You Make the Call
 

Hello all. New to forum, not new to officiaiting. Had a situation occur last week during GV game, with three person officiating crew.

Two of the three are fairly established officials and the third is relatively new to the varsity level.

Game is flowing smootly, coaches were great, fans were actually pretty good too. Home team is leading late in the game with no way for the visiting team to catch up and win, pretty obvious. So, we get through almost the entire game when Tweet, young official calls a foul. Foul is against visiting team, home team to the line for 1 and 1. There are 22 seconds left on the clock in the 4th period. Home team misses first free throw, visiting team gets possession and starts heading down the floor.

Home team coach becomes slightly animated, yelling "He called two shots". Other established official blows the whistle to start conversation with coach. He calls younger official (the one who called the foul originally) over to discuss. After a short conversation, I walk over to find out what is going on. It was determined that the younger official did report the original foul as a two shot but admitted during the official conference that it was indeed a mistake on his part was really a 1 and 1, which we all though in the first place.

I know what I would have done and I know what was done. What is your call, how do you handle the situation.

I'll report back on the actual conclusion.

8.6.1 covers it perfectly.

My first question was who administered shots as lead? Should not have been official that called the foul....

If lead (should have been one of the more experienced refs) told the players 1 and 1... I would tell the coach we had nothing and put ball back in play since the correct number of free throws were awarded.

You cant give him two he is not authorized....

If lead told the players two shots then everybody messed up and you'll have to fix it using the miscommunications problems and most likely use the arrow

Clarification:

Me: T

Younger Official: C

Official Stopping Play: L

The foul was clearly not a shooting foul nor were we in the double bonus.

The lead official should not bounce the ball to the shooter until he/she has visual confirmation from both officials how many shots we are taking. So if you were using proper procedures, this shouldn't have happened.

"Coach, it should have been 1-and-1. The official signaled incorrectly. You're up by 20 and we're moving on." :)

Charge the home coach with a timeout for initiating a correctable error that didn't pan out.
Do you normally blow the whistle and kill the play to talk to a coach?

Yup.

A couple of minor mistakes, no error either correctable or otherwise. Play on.

....with 20 seconds left, and a blowout game? Not me!

Resolution:

Official (Referee) blows the whistle to stop play, discusses with younger official. Referee says "correctible error coach" and we go back to shoot the second shot. However, it WAS a 1 and 1 and not a two shot foul.

During our officials conference, I look at the younger official and ask point blank, did you make a mistake and call a two shot foul when it should have been a 1 and 1. He admits yes. I express that this was not a correctible error, just a mistake. We need to admit the error and move on.

Referee gives second shot, adds time back on the clock and then gives ball back to losing team.

Needless to say, it was an interesting conversation after the game in the officials locker room.

Wow. Just wow. And put time back on the clock?! Wow.

I'd like to hear the jist of the conversation in the lockerroom. Will that R get dinged for any of this?

Definitely not the answer I expected that's for sure.

Even if it was a correctable error, and it wasn't. No time would be put back on the clock. What a goat rope.

My sentiments exactly, I couldn't believe what was happening. It was not that difficult and took what was a well called game and turned it into a fiasco.

The conversation in the locker room started with the R jumping the younger officials rear end. Really just started to ream the kid. I jumped in and told the R that I thought he jumped the gun on his decision and stated my position yet again. R started telling me how many games he's officiated and how he was just doing a favor for the assignor blah blah blah. I know, the R has about 6 years of experience. I only started in 1984, what the heck do I know! LOL

I talked with the younger official and tried to diffuse the situation. I told him that we're human and we will make mistakes and that it's critical to admit those errors right away. The younger official and I continued to talk through the situation different game scenarios where an error like this could have decided a game. I promised him that he would remember tonight for his entire officiating career and that he would likely not make the same error again! :D

I highly doubt the R will get dinged at all.

Wow! What a wonderful role model and mentor (the R, not you, Tex) :rolleyes:

I started calling softball in college and quit after 1/2 season because 2-3 of the "top" umps in that association were just like that guy...it was nooooooo fun. Good on ya, Tex, for talking with the new guy and giving him positive, useful feedback!

I know what you mean, I had some of those guys myself when I first started. I promised that I would never do those types of things to a younger official. As a matter of fact, I started working youth basetball this year with my 15 year old son, teaching him the ropes. He's already proving to be a good official with his knowlege and understanding of the rules.

When I first started, I had the dream to become a D-1 official. Then family and career got in the way. Maybe, just maybe someday my son can travel down that road.

Memo to older guys, help teach younger officials, don't berate them. There is such a shortage of officials as it is, we certainly don't need this type of behavior.