm going out wider and looking back through
• If the ball is between the three point line and the lane line on my side, I'm going half way out and opening up

You will also find that sometimes your preferred positioning just isn't working for a particular game. Adjust. The single most important aspect of working the lead is that you go where you need to go to get the right angle and see the play.

I agree. Only thing I'd add is that if there's room, get 3-5 feet back off the endline to open up your angles....it let's you see a lot more of what's going on.