Oddest plays of the year
 

I realize mine are probably pretty mild compared to others out there, but I have had three incidents this year that were unique to my officiating experience. This is my fifth year.

Twice this year, I've had a ball come to a complete rest on the flat, flange of the rim. The first was in a boys' varsity game. It occurred on a partially blocked shot. It slowly rolled back-and-forth across the flange before coming to a complete rest. Once it stopped, we blew it dead and went to the possession arrow. It seemed like it took forever for the ball to come to a complete rest although it was only a few seconds. A player for the team that was trailing by a few points at the time (final minute of the game) asked if we could put 17 seconds back on the clock. :) Of course we didn't.

The other ball resting on the flange incident occurred on the first of a two-shot FT attempt in a varsity girls' game. We simply got the ball back down and shot the second FT.

The third odd incident for me was when I blew a play dead for a violation. It was a varsity girls game. A girl making an effort to break up a pass used her fist to punch the ball away. I've seen this rule over the years, but had never seen it in a game until last week. Many of my colleagues that have called for dozens of years say they have never seen it happen in a game.

What odd/unusual plays have been out there this year?

I've had a weird year.

Twice this year I've had a player attempt to throw the ball off an opponent and go OOB only to end up holding the ball while standing OOB. The first had a visitor, falling OOB, attempt to throw it off the home player's leg. It worked, but bounced right into the visiting player's hands after he got OOB. The 2nd, in the same game, was a home thrower on an throw-in, running out of time he tried to throw it off the visiting defender. Again, it bounced right into his hands. Same game, once to each team.

Started a game with free throws for the first time this year. Could have done it twice, but the R on the first game wanted to be generous and start the game with a JB and gave them extra time to get the book right. Ended up shooting free throws when the same team needed to add a player to the book on the first sub of the game.

Called my first violation for a player leaving the court for an unauthorized reason.

Had an IW on the initial jump ball.

Had a JV game go into OT after giving the freshman officials crap for letting their game go into OT.

Called my first violation on a dribbler who stepped OOB while not touching the ball.

No Ts, personally. MY partners, however, have called 3.

2 three second calls for me, the most in a while.

I had to use ROPP for the first time in years.

Mine were administrative, of sorts.....
 

Game 1:

We line up for the National Anthem…..and the student singing live forgets the words. I looked at her and picked it up and the entire crowd now sings the final few stanzas.

Lights go down, players are announced with strobes and such….and then, the lights won’t heat up again and go on. Game delayed 10 minutes until the gym gets bright enough! I'm U1, V coach knows his team is overmatched and asks me if we can start the game in the dark as this may help his team……Funny! :D

Game 2:

Game in a small gym. “How small was it?” Jump ball goes up for JV game. Hit toward out of bounds near Division Line. Blue chases after it and makes a great save throwing the ball over his head with both hands. WHAM! He runs right into a set of wall lockers located adjacent to the floor and against the wall.

“How small was it?” Part 2 - The clock was on the opposite side of the gym from the seats (no table) on top of the wall lockers (above). The operator ran it with a fob from across the gym (I'd never seen that before). Four seconds left before a quarter ended, coach requests a time out. Me, TWEET! Time Out B Coach. Clock went to 2 secs. Me, "I need you to put 4 secs on the clock." Clock operator, "Sure thing." He walks across the floor, takes the clock off the wall lockers, adds 2 seconds and returns to his seat.

Nothing truly bizarre on the court this yr......of course, as of tonight I will have lost 18 games to bad weather, and tomorrow looks bad too!

HS rec game - last few seconds of first half. A1 throws the ball at the basket from almost the opposite FT line. Ball hits A2 in the back of the head, bounces up and goes in the basket just before the horn. Coach A argued that it should have been a 3.

BTW - A1 told the scorer at halftime to give him credit for the basket and to give "A2's head" an assist. :D

Want to make sure I get this right...

If, before the clock runs out, the ball thrown from behind the 3-point line hits a teammate inside the 3-point line and goes in. Two points only.

Same situation, except it hits an opponent inside the 3-point line. Three points?

Clock runs out when thrown ball hits anyone, ball's dead.

Am I correct in all three?

First, I think you mean outside the line, as this was the same as the prior situation otherwise..... And would you consider A2's actions (getting ball throw off his head) a shot attempt?

That one has been heavily debated in the past. Some argued that it would be as you said no matter how the ball was thrown or to what area. Others argued that this would only be the case if the initial trajectory of the ball was towards the basket....that a defender couldn't change what would have been a 3 into a 2 just by touching the ball....but that a defender couldn't also change what was never going anywhere near the basket into a 3 just becasue they deflected it.

The rules were/are a bit ambiguous on the point with one rule saying a thrown ball that goes in is a 3, even if the defense touches it with another rule/case having a situation where it is only a two if it bounces off someone's head into the basket.

