The Toughest Calls in Basketball

[Junker]

For me personally, the toughest call is granting a time out. I've been bitten a couple times in my career on this one. Last year, in a close varsty girls game, I'm bringing the ball up as T with a 1 on 1 match up in front of me. I think I hear "time out" from the bench. When I finally have a point where I can look at the coach, he's just standing there. I ask if he wants a time out, he says yes, and as I'm getting the whistle back in my mouth, we have a steal going the other way. Next time down he got his time out, but needed part of it to have a discussion with me. It was his own fault for not being more visible or llouder so my partners could pick it up, but it was still a not great situation.

[Old School]

Originally Posted by Junker

For me personally, the toughest call is granting a time out. I've been bitten a couple times in my career on this one. Last year, in a close varsty girls game, I'm bringing the ball up as T with a 1 on 1 match up in front of me. I think I hear "time out" from the bench. When I finally have a point where I can look at the coach, he's just standing there. I ask if he wants a time out, he says yes, and as I'm getting the whistle back in my mouth, we have a steal going the other way. Next time down he got his time out, but needed part of it to have a discussion with me. It was his own fault for not being more visible or llouder so my partners could pick it up, but it was still a not great situation.

Though I don't always remember to do this. I try to tell the coaches to give me the TO signal or 30 - Full when I look at you in the pregame. In a close game you got to keep yelling it and calling it. If I'm sure the coach called a TO and when i checked, he/she confirmed it. I go back to where the ball was when the coach asked for the TO.

A side note to this is at a recent game. I had a coach turn around and kick his chair after the opposition scored a 3 point goal. I immediately bang him with a T, giving the T signal. Opposition coach thought I called a TO and his players rushed the court to congradulate their teammate. I'm trail 2 person and report the T to the table. I go to ask the opposition coach who going to shoot the T and his entire bench is at half-court. I ask the coach, did you call a TO? He said no, you did. No, I called a Technical foul. Coach: but you gave the timeout signal. Okay, I'm going to give your bench a technical foul for being on the court. So what turned out to be a potential 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 point swing in their favor. I made it a double technical, we don't shoot, POI, both coaches seat belted. Man was that coach mad....

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Junker

For me personally, the toughest call is granting a time out. I've been bitten a couple times in my career on this one. Last year, in a close varsty girls game, I'm bringing the ball up as T with a 1 on 1 match up in front of me. I think I hear "time out" from the bench. When I finally have a point where I can look at the coach, he's just standing there. I ask if he wants a time out, he says yes, and as I'm getting the whistle back in my mouth, we have a steal going the other way. Next time down he got his time out, but needed part of it to have a discussion with me. It was his own fault for not being more visible or llouder so my partners could pick it up, but it was still a not great situation.

This is why coaches ought to teach their kids to mirror TO signals.

[CoachP]

Originally Posted by lmeadski

Also, which calls do you see refs struggling to get right?

The over the back and the reach come to mind.

Seriously, as a coach, I struggle with preparing the kids to adapt to the way the next crew calls a game as compared to the previous crew. We know we have to, but it doesn't make it easy.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by CoachP

Seriously, as a coach, I struggle with preparing the kids to adapt to the way the next crew calls a game as compared to the previous crew. We know we have to, but it doesn't make it easy.

Don't you think that it's really only going to take you and your players a few minutes into a game though to find out what to expect from that day's crew?

That's been my observation over the years. Most experienced, competent coaches and their players figure out pretty quickly what they can do and not do in any particular game. Again, jmo but I think that the biggest problem isn't the crew's competency. It's whether they're consistent or not in their play calling. You can adjust to poor officiating also if they're poor consistently.

[CoachP]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Don't you think that it's really only going to take you and your players a few minutes into a game though to find out what to expect from that day's crew?

Yeah....sometimes that's all it takes, and admittedly, those are a tough few minutes for me.

[lmeadski]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

It's whether they're consistent or not in their play calling.

You've hit the nail on the head JR. Consistently, whether good or bad, can be dealt with. Its the inconsistent calling that drives everyone, fans...players...coaches...and refs, crazy.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by CoachP

The over the back and the reach come to mind.

You forgot the "whatchmacallit".

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

You forgot the "whatchmacallit".

Or "something." As in, "You've got to call something."

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Or "something." As in, "You've got to call something."

"I did coach. I called a no-call. Didn't you hear me?"

[rockyroad]

Originally Posted by CoachP

Seriously, as a coach, I struggle with preparing the kids to adapt to the way the next crew calls a game as compared to the previous crew. We know we have to, but it doesn't make it easy.

I know this is going to come across as "snotty", so please understand up front that I honestly do not mean it that way - this is a serious comment on your point above...having said that, here goes:

How about you teach your players to do things right in the first place and then you won't have to worry about how a crew calls a game? Teach them to play defense, set their screens, get rebounding position, etc, the way the rules dictate - then you won't have to worry about it during the game...and teach them to play correctly no matter what the other team or officials are doing or calling...that way there is no "preparing" for a next crew - just play the game.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

I know this is going to come across as "snotty", so please understand up front that I honestly do not mean it that way - this is a serious comment on your point above...having said that, here goes:

How about you teach your players to do things right in the first place and then you won't have to worry about how a crew calls a game? Teach them to play defense, set their screens, get rebounding position, etc, the way the rules dictate - then you won't have to worry about it during the game...and teach them to play correctly no matter what the other team or officials are doing or calling...that way there is no "preparing" for a next crew - just play the game.

Rocky, that was my first thought, too. However, I'm sure there's a variance on how much contact is allowed before a foul is called between officials. We may not always see it because the vast majority of games we see are the ones we're working. It's great to teach your kids to play defense without fouling, and to play through contact, but….

If the officials are allowing a bit more contact, and a team doesn't adjust defensively, they're putting themselves at a disadvantage by not pushing the limits of what's being allowed during that game.

[Old School]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Rocky, that was my first thought, too. However, I'm sure there's a variance on how much contact is allowed before a foul is called between officials. We may not always see it because the vast majority of games we see are the ones we're working. It's great to teach your kids to play defense without fouling, and to play through contact, but….

If the officials are allowing a bit more contact, and a team doesn't adjust defensively, they're putting themselves at a disadvantage by not pushing the limits of what's being allowed during that game.

I'm not quite sure where you're going with that. Rocky is right, just teach your kids how to play the game right, period. The rest will take care of itself. Worrying about the officials style and tendencies will get you beat everytime. Worry about what the other teams does, that's who you prepare for. I think you can guarantee your team that the officials in the game will call a foul when a foul occurs, but in the event you don't hear a whistle, you don't stop playing.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by Old School

I'm not quite sure where you're going with that. Rocky is right, just teach your kids how to play the game right, period. The rest will take care of itself. Worrying about the officials style and tendencies will get you beat everytime. Worry about what the other teams does, that's who you prepare for. I think you can guarantee your team that the officials in the game will call a foul when a foul occurs, but in the event you don't hear a whistle, you don't stop playing.

I've got to give you credit, OS. That was a pretty good comment. Hey - 1 out of 887 isn't bad!

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Old School

I'm not quite sure where you're going with that. Rocky is right....

Do you really think coaches teach their kids to play defense without making contact? Hardly. Good players know that not all contact is a foul, so they learn to play through contact. That said, they also know that they need to adjust their level of contact to what's being called on the court. If they play without causing any contact, they won't be taking advantage of what contact is allowed.

This is fundamental basketball, frankly.