Making calls out of your primary area
 

This seems to be a touchy subject, please allow for my miniscule (couldn't think of a smaller descriptive word) understanding of this topic. Why is it a no-no for one official to tweet, and make a call in another officials primary area? Is there a rule, written or unwritten? Is it because of the possible visual implication to players, coaches, & fans that one referee is compensating for the deficiency of other(s) referees? Is it simply because of egos (stay out of my pond)?

Because it doesn't seem to make much sense to me. For example (oh oh :eek:) If durring the battle for a rebound under the basket, A-5 punches B-5 in the stomach and the official behind the end line doesn't see it, but other official does, is other official just supposed to ignore it because he doesn't want to annoy his partner?

A punch is a extreme example. I just don't understand this "turf" concept. Sure, I wouldn't stand for the opposing coach trying to coach my players, but that's way different. Officials are in charge of every inch of the court, so why not make the call if you see it?

Wouldn't surprise me if nobody wants to touch this... and that in its self is an answer

If the offensive team over loads one side of the court, or if they go "4 down" (4 players across the end line) then what? Does the other official(s) just take that possession off becasue there's nobody in his area?

Is an official really expected to just ignore a clear foul that he saw just because it's not in his primary area? (please excuse my incorrect language & don't get caught up in it, you know what I'm trying to ask).

I realize that this way of doing business has been around way longer than me and my lack of understanding it. I want to understand.:confused:

Long statement and short question
 

Basic rules of officiating:

Primary area: Focus on the matchups in your primary area. On a court at any time, we can have a max of five matchups. In theory, you can have three of those being watched. In most cases, there are 4 or less matchups. If we have two guys watching the same matchup, then we have 50% or more uncovered. When ball is in your primary, it is your responsibility. When it is not, find a match up to watch. That is why we have 3 out there.

Non basketball plays like your punch example should be called from anywhere on the court. That is in every pregame that I have ever had.

When you have no matchups in your area, find one and referee that matchup. Try to see what your partner is watching and pick one that he/she is not.

There are a lot of plays that happen away from ball and those need to be watched.

Example, if official A tells A1 to get hands off and immediately official B calls a foul, that sets a double standard. We try to avoid that.

The answer is difficult to get into 1000 letters or less.

Maybe this will help coach:
CSBOA: Mechanics Study

The answer is simple, most of the time the calls are wrong. There have been studies done on this where officials have called things out of their area.

To call out of your area suggests that you do not trust the people you are working with and that no one is looking in your prescribed area. It is kind of like a football team that tries to do the assignments of their teammates, but leave holes in the defense. You might make a right decision once or twice, but you will often get them wrong. Officiating is about teamwork.

Peace

Let's say you are in a big room of students taking a test. If there are 3 people administering this test, it wouldn't make sense for all three to be looking in the same area. If they were, someone else could be cheating.

In a basketball game, officials are people who used to watch basketball games. Watching the ball could cause officials to miss a punch, grab or anything else illegal. Also, all three officials are working to get angles to see plays in their primary. Research has shown accuracy goes down when calls are made out of the primary.

If an official is looking out of their primary, who is watching the players in their primary?

During the course of a game, I usually say to myself more than once:

"That might have been a foul, but if he can't call it from there, no way can I call it from here."

The other quote I like:

"You call that from there and get it right, and you make the whole crew look bad, and if you're wrong, it is totally unforgivable."

Thanks
 

Frankly, with the sarcasm and wit I've seen in here, I'm a little surprised that nobody decided to take my post and make me look like an idiot. Apparently I asked the question right :)

I do understand better now. The studies that have shown it's not a good idea to "fish in someone elses pond" are especially enlightening. I knew there had to be good reasons for this. Thanks.

I think any time you guys can educate a coach, it helps that coach to educate other coaches, and it helps break down the invisible and usually unnecessary barrier to communication and mutual respect.

As usual, I'll give a differing viewpoint. There are pirmary areas written as guidelines. Whomever of the 3 that has the best look at a play should make the call. On every play, one of the three has the best look at it. Most of the time, if the ball is in yur primary, you should have the best look, but with good officials, they have a sense of who has it and who should take it.

If you have the second look at it, you can help if needed. As people here have stated, it is a crew dynamic. Some people will, some people won't. Either way, calling from the second look can help or hurt. I tend to avoid calling from the second look. Many others don't.

Calling from the third look is reserved for the O My God calls, when there is a non-basketball play or brutal event that could ruin the game. If done right, your partners will be thanking you for your help on these, especially since they happen maybe a couple of times per year.

Primary areas on court maps are guidelines. You cannot always have the best look in your primary. That's baseball.

Depends on who you're working for on any given night. Different supervisors have different views on calling outside your PCA.

I disagree with "You call that from there and get it 'right', and you make the whole crew look bad"..... I would say it makes the crew look 'human'.

We are all human beings first, and officials second. None of us are perfect and occasionally may miss something right in front of our eyes. That's why we have 2 partners on the court with us. I like the quote, "Get it right, no matter what."

To me the real factor to making a call outside one's primary is this....being able to determine if your partner is passing on the call or if your partner missed the call.

The logic that has always made sense to me is that if you're watching your partner's primary, who is watching yours?

Agreed, and frequently it is not possible to make that determination.

Somebody has to get the "train wrecks" no matter whose primary it is in. However, like others have states, trusting your partner(s) is critical. While you may peek outside your primary, going to get a call should be reserved for the "train wreck" calls. Peeking is to be aware of where the ball is, is a competitive match-up headed into my area, is there a curl play or line of intersection that I may have a better look at than my partner(s), etc. Calling in those areas is to be done only with certainty. The other "pond" post is a great example of how people view the issue. While I am not saying that as the lead I would have gone and called the foul the lead did in the MSU - KU game, I can understand given the game situation and how the action was unfolding, I can understand why the lead was looking up the line at the play.

I hate that logic. That is a great tool for a first-year official working AAU games who has to learn not to follow the ball all over the court at the expense of his primary, but will completely stunt development as an official. At many points during a basketball game, there is a play that transcends lines on a court or a map. You have to be responsible for your primary but understand what is going on with the basketball and the defense to identify and officiate the plays as a crew.

As a Lead, I am looking out of my primary when there is an onball screen or secondary defender attacking the ball. I must pick that up and the play associated with it to help my partner, who has the ball and the pirmary defender.

As a Center or Trail, I manage my primary and am responsible for it, but am always aware of scoring plays and secondary defenders coming from my area. If I have the best look on those, I take them. That's the definition of being a strong C and T.

Big difference between poaching and having the best view of a play.

Sometimes the original can't be improved upon. ;)

Seriously, though -- it's the toughest thing for me to do as an official -- decide when something is blatant / important enough to go get and when it's better left alone.