Table Reporting question/First game report
 

I am just getting into basketball officiating after a long stint in baseball. When you guys report to the table, do you use the same hand (either right or left for numbers) all the time, or do you switch based on where in the reporting area you are reporting from?

BTW, had first game last week. 8th Grade G/B. Both games went pretty smooth. Had one call I think I blew in retrospect. Player catches outlet pass and is turning up the floor and dribbles extremely hard. The player misses the dribble on it's way up and it goes at least 6 feet over his head. He takes about 3 steps running under it and catches the dribble at a stop. It just looked so wrong that I blew the whistle instincively and signaled a traveling violation. After I made the call (nobody complained), I thought more about this play and think I missed on this one. Can anyone enlighten me on this? Would this be covered by the wording that I read which stated in essence, cannot travel during a dribble?

I did actually bail my partner out on one call in the boys game (He had been calling basketball for a few years but seemed to have more questions about rules/mechanics than I did, which I have to admit was not confidence inspiring). I was administering a two shot foul early in the 3rd quarter. I had just bounced the ball to white 32 to shoot the first of two shots. As he released the ball, one of white's players ran out on the floor right in front of my partner. He calls the T for unbeckoned substitute. He then wanted to go shoot the Technical foul shots at the other end. I met him and informed him that we still needed to administer the second foul shot for white, then let black shoot their 2 on the other end and give black the ball at the division line. A couple trips up the floor later, I noticed that white had 0 team fouls on the scoreboard. On the next dead ball I informed the table that we should have a team foul for the technical on white. The scorer said that my partner told them it was not a team foul in that situation. My partner's reply was that he thought personals were the only fouls that counted as team fouls. I said that it should count toward team and personal for that player since it was direct. We got it fixed at the table after that.

Felt good when the losing coach of the boy's game came up to me after the game and told me I did a great job and complemented me on my hustle (he was unaware that I was new, which I guess is as good a complement as I could get).

Congrats on poppin the cherry, hope the rest of your career progresses well from here. Sounds like you did a good job and held up your end
If you're gonna take coaches' accolades to heart, do the same when a rampaging fool calls you the absolute worst effing ref in history. Of course you won't cause we all know HE works in my state.

Righty, Tighty, Lefty, Loosey....
 

I always use my right hand as I'm a righty and more coordinated and it feels more comfortable.

That being said, I try to use my other hand/arm when making other calls like signalling a violation, marking an out of bounds spots, and showing direction, therefore, maybe I can work in to being more ambidextrous in the future.

Welcome aboard!

I use either hand -- even for reporting the number ;)

I switch hands to report the numbers, depending on which direction I'm going to indicate the ball is going when I'm done reporting the foul. It took me awhile to adjust to doing it this way, but my HS assignor thinks it looks more fluid and less like "a traffic cop."

I always use my right hand for giving numbers. (I try to use either hand for indication direction after an out of bounds.)

Two things to remember on this play.

1) You are right, it's impossible to travel during a dribble (no matter how shi@@y the dribble is, as one of my camp clinicians put it).

2) With one exception (which I've never personally seen happen), you can't travel unless you are HOLDING the ball.

Since your "high dribble" scenario fails both of these reminders, it could not have been traveling. So it was a bad call, but good for you for recognizing it and understanding why. Now, after just one game, I'm willing to bet that you will never make that mistake again.

Good luck on the rest of your season. Sounds like a good start.

Good job: I'll just add two things.
1. High dribbles are just that, high dribbles. Nothing illegal about them, and the player could have continued his dribble legally had he not caught it.

2. Technicals don't count as "personal" fouls, they count as total fouls towards dq. It's a semantics issue, but it's important to understand the distinction between technical fouls and personal fouls.

Tune In Next Week, Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel ...
 

A cliffhanger on the Forum? C'mon. The suspense is killing me. Please elaborate.

(Traveling is moving a foot or feet in any direction in excess of prescribed limits
while holding the ball.)

