rule books

[cdoug]

I am a new official and this will be my first year. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about books other than the rule book and case book that might be helpful. I was thinking about the Rules by Topic book, but was not sure if it would help me or not.

I've been reading on here since mid-January and have already learned more than I thought there was to learn.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Chad

[mick]

Originally Posted by cdoug

I am a new official and this will be my first year. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about books other than the rule book and case book that might be helpful. I was thinking about the Rules by Topic book, but was not sure if it would help me or not.

I've been reading on here since mid-January and have already learned more than I thought there was to learn.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Chad

Chad,
You may want to get one until you become familiar with the other books.

"Rules by Topic" presents the same information found in the rule Book and Case Book. The information is simply listed in a different format.
17 Topics [2007-08]:

1. Court and equipment
2. Players, subs, coaches
3. Scoring
4. Control
5. Jump ball and held ball
6. Free throw
7. Throw-ins
8. Clock and scorers/timers
9. guarding
10. Violations
11. Classifications of fouls
12. Contact fols
13. Technical fouls
14. Warnings and delays
15. Ccorrectig errors
16. Time-outs, halftime, and overtime
17. Officials and their duties

and Signal Chart.

[Back In The Saddle]

I've found the rules by topic book to be useful; and where you're newer, I think you'll find it useful too. You probably won't buy it every year, but I would (and have) buy it at least once.

[Nevadaref]

Personally, I don't care for the Rules by Topic book. It presents basically the same information as the Rules and Case books, yet the format is somewhat confusing. I don't see much value there.

For new officials (and even coaches ) the best book BY FAR is the Simplified and Illustrated.

2007-08 Basketball Simplified & Illustrated Item #: BKSI08 Retail Price: $7.95 Details: These books make use of cartoons and diagrams to clearly explain situations that might otherwise be difficult to comprehend.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

For new officials (and even coaches ) the best book BY FAR is the Simplified and Illustrated.

Agree completely.

[cdaref]

I know the temptation is to learn all about the rules. And that is great. But for a new official, dont forget to spend a ton of time with the Official's Manual. If you know basketball or if you played, you probably know the vast majority of the rules that you will encounter in your game, and your partner can help with the wierd stuff (note: this is NOT to say you shouldnt study the rules, you should!), but what you likely dont know much of at all is HOW to be a ref. So I would suggest you immerse yourself in the official's manual. Too many new officials worry too much about just studying the rules and dont spend enough time in the Official's Manual.

Good luck with your first year!

[Mark Padgett]

Just to help you out, here's the entire NBA rulebook:

Rule 1: Never call anything against a "star" player.
Rule 2: When in doubt, see Rule 1.