Suggestion to new officials

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BBall_Junkie

Not popular because it is the complete wrong mentality. I am of the school of thought that you need to know the rules backwards and forwards but also know how to properly apply them and use common sense. When you get that odd ball play, you better know the rules.

Case in point... Had a play last year where a kid got creamed on a breakaway. By some random act of God, the ball still went through the basket. My partner cleared everyone and lined they guy up for ONE shot. I tweet my whistle, step in and say, nope two shots. The other partner hits his whistle and signals we need to have a conference. We seperate the teams, and he tells me in our conference that the ball went in. I said I know, I called an Intentional foul so its two shots. Other partner pipes in and says, but we are telling you the ball went in. And I repeated, I know... Its an intentional foul and he gets two shots no matter what (by now we all look like bungling a$$clowns out there who don't have a clue). I finally say guys we are shooting two and its on me if its wrong (since I know the rules I knew there was no downside for me). Now the coach explodes and I explain to him and he says... you are the only one out there who thinks that it's two shots. My response... I know coach and I am the only one who is right. I ended up whacking him in the next quarter. He emailed the next day admitting I was right and apologizing.

Guys, YOU MUST KNOW THE RULES... ALL OF THEM (accept for the one stating the NFHS stamp must be on the ball for HS games and the like). It is equally important to KNOW HOW TO APPLY THEM TO THE SPIRT AND INTENT AS WRITTEN. IT NEED NOT BE ONE OR THE OTHER.

I would like you to find where I said you should not know the rules? I would like just one passage, comment or reference to those comments from me.

You are taking what I am saying and running with it to fit what you think I said. I simply said that you can know every single rule, but you are not going to be judged by that unless you have a very unusual situation. I am a football official and the rules in football are very linear. If A happens, B takes place and C takes place you can only go to D. Basketball is not that way at all. We can call A and if we like go to B, C, D, E or F. And depending on what we call and our judgment, we will be judged as officials.

I go to camps all the time; there are not enough unusual situations that take place that I can display my true rules knowledge. And I do not think I have ever been called to the carpet on a rule at a camp. I have been called to the carpet on my positioning, my judgment, my working with my partners, my game management skills and my communications skills. And like it or not those people hire based on those things. Now if I screwed up a rule then I would be in big trouble, but how many games where that is a real issue?

And the big part of this is this thread is about newer officials. Newer officials are not going to learn the rules of the game until they have worked for some years. Not only do rules change, but they will not understand rules until they have seen some of these unusual situations take place in front of their very eyes.

I know officials that are eliminated long before they work a single game. And trust me; it is not because they proved their rules knowledge.

Peace

[BBall_Junkie]

Of course you do because you know all there is to know about basketball officiating.

I already pointed out "one comment" that infers rules knowledge in your perspective isn't that important and would not be the first time you made a similar inference. I can promise you, that most good and upper level officials do get into the rules. Perhaps you should pay more attention to Tynes' messages. Just a suggestion.

I can promise that I have been to as many if not more camps than you and I have seen campers get ripped for misapplication of a rule as well as positioning, and game management etc. I also know many guys who have had games pulled or been fired for missed rules application (the MSU/ Mich replay guy might know something about this)

And newer officials should be doing just what the OP cat said he was doing... studying the rules because the season has not started and he can not work on positioning but he can bone up on rules knowledge.

Debating this point with you further is going to pointless because I know exactly how you respond to all of this...so this will be the end of this thread.