Officiating: NBA Style!

[coach41]

Thanks for the comments guys. The NBA style rules for the adult league are definitely interesting. I understand the concept of the league. In my opinion, the league is trying to "simulate the NBA experience" for people who can't make it to the pros. At the higher levels, lots of the guys are former local high school players and maybe JC/small college players. The lower levels are for the everyday guys who may not have played high school but want to play organized hoops.

The games I worked had fairly young guys so it was not your typical adult league. The young guys wanted to run a lot and there was a lot of banging. I don't know how often I've been working the league, but hopefully I squeeze in a few games here and there.

I don't have any particular questions about officiating under the rules because I have a good understanding of them. However, if anyone feels like sharing any challenges they had, please feel free to do so.

As far as my blog goes, the "Behind the Whistle" title came from something I wrote for a league I was playing in. I really liked the title so I decided to grab the domain and write a blog since I am unemployed right now. I got laid off several months ago and have not been able to land a job. I'm running Google ads to try to earn side money through them.

I've had some positive comments from other officials (from my group) that have read the blog, so I'm glad others also enjoy reading it as well. I find it fun to write and just sharing my experiences. It's definitely a niche blog but I don't see many people doing it.

Originally Posted by coach41

However, if anyone feels like sharing any challenges they had, please feel free to do so.

My first year using pro rules, I had the toughest time recognizing defensive 3 seconds & getting the switches down.

My biggest challenges today are learning to do the opposite of everything I've been taught:

HS - Jog around players to report the foul
Pro - Walk right down the lane to report the foul

HS - Visible b/c counts
Pro - Use 16 sec on the shot clock as a reference

HS - Run/jog everywhere you could walk to
Pro - "Move with a purpose... I know what you're trying to show us, but we don't run in the league" - Clinician

Now that the summer is over & I don't have any more opportunities to use pro mechanics, the things I'm having trouble reverting back to are:

- Stop clock signal on OOB
- Hand up prior to chopping in time
- No loose ball foul mechanic
- Using closely guarded
- 1 hand reporting / no walkie talkie
- Using a lanyard

All in all, I love using the pro rule set, floor mechanics & their signals are awesome!!

[coach41]

ch1town,

Thanks for the thoughts. The adult league I work uses only two officials so we had no switches to speak of. We just use standard two man high school mechanics.

Also, we didn't use the 3 seconds defense in the key rule nor the "no charge line" in the key. Most of the gyms used in the adult league are high school or grammar school gymnasiums so those lines aren't there.

It's definitely pretty funky to work this league. I might be working more in a couple of weeks so we'll see what other issues I run into.

[tomegun]

Since you are using pro rules, why not use pro mechanics? Are you familiar with pro two-man mechanics? I have worked much more using three-man, but I believe pro two-man mechanics are to officiate to the left of the ball.

I'm a firm believer in experiencing many different rule sets and mechanics. I think doing this forces an official to have a greater understanding of what needs to be watched. For instance, in a two-man game, when the L comes across the paint to watch post play where do most officials look at the T? Is the positioning the same/similar at the T as it would be in a three-man game? The answers (my answers): off ball/backside and no.

[coach41]

Tomegun,

I'm not familiar at all with the pro-style two man mechanics. I know I've looked up the NBA rules on NBA.com, perhaps I'll go look up to see if the mechanics are published anywhere (if you know any sites, let me know).

Honestly, I think while the league uses NBA rules, the guys working it look at it as a way to earn money versus learning to work different mechanics.

I do get your point though. College and high school mechanics are more similar than NBA mechanics. However, at the end of the day, it's just a matter of learning it and making it a part of your "muscle memory".

[btaylor64]

Originally Posted by coach41

Tomegun,

I'm not familiar at all with the pro-style two man mechanics. I know I've looked up the NBA rules on NBA.com, perhaps I'll go look up to see if the mechanics are published anywhere (if you know any sites, let me know).

Honestly, I think while the league uses NBA rules, the guys working it look at it as a way to earn money versus learning to work different mechanics.

I do get your point though. College and high school mechanics are more similar than NBA mechanics. However, at the end of the day, it's just a matter of learning it and making it a part of your "muscle memory".

Just want it to be known that the rules on the NBA site are outdated by about 3 or 4 years. Plenty of rule changes have been made since then.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by btaylor64

Just want it to be known that the rules on the NBA site are outdated by about 3 or 4 years. Plenty of rule changes have been made since then.

Can't they afford a website manager person?

[APG]

Originally Posted by btaylor64

Just want it to be known that the rules on the NBA site are outdated by about 3 or 4 years. Plenty of rule changes have been made since then.

http://www.nba.com/media/2008-09-NBARuleBook.pdf

Are you sure? Seems like this copy contains all the rule changes from the 2008-2009 season. What exactly is missing in this copy?