Calling an illegal screen
 

How would you go about doing so...

Team A has the ball (obviously)

A1 sets an illegal pick on B1 around the freethrow area (grey area) you are the trail (in a 2-man crew) what do you do...


just making sure my mechanics i do, are done properly....but i blow my whistle indicating a foul, signal the illegal screen, then point to the spot where the ball is coming back in, then report? is this right?

thanks

This is a team control foul...

Me... I blow the whistle and then punch with the team control foul signal and verbally yell "offense"....

It Seems So Hard When You Write It All Down ...
 

Blow whistle. Fist in air. Step toward player who committed foul. Birddog if necessary. State jersey color and number of player who committed foul. At site of foul, indicate type of foul with proper signal. Indicate the throw in spot. Proceed to reporting area. State jersey color and number of player who fouled, simultaneously using one hand to signal number of player who fouled. Indicate type of foul using proper signal. Switch positions with your partner after reporting the foul.

I'm not sure about a few things regarding signals. Do you give both the blocking foul (illegal screen) signal, and/or, the team control signal at the site of the foul, and/or, the reporting area? NFHS citations, and IAABO citations please.

The correct NFHS mechanic order is:
1. Fist straight up
2. Punch signal in front of body to indicate team-control foul
3. Preliminary signal for the nature of the foul
4. Indicate the throw-in spot

That comes directly from page 5 of last season's NFHS Basketball preseason guide.

...and use the words "illegal screen", NOT "moving screen." Always remember that a moving screen isn't illegal until there's contact, and even then the screen isn't illegal because it is moving. So call it an "illegal screen". When you report you can say, "block" or "illegal screen", or say nothing just signal with no verbal.

I prefer "bad screen" or "illegal". "Illegal screen" is waaaay too long for my limited vocabulary and attention span. :D

Did I See The Mythbusters Searchlight Signal In the Sky ???
 

A moving screen is not in and of itself a foul, contact must occur for a foul to be called. If a blind screen is set on a stationary defender, the defender must be given one normal step to change direction and attempt to avoid contact. If a screen is set on a moving defender, the defender gets a minimum of one step and a maximum of two steps, depending on the speed and distance of the defender.

What page is that on in the mechanics manual? :confused: :)

are you talking about the not raising the fist? or yelling "offense"?

The term offense is accurate because the foul is on the offensive team...

You are right that the mechanics manual calls for the fist up first... (Where I officiate it appears rarely that on a team control foul that we raise a fist and then do team control and then do a prelim signal and then tell the player... ) but I would suggest that in many areas on team or player control rarely is the fist up...

When In Connecticut, Do As Your Evaluators Do ...
 

Our local interpreter, and evaluators, do not want us to yell, "Offense". They want us to state, "Team control foul", or, "Player control foul". I don't believe that it's in any manual, it's just a local thing.

Do you yell "defense" when the foul is on the defensive team?

This is the right way to do it, and it's not that hard to remember. I will say that I point, rather than punch at the spot. At the table, I will give the punch to indicate team-control foul and we're not shooting free throws. I know it's wrong and it's a bad habit, but I can't seem to break it.

I've found that I have to sloooooowww down on this one. Most people/players/coaches don't know the team control foul signal. What I have done is hit the whistle-fist up-point direction and "offense" at the same time-spot the ball- report. What I am TRYING to do is the above HS mechanic, and I'm trying not to look like I'm landing planes...

Problem is, slowing down takes me out of my "flow", which I'm sure equals "not approved mechanics". Makes me look like I'm unsure of the call.

Our board is making an effort to ensure that we young'uns don't point- use an open hand (as in violation and keeping the thumb tucked in the palm)


Question- Making this call as the trail-> what do your local boards want you to do? Is this a "long switch" which, for us, is a no-no?

My mechanics on this are always screwed up. So I make sure I use my voice very loudly for this one with the words "team control" emphasized.

I have found that slowing down almost never looks like you're unsure of the call -- unless you've got lengthy pauses, or something like that. Slowing down usually just looks like calm, relaxed, not my first rodeo, routine call, etc. In other words, what feels like going slow to us, usually does not appear that way to everyone else.

Two suggestions:

First, practice the entire sequence in the mirror. Do this a lot. Make it muscle memory.

Second, and they teach this to volleyball officials, when you've got a series of signals to give, have a rhythm to it, giving each signal the same length of time. It looks better than hurrying one, holding the next, etc.

Excellent point on "have a rhythm". I've been trying that recently with kids and rec games before HS season starts.

Here is what I do:

Blow the whistle, yell either "offense or Illegal screen," and then punch in the respective direction. I have a bad habit of not putting the fist in the air or instead of punching, I point. But the majority of the time, its whistle, offense and then punch.