I'm in the camp of counting only 2 unless the ball was thrown towards the basket to start....meaning B's touch was more or less just a touch and not a bat of the ball in an entirely new act.

No, he meant inside the line...the difference in the two cases was which team hits the ball while inside the 3-point line.

Yeah, I realized that just after posting again. I thought he was asking about it hitting a teammate who is also behind 3 point line. My bad.....

I agree with Camron on this one. I'm counting 2 either way. Try/throw is over, it's a whole new act and I'll treat it like B1 threw the ball into the wrong basket.

The only way I'm counting this as three is if it hit's A2's head outside the arc before bouncing in the basket.

It is my first season officiating basketball, everything has been strange to me. :D

I wrap up the season with two Freshman boys games tonight.

I had that exact play and ruled it a 2. Clearly a line drive pass parallel to the floor to a teammate in the high post. Deflection inside the arc changed the trajectory and it went in. Ran it by my old interpreter who was on the rules committee recently. He indicated that as I described it, the ruling was correct.

Weird in a funny way, I guess.

GJV.
I'm lead, under the basket.
High rebound and girl (instead of catching it) hits it backcourt like a volleyball serve.

With the whistle in my mouth I kinda laugh under my breath, and my whistle goes "tweet".

Everyone stops and looks, like "what's the call".

I go with IW, and we play on.

I meant a try for a basket.

As for the defense hitting the ball, if a player shoots the ball outside the 3-point line and a defensive player tips the ball, last jumping from inside the line, it still counts as 3.

Wouldn't the same apply if it's a try at basket, comes short and bounces off of an opponent's head, shoulder, or whatever and goes in.

Did you try looking it up? The exact play is detailed in the case book.

Case book play 4-41-4SitB(b)

Knowing when a try ends is pretty fundamental.

As usual, you had it wrong.

Think about it this way for a second:
A1 releases a try from outside the arc. It bounces off the rim and the rebound hits B1's head and goes in the basket. What's your call?

When you put it that way, it makes sense. I got a little confused about it. Thanks Snaqs.

Sometimes it helps to think of a common play for which the same rules apply. We've all seen, at some point, a defender tip a rebound in with his hands.

Never seen this in 15 years.
 

I was watching a BV game which went to OT. Thankfully, I wasn't officiating it!

The ball was tossed and tapped into open space. One of the two opposing players going for it fouled the other. The offended team was in the bonus. The table crew sounded the horn and asked the officials which way to point to the AP arrow. While I have known the rule covering this situation for years, I've never seen it come into play.

Most Unusual Play
 

For me, A Boys Varstity contest.

Visiting Team (team B) is taking ball out of bounds on Home Team (team A) baseline nearest team B bench sideline. Team A defender "toes" the out of bounds line with hands up. This kid is about 6'5" so he's got a wingspan as well. Full court press is on by team A.

Team B thrower is handed the ball. He takes the ball, reaches through the plane and rolls the ball up the defender's chest and back down again!

My Partner blows his whistle, delays with a look of "I ain't never seen nothin' like that" and points in favor of team A!

I've Never seen anything like it. Team A defender "could" have taken the ball, two dribbles along the baseline and a score... but he just stood their with his hands up!


Strange.......

WTH did your partner call? :confused:

I'm still trying to envision exactly what happened. Did he 'roll' it up and down his torso while still holding the ball? Let go of the ball and then take it back?

Hmmm...

Inbounds Play
 

Strangest thing I had this season: A1 inbounding under their own basket. Defender B1 on the ball has his back to the thrower-in trying to clog the middle. A1 throws the ball off B1's back, steps inbounds and makes a lay-up. Not so strange, right? Smart play by A1. Seen it before. The strange part: he did it two more times in the same game, all for lay-ups. Defense never changed. Duh!

Last night - watching BJV prior to our varsity game. Team A behind by 18 late in 2nd quarter. Coach team A puts in his bottom 5 at 1:30 mark. One player A7 is obviously mildly to moderately mentally retarded. Player guarding him giving him lots of room. Not as mean gesture - but is allowing him to catch a ball and make a pass.

A7 gets ball at elbow and B7 backs off him to allow him to shoot. He shoots ball hits rim and comes right back to him. At this point B6 steps in and pressures him - right in his grill. B7 grabs B6 pulls him off A7 and then shoves him to the side. A7 shoots and makes bucket and place goes NUTS! Great moment right?

We go in and change and do pre-game and head out near court. Dressing room is a LONG way away so we generally dress and then wait in a private area where we can look through some glass at the court. Much to our surprise the 18 point defecit has been erased.

Team A comes back and in last 12 seconds ties game. Team B violation on inbound, Team A scores with 1.7 left and wins game by 2 pts. As JV officials running off court, we watch B6 knock B7 down and smack him in face. Coaches trying to pull them apart. Team B coach dressing down B6 saying he doesn't care about the loss - "it was still a classy move on his (B7's) part. It's not always about winning!"

Best moment of my season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)