Where is your focus?

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by jdw3018

My main point was that watching the flight of the ball is not what I'm going to be doing. I'm going to be watching the players, first and foremost.

You might get away with that at the JV level and in womens ball. When the game is being played above the rim, good luck to you. It will come back to bite you.

Jmho.

[jdw3018]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

You might get away with that at the JV level and in womens ball. When the game is being played above the rim, good luck to you. It will come back to bite you.

Jmho.

JR, do you advocate watching the ball from the time it is released on a try until it is either clearly made or clearly missed, then?

I just can't agree with that. I watch the players - including those who may be able to commit goaltending, and as the shot approaches the rim I then watch the basket/ball for BI. But I always get a fix on where the players are and what they're doing as the shot goes up. It let's me have a much better idea of what's happening on rebounding action if the shot is missed.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by jdw3018

JR, do you advocate watching the ball from the time it is released on a try until it is either clearly made or clearly missed, then?

I advocate the sequence that DanRef wrote. As trail, I've got my priorities. My partner has his. My partner's priority is the players in his area under the hoop. I trust him to do his job while I'm doing mine.

[jdw3018]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

I advocate the sequence that DanRef wrote. As trail, I've got my priorities. My partner has his. My partner's priority is the players in his area under the hoop. I trust him to do his job while I'm doing mine.

I appreciate the responses. This is an area I'm still learning, as I've just recently begun officiating games with a lot of play above the rim. You've given me a lot to think about.

In reality, this all happens very quickly, and in a 2-man game as described it's impossible to see everything. I may try your sequence (as described by Dan) next time I've got a 2-man game to see how it goes.

I totally respect your opinion but keep coming back to the L having the shooter and his landing while T is watching the flight of the ball, it seems there are a lot of players with no eyes on them...

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by jdw3018

.....keep coming back to the L having the shooter and his landing while T is watching the flight of the ball, it seems there are a lot of players with no eyes on them...

Random thoughts.....

There might be players with no eyes on them, but are they really gaining any kind of an advantage that early in the play sequence?

As trail, you can get the flight of the ball while still picking up major illegal contact underneath in your field of vision. Those kind of plays stand out. It's not a case of having tunnel vision and concentrating only on the ball.

The L can shift his focus back underneath as soon as the shooter lands. In that case, the ball is usually not to the rim yet anyway and the jostling for position underneath is just getting started. In most rebounding action, contact that causes a disadvantage usually occurs when a shot is missed. If the shot is made, any contact is usually incidental anyway. And if somebody along the way wants to move an opponent 3 or 4 feet, it's usually tough to miss something as clear as that.

If you miss some contact underneath before the ball hits the ring, in my experience that contact usually hasn't given anyone any kind of a major advantage. If you miss BI/GT though while you're looking at contact that might not mean anything, you sureasheck are giving someone a major advantage.

I think that most fouls underneath usually occur after the shot is missed. And after the shot is missed, we now have 2 sets of eyes on the action looking for those fouls.

JMO.

[Scrapper1]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

It's not a case of having tunnel vision and concentrating only on the ball.

I think that most fouls underneath usually occur after the shot is missed. And after the shot is missed, we now have 2 sets of eyes on the action looking for those fouls.

Excellent points. I wouldn't have thought to say it that way, but you are absolutely right about the advantage usually coming after the shot is missed.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Scrapper1

Excellent points. I wouldn't have thought to say it that way, but you are absolutely right about the advantage usually coming after the shot is missed.

I've called more than a couple fouls this year where B4, in a less than desireable position, grabs the shoulder of A4 to pull him back such that B4 is now in front. Most of the time, this has occurred while the shot is in the air.

In one case when I called the foul on B4, the coach, having picked up on the play only once the shot missed, asked how he could have fouled since he was in front. Once I told him that the foul was before the shot got to the rim and B4 was ONLY in front because of the foul (describing it as above), he nodded and sat down.

Players start jockeying for rebounding position as the shot is released. The action starts then. You have to watch that and keep the flight of the ball within your site at the same time (but not necessarily in focus), if you sense a possibility of above the rim play, then shift focus to cover that. You can tell when a player jumps up to make a play.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by msavakinas

i see both sides, and JRut, you are right in the instance of a 3-man situation. But the OP was two-man. I am stating that from a 2-man perspective this is the right attitude to take I believe...

There is a reason there are 2-Person games and 3-Person games. It might not seem fair, but in a 2-Person game you have to focus on more things at once. You really cannot take an either/or attitude or you are going to miss a lot of things. There is just too much for you to watch.

Peace

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

You might get away with that at the JV level and in womens ball. When the game is being played above the rim, good luck to you. It will come back to bite you.

Jmho.

I was thinking the same thing. But people get so sensitive around here about Women's ball or not working varsity, I thought I would pass. I am glad you said it first.

Peace