Wisdom from the stands

[physicsref]

Well,

Back in the day when I played HS ball, I flashed to the high post and got a pass. I turned toward the middle but got a pretty good push so that I never turned. I threw it up anyway never looking or facing the hoop and got a friendly roll for the bucket and foul.

Of course more traditional methods are the aforementioned reverse layup and hook shot. Certainly, the layup is often attempted without even looking at the hoop. You can tell by some of the results of these shots.

[Mark Dexter]

This one from the players on the floor:

A1 is on a fast break with only B1 defending the basket. B1 jumps, A1 picks up his dribble, does a jump step, and uses his arm to push airborne B1 out of the way. Ball goes in, A1 goes to the floor and hits the floor with his hand as if to say "and one!"

The response when I called the PC on A1 - "He was in the air!!"

I really need to practice using Tim Roden's answer - "Yeah, I saw the same thing."

Of course, the players seem to think that "over the back" is a foul.

[rainmaker]

Friday night:

JV Boys. Kid goes up, rebounds, comes down clumsily and lands on the floor. From the stands: You've got to have your feet on the floor to travel!!

At least I'd never heard it before...

[ScottParks]

Freshman tournament last weekend.
1st game, offensive player climbs the back of the opponent to get a rebound, I blow the whistle, tell him he fouled and report a push on B22. B coach, at the next timeout, asks if there is an over the back penalty - I say nope, he says then his guy didn't push to get the rebound, just went over his back and why did I call a push.

Next game, visitors are pressing helter skelter all over the court. Whack on the forearm of the dribbler. I blow my whistle and report illegal contact. Coach says the hand is part of the ball. So I agree with him..... point to my hand and say "ball", point to my arm and say "foul".

Twice in the tourney, we have a missed airball rebounded by the shooter. Defensive teams, stands, etc. and coach goes nuts. "He can't do that" I said sure he can, shot attempt, no team control, anybody can get it. His response, "you've never played the game, have you"... I said it's in the rule and case book and asked if he'd read it. He said "I wouldn't be a coach if I hadn't".... so I said "You must have missed that part"

And finally, from the fans in the stands, in consecutive possessions "Cmon ref, they're just HS kid, let em play"... "Cmon ref, call the hand checks".... "Cmon ref, how's that a violation"..... Partner whistle "Finally, a good call on the floor"

[ReadyToRef]

More Wisdom from the stands...

Middle school game. Hot dog point guard showing off his dribbling technique dribbles from one side of the frontcourt to the other. Defensive man closely guarding the whole time as I count to five. Tweet. 5-second call. Wisdom from the stand??? How can it be five seconds when the man is moving?

[Kelvin green]

Foul count Team A 4 team fouls, Team B 7 team fouls. One of the A players walks up to me and says call it both ways, So I tell him well if you want me to the the next 3 team fouls are on your team to even it up. Needless to say didnt hear that one again from him.

[Larks]

Originally posted by ReadyToRef
More Wisdom from the stands...

Middle school game. Hot dog point guard showing off his dribbling technique dribbles from one side of the frontcourt to the other. Defensive man closely guarding the whole time as I count to five. Tweet. 5-second call. Wisdom from the stand??? How can it be five seconds when the man is moving?

My favs from this past weekend:

5th grade game: A1 has the ball and shoots a 6' jumper...I hear "3 seconds" from the resident expert strategically seated courtside....A1 rebounds and sticks it right back up...I hear "cmon Ref, 3 seconds".....A2 rebounds and chucks it right back up there....I hear "3 seconds" from B's bench AND from Mr. Expert...DOESNT ANY COACH / RULE EXPERT UNDERSTAND THIS RULE?

Same game: Mr. Dirty Skoal Bandits Cap in a sctatchy whipser tells me as I'm setting up to admin the 3rd Q throw in...."Hey Ref, white is really turning the ball over a lot, you gotta watch that."

6th grade Athletic: A3 gets the ball off a rebound and begins transition....B3 sticks his left arm out to clothesline the guy across the chest....TWEET....I go to the table and call Hold on B3....Mr. B Coach says: "How can that be holding, how can that be holding". I say coach: He stuck his arm straight out and grabbed him. Mr. already losing by about 20 says "Thats not Holding".

And finally:

Same game....A is now thwacking B by 30+....1 min to go....A had called their press off long ago (in this athletic league, they can press even if up 50). They are set up in a 1/2 court 2-3 Zone D....B1 crosses the time line and A1 comes up to guard him as he approaches the arc...I hear from losing team fan: "Cmon, make em take the press off!"

Larks....Hey...Rooks have stories too!

[ChuckElias]

I was doing a college game (relevant only b/c most of the players were a bit taller than me. I'm 5'7".). It was JV, so the gym is pretty much empty. There are 5 guys sitting in the front row, tho. And they are really letting the other team and the officials have it. But I have to say, it was all good-natured. They were joking around and nobody was getting hot about it. They had made comments to me through the game, nothing offensive at all.

Anyway, middle of the second half, home team drives to the basket puts up a lay-up and there's a "slap" sound, but I honestly don't see contact on the shooter (maybe it was between rebounders). But remember the gym's empty, so these guys hear the slap. One of them calls me out: "What's the matter? You too short to hear, too?!?!" I actually got a laugh out of that one myself. They thought it was a riot.

Chuck

[ReadyToRef]

Larks,

Those are great ones. The Three-second call is so common I think we could mention that every game.

Randy

[Mark Dexter]

One of my favorites is when, early in a game, I have two or three close fouls that I (rightly, of course ) call against A. Of course, the B bench loves this - "Great call!" "Good job, ref!"

I usually just smile and tell them, "Wait until I call one against your team."

[JAdams]

Two years ago I was calling a game in which the visitors were pretty well controlling the home team. As I called a foul on a home player, the home coach yelled "This is the first time I've ever been homered at home." Someone please analyze that one, please...

[Sven]

Good to know that specatators are pretty much the same all over.

Here's my latest:

Middle School blowout. 4th quarter. Team B fan unhappy with my foul call on his team: "Come on, ref. That was a clean block. Nothing like a little home cookin' eh?"

Team B was ahead something like 28 to 4 at the time.


Sheesh. Fans -- Ya gotta love 'em...

[Mark Dexter]

Well, you know that the way we cover up for throwing games is by calling fake fouls on the winning team . . .

[BktBallRef]

Idiots for sure!

Just a suggestion, guys. I've noticed in some of the posts that we're getting smart remarks from the coach when we verbally report the foul. My suggestion is to not verbalize the foul. You're just asking for trouble and nothing good can come of it. Simply say,

"White, 2-2" while signalling the number.

Then, signal the foul but don't verbalize it.

I have never verbalized the foul. I've also never got a smart remark back like, "How can that be holding?"

Again, just a suggstion.

[Mark Padgett]

Last year I was doing a girls tournament. Team A was up 3 with just a few seconds left. B1 takes a 3 pointer and the horn sounds while it's in the air. She gets hacked across the arm on the shot. The shot misses. I call the foul. She goes to the line with no one there and makes all 3 to go into OT (my fault )

Some idiot who had been leaving right up to my foul call runs on the floor and yells at me for being a "homer". At first, I thought he meant Homer Simpson. I just stared at him and said, "Get off the floor, you idiot, before I have you thrown out on your pointy little head. And as for your "homer" remark, each of these teams is from at least 20 miles away from where I live, you giblet-head."

He just stood there and I yelled for the tournament director who just happened to be standing next to a security guard. They came over and "escorted the gentleman" out.