I'm a Ball Watcher...

[Welpe]

"Watching balls go by."

Well according to a fellow official that was waiting for his game after mine, I was doing a bit of ball watching outside of my PCA. He didn't offer any specific details after I asked but said he noticed I was doing it at both lead and trail. We don't often get other officials observing us so this is good information to hear. I thought I was doing a good job of focusing in my area too as I was picking up off ball contact and talking with the post players at lead but maybe not as well as I thought.

Does anybody have any tips to ensure you are staying in your PCA?

A couple of situations where I'm wondering if my fellow official noticed what I was doing and felt I was ball watching too much. I'd appreciate any feedback on these:

I've been trying to feel out where the ball is to know if I should have on-ball coverage or not by using occasional, quick glances towards the ball. Is this a bad idea?

Also, I find while at lead and a player attempts a 3-point shot, I will mark the attempt, follow the shooter up and down and then take a quick glance to the basket to indicate if the shot is successful or not. I then look back to the shooter to see if there's any late contact. Should I be doing something different here?

Thanks!

[Ignats75]

GJV yesterday. My partner was definitely ball watching. He called a held ball in my PCA that I was passing on because one player was pulling the ball out. He killed the play . At halftime I mentioned that I was intentionally passing on the call in my PCA. He started to get defensive/explain his side of it. I dropped it and didn't give him any other input. Second half, we had two double whistles. FIrst one, we came togewther and without hearing his side I firmly said, "Its my Primary, we're going with a foul, not a travel." Second one I didn't even get with him when when he called held ball, I just said out loud, "No. I had a travel first." He never got any of the hints. Hope I don't see him again this year. Nice guy. Poor ref.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by Welpe

A couple of situations where I'm wondering if my fellow official noticed what I was doing and felt I was ball watching too much. I'd appreciate any feedback on these:

I've been trying to feel out where the ball is to know if I should have on-ball coverage or not by using occasional, quick glances towards the ball. Is this a bad idea?

Ball watching means you're following the ball and not your PCA.

It sounds as if you're almost trying to NOT see the ball. There's no reason for that. Knowing where the ball is and being able to see it is not ball watching. You should stay wide enough to officiate your area but still be able to see the ball in most situations and offer your partner(s), help if needed.

Also, I find while at lead and a player attempts a 3-point shot, I will mark the attempt, follow the shooter up and down and then take a quick glance to the basket to indicate if the shot is successful or not. I then look back to the shooter to see if there's any late contact. Should I be doing something different here?

You either have the shot or the shooter, not both. Trust your partner(s).

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

You either have the shot or the shooter, not both. Trust your partner(s).

I was under the impression that in 2-person mechanics, that if the three point attempt is in your primary, you are responsible for indicating if it is successful or not. Am I wrong about that?

Thanks folks for the feedback, that is just what I was looking for.

[Cobra]

Originally Posted by Welpe

I was under the impression that in 2-person mechanics, that if the three point attempt is in your primary, you are responsible for indicating if it is successful or not. Am I wrong about that?

Yes. Also the trail will mirror the lead's sucessful 3 point goal signal.

[iiicream]

I am an evaluator for our association (my first year doing only evaluations). I see many officials ball watching. The main reason I find for this is that the official doesn't trust his/her partner(s). Also some officials think they have to watch the ball action and not off-ball action. Usually in lower level games there is not much post play or screens happening so the official gets bored and feels they must 'help out' the partner(s). Watching PCA is a discipline we must all have in 2010.

[chseagle]

Shouldn't the only ones watching the ball all the time be the scorer, timer, & shot clock operator?

Of course only when the ball's live or about to become live

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by Welpe

I was under the impression that in 2-person mechanics, that if the three point attempt is in your primary, you are responsible for indicating if it is successful or not. Am I wrong about that?

No, you're not wrong. But there are ways to know if the shot was good without looking at the basket.

[Juulie Downs]

One more suggestion to learn watching off-ball. Record college games off TV until there is an off-ball foul call (should be at least one good solid one every game, imo). After the whistle, report, reset, stop the recording device, rewind back to well before the foul. Watch the game again until that whistle. Keep rewinding-replaying until you SEE THE WHOLE PLAY BEFORE THE FOUL and could actually blow the whistle before the officical did.

This is also a great excuse to keep watching bball on TV when the spouse thinks you should be cleaning the gutters, walking the dog or doing the dishes. "I'm studying to advance my career!"

[cmathews]

Originally Posted by Welpe

"Watching balls go by."

Well according to a fellow official that was waiting for his game after mine, I was doing a bit of ball watching outside of my PCA. He didn't offer any specific details after I asked but said he noticed I was doing it at both lead and trail. We don't often get other officials observing us so this is good information to hear. I thought I was doing a good job of focusing in my area too as I was picking up off ball contact and talking with the post players at lead but maybe not as well as I thought.

Does anybody have any tips to ensure you are staying in your PCA?

We have 1 evaluator in our area that always says we all are ball hawking. This is from the very best officials we have to the ones working their first varsity game. When I started hearing this I started watching guys, and I think this is part of the problem. 1) yes sometimes guys do watch the ball, and should concentrate on PCA, but not always. There are times that the ball is "behind" your PCA and while watching the PCA you also are "facing the ball" giving the perception that you are watching it while in reality, it just happens to also be in your line of sight.
IMHO

[grunewar]

Welpe - I find that I get into the "bad habit" of ball watching when I do a lot of Wreck Ball with none-so-experienced officials.

I find when I get to my HS games a good pregame gets my mind straight and I work really hard in that area. Sometimes I catch myself and concentrate real hard not to do it....and of course my partners will tell me if I'm having issues in that area. It's an area of my game I constantly work on.

For me; More Rec = More Ball watching.

[tomegun]

Watch the defense and find competitive match-ups in your primary. Find the numbers of the defenders in your primary and know what they are doing.

[bob jenkins]

[QUOTE=Welpe;647387Does anybody have any tips to ensure you are staying in your PCA?[/QUOTE]

Make some "play-byplay" announcer talk to your self. "Her's blue 21 coming to set a screnn -- that was legal. Now blue 21 is rolling to the basket --white 15 is contacting him but not impeding -- no foul. Oh -- they're getting ready for a rebound -- blue 13 has good position. White 3 has his hands in blue's back -- there's the displacement and no rebound. Tweet."

[jdmara]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Make some "play-byplay" announcer talk to your self. "Her's blue 21 coming to set a screnn -- that was legal. Now blue 21 is rolling to the basket --white 15 is contacting him but not impeding -- no foul. Oh -- they're getting ready for a rebound -- blue 13 has good position. White 3 has his hands in blue's back -- there's the displacement and no rebound. Tweet."

I agree with Bob. Talk with yourself. One of the outstanding college officials that worked with me this summer stood behind me and talked outloud so I could hear what he "would be saying in his head". It's improved my game tremendously, especially on traveling violations.

-Josh

[KJUmp]

Originally Posted by jdmara

I agree with Bob. Talk with yourself. One of the outstanding college officials that worked with me this summer stood behind me and talked outloud so I could hear what he "would be saying in his head". It's improved my game tremendously, especially on traveling violations.

-Josh

Bob/Josh
Thanks for a great tip. As a 2nd yr. it's a part of my game where I no where close to being pleased with my progress in this area.
However, I've learned from reading some of the vets replies to the OP, that it's something that even the very experienced refs can slip into, and that evaluators at all levels are looking to see if you're guilty of doing it....whether they're evaluating newbies like me or seasoned vets.