I try to go fist in the air as I'm hitting the whistle and then use that same fist for the team-control foul signal in the driection that we're now going. I have the bad habit of usually saying "this way" as I'm punching. Then when I report I report color, then number, then team-control (with signal), then illegal screen with proper signal...Long switches are hit or miss around here. I will tend to initiate a long switch if I'm lead in this situation working with my (immobile) usual partner for youth travel games. It's just faster than waiting for him to get to the other end.

Don't Get Any Sand In Your Shoes ...
 

Rookie officials take note, this is a good suggestion.

Back In The Saddle: You must be really tired after your volleyball game. You have to give signals and stand on that "ladder thing", without moving the entire match?

Well, yeah, except for the "landing the airplane" thing :D

This is actually harder than you might think. I start to tighten up after standing straight up in one spot for an hour or so.

What's "Landing The Airplane" ???
 

Touché.

****This post is not meant, in any way, to suggest that using proper mechanics is not important!!!****


Any one who has seen me ref knows that my floor mechanics are not great. They are very stripped down and "college", not very NF. I referee a fair amount of HS games and had gotten pretty far up the food chain locally, far enough that no one ever said anything about how my mechanics were not proper for HS games. That being said, I moved to another state and was a nobody there. My first season there I had a game between the #1 and #2 ranked 5A teams in that state. (that caused a huge uproar among the local officials, but that's another story)

There was an evaluator from the state office at the game watching me and my partner. I had 3 PC fouls during the game, which was won by the visiting #1 ranked team. After the game we were in the locker room with the evaluator going over the game and the PC fouls came up in the discussion. The evaluator said that the calls were great and that they were all needed in the game. He praised me several times for the good calls and then proceeded to rip me for never putting my fist in the air to start the foul call sequence. (I just point and yell "offense"). The ripping lasted lots longer than the praise ever did and then he told me what great calls they were and left. I sat in stunned silence for a few moments until my partner changed the subject.

My point in all of this is do what they want you to do wherever you may be. I moved back to my original state and can use my "regular" mechanics, but in the other state, I needed to do what they wanted. Observe and adapt. Do what you are supposed to do in your area.

IMO, a very important philosophy that often gets lost in our discussions about officiating.

Supervisors/Evaluators are human and have their own quirks and peeves. The ability to adapt is very important to career progression.

On behalf of the Cadets out there- we will be evaluated and floor tested this season (if not already). How do we know which evaluators want which things? For instance, our cadet supervisor has several evaluators he sends out- pretty standard, I suppose. For evals and floor tests, is it best to just concentrate on trying to use the proper mechanics, or will we not know what we are doing wrong until we hear it or see it graded afterwards? What if the evaluator is not in tune with the supervisor? Does that happen?

PLeeezzze Uncle Stripes, can you tell us the story? Pleeeze!

On minor things, sure. But hopefully supervisors are hiring evaluators who promote the boss's philosophies.

I moved in to this new state and was put on the V list right away (I was fortunate to have been able to work a scrimmage where decision makers could watch me work ina "real game" environment). This state uses officiating crews for basketball. For the first half of the season, I had no partner. I just filled in where the assignor needed officials. I had not sold my house in the other state and so my wife and kids were not with me. I had nothing else to do so I reffed as much as I could and was fortunate enough to work with the best officials in the area ( a major metropolitan area). That was a real boon for me because I got to know the "right" people early in my time there.

One of the top guys got hurt around Christmas time and was out of the rest of the season. The assignor asked me if I wanted to take his place for the second half of the season. I knew the partner and accepted right away.

The #1 vs. #2 game was the last game of the season. The two teams are rivals, the play in the same league and the #2 team's only loss to that point was on the #1 teams home court. It was the biggest regular season game in the state that year.

My partner called me and told me to get there early because the gym would be full. When I got to the game (prior to the JV game tip off), I was met by acop at the parking lot to tel me the lot was full. I identified myself as a game official and they told me that they had saved me a parking spot. I was escorted to a tennis court and I parked there.

I went directly to the gym and I got one of the two last seats in the gym (the other was for my partner who got there about 10 minutes after me). Ticket sales and the gym were closed before the JV games started. It was a loud, packed house for both games. Once my partner got there, he told me that his phone had been ringing off the hook all day with other officials (not the guys who had already worked with me, but from guys who didn't know me and only heard about me) wanting to know who was working the game with him because his regular partner was hurt. He told them he was working the game with stripes and then it started to hit the fan...they we all mad because I "hadn't earned the right" and "was brand new" and "couldn't handle the game" and "other guys deserved it more" and so on. My partner handled it perfectly. He totally stuck up for me and assured them that I was more than qualified.

