Primary Coverage area
 

Discussion at my last Officials meeting on dealing with coaches when asked why a call was not made when its in my partner's primary.

Any advice on dealing with coaches on this question?

Why is it a sensitive issue when one official makes a call outside of his primary area?

"Coach, he had a great look at that play, you'll have to ask him what he saw."

1. Because you're usually wrong, no matter how sure you are.
2. Because you're undermining your partner who, for all you know, saw the play and had a reason for passing on any call.
3. Because if you're watching your partner's primary, who's watching yours?

"Coach, he had a great look at the play it in his primary. Ask him when you get a chance."

As a general rule, I do not explain calls I did not see or I am not sure why something was called or not called.

I think this depends on where and who you officiate with and where and who made a call. Almost anything in the lane is fair game for most officials as the angles change and each official can make a call. For the lead to call something at the division line is another story. And when you are wrong (which you often are wrong when calling completely out of your primary) it then changes the expectations of the other officials to call something they "think" took place in another area. Coaches often do not understand what we are looking at and if you call something that out of your area they will expect this all game.

Peace

"Coach, I was watching a matchup in my area. I trust him to do the same."

1. Because you're usually wrong, no matter how sure you are.
2. Because you're undermining your partner who, for all you know, saw the play and had a reason for passing on any call.
3. Because if you're watching your partner's primary, who's watching yours?


If you're working the plate in a baseball game, are you going to make a call at second base?

If you working as a back judge in a football game, are you going to call roughing the passer.

Basketball is no different. Each official has his area of the court to officiate.

Trust your partner.

Repeat after me:

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

And I shouldn't have been looking in there anyway.



Starting my 24th season, and I still say that to myself on occasion.

There's An Elephant In This Room ???
 

Sometimes, rarely, very rarely, very very rarely, you can't ignore the four hundred pound gorilla on the court. Maybe your partner was checking out the hot mom in the fourth row?

Perhaps he was watching your area, since he knew you would be watching his? :eek:

Maybe Once A Season ???
 

Good point. But sometimes you can look through your area and see part of your partner's area in your field of vision. Plus we are supposed to be aware of where the ball is, and where our partner is, and in doing so, we may see that gorilla, or elephant, when our partner is getting some pixie dust out of his eye.

I was, of course, being a little silly. ;)

As well as what you have said, if there are no matchups in your area, you are supposed to expand into your partner's area and referee the matchups away from the ball. Plus each official has secondary areas where he is expected to blow (e.g., if the L goes wide to cover a matchup at the three point line, T extends and picks up the post).

+1

Remember our main objective is to get calls right! Sometimes we have to go outside of our PCA for the good of the GAME. Officials that are in it for the GAME understand this & generally thank their partners for having their backside covered.

Many plays during the GAME should be refereed using a team officiating concept. There are front & back sides to screening plays... I've noticed that officials who attend camps regularly & work at higher levels are more open to this mindset.

I was told to follow the 3 Bs when going outside of my PCA:
1. BE late (give the proper official an opportunity to make the call)
2. BE needed (dont go fishing for a marginal violation/incidental contact)
3. BE right (no explanation needed)

My only quibble is with newer officials. The OP is a newer official, and in my opinion, they really need to focus on learning how to stay in their primary. The ability to see elephants outside the primary comes with experience.

Agreed. Rookies (and all of us were once rookies) ballhawk. They don't have the discipline and understanding to stay in their area.

Absolutely Snaqs!!
We must first discipline ourselves to referee effeciently in our own PCA before assisting our partners.

I just wanted the OP to know that there are exceptions to the "dont call in MY area, rookie" mindset.

And I think the others were rightly disagreeing with you: if you're really addressing a rookie, then that's substantively good advice (depending on tone of voice). Rookies should probably never call outside of their area; better to miss a few in a MS girls game than end up a ballhawk (good term!) and be stuck doing MS girls forever.

Extremely good advice (as usual).

Another way to think of all of this is: PRIMARY doesn't mean ONLY. Otherwise, they'd call it the "Only Coverage Area."