Working By Yourself

[Dan_ref]

Originally Posted by tarheelcoach

Also, in one of the games, there was a fan that just would not shut up. He wasn't swearing, but his comments got worse and worse as the game went along, and he started getting personal (You're an idiot, your pathetic, that kind of stuff). Would you have ejected him?

12 yo rec game?

I would have humilated him. Hand him my shirt, hand him the whistle, smile and tell him it's time to find out what he can do. Then I would have sat down next to him to see what happens next. C'mon big guy, get in there...you seem to know how to do this...maybe I can pick something up watching you...

I haven't worked solo in a long time but I usually went free throw line to free throw line. Tell the players and coaches before hand you're gonna miss stuff so don't wait for a whistle and you really don't want to hear any complaining.

[mplagrow]

Originally Posted by Dan_ref

12 yo rec game?

I would have humilated him. Hand him my shirt, hand him the whistle, smile and tell him it's time to find out what he can do. Then I would have sat down next to him to see what happens next. C'mon big guy, get in there...you seem to know how to do this...maybe I can pick something up watching you...

I haven't worked solo in a long time but I usually went free throw line to free throw line. Tell the players and coaches before hand you're gonna miss stuff so don't wait for a whistle and you really don't want to hear any complaining.

I was thinking along the same lines. Tell game management to give him a whistle, don't eject him. Then thank him for volunteering to be your partner. Sh!t, I'd even offer him my pay for the game just to see it happen.

[tomegun]

I would suggest working from trail to trail. Also, once the ball is in the half court I move closer to the middle of the court. I feel like this is the best location to see as much of the court as possible. I learned this while doing a three-on-three tournament. You can't see it all, but being on the endline cuts off a lot of stuff. Being on the free-throw line extended makes it hard to see the other side of the court. With my technique, the one thing you are going to live with is the fact that you will have to stand your ground during a quick steal because you will be in the way.

[mplagrow]

One of the worst officiated games I ever saw was done by a single ref. Now, I understand that you have to be gracious to a guy braving it by himself, but this guy was a piece of work. Fast-paced 8th grade boys game, both teams liked to run. This ref looked mighty sedentary (like he swallowed a VW). He stayed opposite the table, and never strayed more than five feet from the mid-court line. He squatted with his hands on his knees and peered at the action. He didn't call a single foul in the paint that I recall, but he sure saw every ticky-tac bit of contact around the perimeter. Guards were fouling out as kids were getting mauled in the lane. But in all fairness, he 'called it both ways' as they say!

[Ref Daddy]

1) Free throw line to free throw line
2) Work across from table/bench's
3) Have palyers get you the ball
4) Call early fouls - get game under control
5) Take your time

[Damian]

The best view is from the top of the key. You can move from one side to the other depending on ball movement. Then, when the ball changes hands, just back up to the sideline, let the players pass, then trail back to the top of the key on the other side.

We cover this in camps and it seems to be the standard in our area.

[tomegun]

Originally Posted by Damian

The best view is from the top of the key. You can move from one side to the other depending on ball movement. Then, when the ball changes hands, just back up to the sideline, let the players pass, then trail back to the top of the key on the other side.

We cover this in camps and it seems to be the standard in our area.

The guy in post #6 said something similar. The view from the top of the key is superior to the view from the free throw line extended when you only have one set of eyes.