2-person mechanics/switching
 

I'm a first year official who has officiated more than 20 game so far, mostly using 2-person mechanics. My question has to do with switching. Do the officials switch every time a foul is called? For instance, let's say that A is in the bonus and the Trail calls a foul on Team B. Does the Trail Official report the foul to the table and then switch, going to the baseline to administer the foul shots? I've only had one official insist that this is correct and I was looking for some additional input. It seems like this official may be incorrect. Thanks.

Eckley:

"Do the officials switch every time a foul is called?" Yes.

"A is in the bonus and the Trail calls a foul on Team B. Does the Trail Official report the foul to the table and then switch, going to the baseline to administer the foul shots?" Yes.

MTD, Sr.

Thanks.

Eckley,
You will find that when doing multiple games back-to-back, many of the "old-timers" do not like to switch very often. This requires more work by the officials.

I would suggest that you ask the league assignor what he/she expects. In our Catholic grade school league (our league is not a CYO league by affiliation), we are expected to switch after shooting fouls. I still prefer to switch after each foul -- it keeps mentally in the lower level games and I am not into "energy conservation" when I referee. Therefore, unless I am working with one of a very few remaining "old timers" (only about six of my fellow officials fit into this category), we switch on pretty much everything.

Not on long switches....
 

The only exception to this is we don't switch on offensive fouls in the front court. If A1 is called for an illegal screen by the lead, he will report it and then return to the endline to inbound the ball. He becomes the trail. He will not report it and then go to the opposite endline to be the new lead.

You might not switch (and I don't either; and I think FED should change the mechanic), but the current, proper mechanic (assuming "pure" FED is used) is to switch on every foul.

For the OP -- if you tell your partner that you are new and want to work on mechanics, they might be more receptive to "doing it by the book". I know I have been when working with newer partners.

In GA we don't switch...
 

In GA we don't switch on long switches. We teach our rookies that. I agree with you that rookies need to learn to officiate by the book in most instances. However, when the state association has a different mechanic, they need to do it the way the state wants them to. It should be made clear that this is a deviation from the FED rule. I was told when I first started officiating that "we don't do long switches anymore" and I thought that this was a FED change. Apparently it was a State Change instead.

Any other states out there that don't do long switches by state adoption and not by personal choice?

The 2 man around here among the veterans is:

No long switches
Very few short switches
Call foul - stay at the table no matter what

Have you seen this in writing from the state? I'm guessing due to the statement "Apparently it was a State Change instead" that it was only told to you and that you haven't seen it in writing. I was told the same thing when I first started officiating. However, I think that GHSA was talking about no long switches in 3-person mechanics and this got passed down to 2-person mechanics. I try to verify everything I am told by a "veteran" official b/c there have been to many times that misinformation has been passed down.

Someone else brought up the point that after calling an offensive foul in the front court that the old Lead will become the new Trail so you have essentially switched. I don't think this is what was meant for the mechanic but it helps me to justify saying that no long switches is okay. I tell the crew to pregame it so that they are on the same page during the game.

How can you end up at the foul line extended, opposite the table, to help administer free throws?

Ammended:

Stay table side on free throws

This looks more like AAU mechanics -- switch at the quarter, no matter what.

Personally, I think that these mechanics look bad. Further, if the referees are calling a different game, it can lead to a very unfair game.

Unless a particular state has an exception, switch on fouls. If you don't ever want to switch, let a rookie work with one of us who will. Such lazy mechanics makes referees look bad.

As someone told me about 20 years ago, for the players playing in the game, it is their most important game of the day. If you don't want to give the game your full effort, you are shortchanging the players, the coaches and the parents involved in that game.

From a selfish standpoint, what happens if an assignor's, AD's grandchild or child is playing in this game? Such situations can ruin a reputation.

Connecticut IAABO Only Mechanics ...
 

No long switches when foul is called in the backcourt and there is no change of possession or direction.

I care more about shortchanging myself as I'm not one of these "it's for the kids" officials.

I switch on everything except the long switch and in some free throw situations during garbage time where it would involve everyone watching us switch for no apparent reason.

I am in this camp as well -- it hasnt been for the kids for a very long time.