Nod and smile, say "uh huh," a couple of times, and go home knowing you did your best. There are maybe going to be three or four calls a game that he sees you make where he has a good angle on the call as well. These aren't among them. As you officiate longer, you'll get a better feel for what to call; but you need to start by calling them when you see them.
Until you get an observer who is there just to watch you officiate... Then you can listen to his/her advice on whether a specific call made sense.

One quick thing I learned when I stepped foot onto the floor for the first time ever. Remember only 50% of the people in any gym will like you and for only until you make the call against their team and the other 50% of the gym will like then. I keep that in mind every time I step foot onto the floor. Then again I don't care who likes me or not. I'm there to call a game.

Can I join? I ref'd my first game when I was 37. :D

I did my first varsity basketball game 2 weeks after I turned 16. I also did my first varsity football game when I was 15. I was too dumb to be nervous. Never got any smarter either.:)

Morning-Late Bloomers United (yes, Jurassic, the board has approved your membership)

Someone mentioned that it gets better. I agree. I had a good week. First, I took my time. Second, I called what I saw, rather than second guess myself all night. Third, all the coaches were composed and seemed like they've been coaching the game for a while.

Question: When working two person and at the trail, with the ball being controlled by A1 in your area (front court), where do you look. I had a partner tell me that he thought I was looking to low, which I quite possibly am, as I'm trying to see traveling.

Do ya's look at an area; waist of ball handler/defender; lower, like towards the feet. My parter said he looks at an area-he said about shoulder high but can also see the feet for any traveling calls.

It does get better. It also gets harder rather than easier. The more you learn, the more you realize that you still have got so much to learn. And that never changes or ends.

Never stop learning. That's why you see some very experienced and capable officials posting here. We're (almost) all here for the same reason.

It sounds like you might be too close to A1. If you've got the proper view, you can see all of the defender if he's close to A1 as well as all of A1. You should be able to see A1's feet as well as any action up top.

Too close to the play can be as bad as being too far from the play. The key imo is to always keep moving to get the best view possible.

They had sports back then?

I am surprised he remembered anything about those games. :D

Peace

We had stone basketballs. Damn hard to dribble, I tell ya.

It's true, it's true.....

I move quite a bit...sometimes finding myself a bit too close when the ball quickly comes back around the top. I've worked with some officials that are quicker than I at making traveling calls, so I've been working at better seeing the ball handlers feet. However, I must be looking down too much. As I'm trying to progress in steps, I will attempt to move back and consentrate more on the torso areas of both the ball handler and defender. Hopefully with more experience, I'll be better at just seeing an area rather than concentrating on single things.

I've also been using an extra whistle to keep track of AP when there isn't an arrow on the table/clock, or when the table's way at the end of the court rather than between the benches. It sounds like I need to do this in my head, but with all I'm trying to learn and apply, I don't want to bit off too much in my first season.

Also, I've deepened up when working two person and in the lead (front court). Assuming there's plenty of room at the end of the court, do people recommend four-six-or more feet from the end line (I'm in the four to six range depending where the ball is and what's happening).

What's getting better for me is that some things are coming more subconciously, rather than my mind working overtime trying to remember to do everything, such as raise my hand as the trail in two-person when a foul shooter releases the ball or raise it as the lead on a successful last free throw.

However, I understand what you're saying. This forum has helped me a lot. I, not unlike the vast majority who visit this forum, are striving to improve. I'm impressed that so many people give a darn...bodes well for the sport.