The game went fine and then after the game his phone started ringing again (from the same group of guys) wanting to know how badly I had screwed the game up. Once again my partner totally had my back and let them know that things had been fine. He could have sold me out or thrown me under the bus, but he stuck up for me. I learned a great lesson about being a good partner off the court as well.

Stripes...........good story, thanks. I've had guys move into my area and experience the same situation you had and as in your case, they deserved the big games.

ok an illegal screen is a violation...so then in that case you would just stop the clock with your hand straight up in the air, then do the signal for an illegal screen point to the spot and color of the team that is going to be having the ball for either you, or your partner, to know where the ball is going.

am i right?

Help me out here. When did an illegal screen become a violation? And what is the signal for an illegal screen? Just a question. :D

Peace

it isn't a violation? your right! i thought i saw it in the violations part of the signals in the rule book.... but an illegal screen is a foul?

what would it constitute? a foul maybe?


and i am assuming there is no signal for an illegal screen (just the TC)...right?

An illegal screen is a foul. If it is by the offense (and it almost always is) then the TC signal normally applies. But you still need to report the type of foul. Normally it'll be a block, but sometimes can be a hold or a push.

May I suggest you go study up on NFHS 4-40

He Also Likes To Call Personal Fouls During Dead Balls ...
 

Maybe you missed it, but this is one of those Southern California officials that will be working a full NCAA Division I schedule in three years.

Just to add to BITS' excellent response.

Make sure there's illegal contact before you call a foul. The screener can be moving all they want if there's no contact; and there's nothing to call. Further, not all contact is illegal.

howd you know BMac?! have fun doing girls jv this year ;)

An illegal screen could be a push, hold, block depending on the action. But I was just wondering what the signal you referred to is?

Peace

Do You Know The Way To San Jose ???
 

Been there (junior varsity, not San Jose). Done that. We all have to start somewhere. We have all learned from our mistakes. I still do.

San Jose is most definitely not in Southern California.

:) i thought i was the only one who noticed he said Southern California haha


il give you a clue to where in California San Jose is located.... Silicon Valley ;)

Boy am I embarrassed ...
 

I was thinking about this at work today. The "Spanish sounding" name threw me. Isn't San Jose near San Francisco, another "Spanish sounding" name?

In that case I guess that he won't be getting a full NCAA Division I schedule in only three years.

Sure, it is "Spanish sounding". You might be interested to know that, at times, Mexico include all of California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah. I've even seen a map that included areas up to Montanna.

Also, Spaniards were there too....before it was part of Mexico..well before these places became part of the US. San Francisco is a Spanish (from Spain) name, not Mexican.

The "Spanish sounding" cities that get you to D1 in 3 years are Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara.

So, if you're in Oceanside you're outta luck?

No, b/c you can claim to live in a suburb of San Diego when you fill out your resume'. :D

Here's what I have. I try to get my fist in the air, but admittedly I know I get sloppy with this at the college level and it works its way into my high school games. Then I do my punch (team control foul) mechanic in the direction we will be going, say "illegal screen" and point to where the ball will be inbounded. At the table I report the color, number and give the team control foul signal and report it as an illegal screen. If a coach asks about it, I'll sometimes tap my knee, or toss out a little elbow to show what the player did.

Sorry guys BUT i dont need a reference to a city to get me a full D1 schedule in 3 years ;)

Entonces me siento muy afortunado de vivir en San Diego. Lastima que todos los demás no es tan afortunado como yo. D1 aqui voy!

Maybe not, but a more solid rules understanding couldn't hurt.

I Learned Spanish From A Taco Bell Menu ...
 

I agree. I also miss Jurassic Referee, and ChuckElias, and wish that they would come back to the Forum. I didn't know that the Forum had it's headquarters in San Diego.

Haha...

Knowing Spanish comes in handy during the game. Players who speak Spanish around here tend to express their frustration in Spanish, so when then they do I respond to them in Spanish. You should see the way the jaws drop when they hear it from me...

J'étais très stupide ...
 

I stupidly took four years of French in high school. At the time, students were told that French was one of the official languages of the European Common Market, the U.N., and the Olympics. I figured that, being a New Englander (with 1/8 French blood in my veins), I had more of a chance of visiting nearby Quebec, than I did of visiting Spain, Mexico, or South America. Little did I know, back in the late 1960's, that the United States would, in 40 years, have the fifth largest Spanish speaking population in the world.

If I ever have a French speaking coach giving me some problems I can always respond to him with, "J'ai entendu qu'asse'et celui est votre avertissement".

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries?

Je veux un Hamburger
 

You must have learned French off the menu in a French Restaurant, however there is one good thing about your translation. If the coach, like you, also learned a little French off the menu in a French Restaurant, at least he thinks that I'm insulting him. That's more fun than charging him with a technical foul.