He probably told you to ditch the metal whistle and white gloves, too, right?;)

I see what you are saying about the wording, but as far as telling the book/table, do you not tell them to count it against the players personal foul total to simplify for the table crew?


On which hand to report with, I have had a local assignor (not from my association) tell me he wants his guys to signal closed fist, open palm, 3 point attempt and report #'s to table with the hand closest to the division line at that time. My assignor has not specified to me a preference.

Oh I understand that it can turn on a dime. I had a baseball coach tell me after a game that I was the best ball/strike umpire he had seen at the HS level. The next year, he tells me that my strike zone was "floating all night long". I reminded him of his comment the previous year and asked if he considered the fact that since I was the constant and his pitcher was the variable, maybe he should talk to his guy toeing the rubber. (The guy the year before was a stud [drafted out of HS], the pitcher the second year shouldn't have been pitching above JV level).

By the way, I now coach HS baseball and softball (why I am turning to basketball for an officiating outlet).

I can beat that; during one of my first years doing hs ball working a sophomore game, I had a visiting coach tell me at half time that it was the best game he'd seen officiated at that level.

After the game, he said we were the worst officials he'd seen all year.

You can guess which team gave up the half time lead to lose the game.

You know (or should know) this.

Just tell the table "it counts towards his 5."
1. you avoid the semantic error.
2. It takes less time.
3. It uses less oxygen (which is at a premium where I ref).

Which Hand?
 

Some of us here use the hand on the side of the bench of the team which committed the foul, while also communicating the team color and number ("Blue foul...number eleven"). Took about five games to get used to a couple of years ago. Purely natural now. This also avoids the otherwise popular and oft-construed as accusatory point to the bench which committed the foul. Table is informed of this prior to the game. Some "table officials" mention how this use of which hand helps clarify for them which team is credited with the foul.
Is this common in other areas?

Freddy, this idea would actually be highly useful in noisy gyms.

Why say "foul"? You wouldn't be over there giving a number unless you were reporting a foul. Why say "number"? Just give the number. "Blue, eleven" and give the signal for the infraction (no need to verbalize). JMHO

Maybe not the Best Reason, but...
 

"Blue foul, eleven" was rammed into my head by one particular camp clinician over the course of several years (same camp UP Mick attended regularly, if anyone out there knew him). Your helpful critique prompts me to say that I don't say the word "number," just give the number while signifying fingerly.
I appreciate your response, Scrapper1.

I have never heard this. It does make sense. But, I don't switch my spare whistle from pocket to pocket to mirror the AP arrow, either.

Hint: Start with a player lying/sitting/kneeling on the floor...

That's generally what I do, but I don't kn ow of the table notices it, and I don't make a point to tell them

Thanks For The Hint ...
 

You mean the one where the player, on the ground with the ball, places the ball on the floor, stands up, and picks up the ball? Thanks for the hint Camron Rust. I never would have gotten it without your help.

Are You Deaf ??? Oh ??? Sorry !!! Nevermind ...
 

Our local board officiates games at a high school for the deaf (great basketball program). In some cases one of the teams is not hearing impaired, but often both teams, and their scorekeepers, are hearing impaired. When officiating these games we start out by pointing to the offending bench before reporting the foul.

Connecticuters ???
 

In my little corner of Connecticut it's, "Blue. One. One. Push." I realize that the NFHS, and IAABO, mechanics manual states to only signal, not verbalize, the infraction. I also realize that there has been debate on the Forum regarding, "One. One.", or, "Eleven.", but as St. Ambrose said, "When in Connecticut, do as Connecticuters do.", or something like that.

Even back door Connecticuters?

When In . . .
 

Or as Shishmaref Ref would say, "When in Nome, do as the Nomans do."

Haven't heard from our westernmost officiating buddy for a while on this board. Hope all's well with him. He officiates in what has to be absolutely the most widespread conference in the USA, the Bering Straits School District. Amazing travel logistics!

Heard one of his sled dogs blew out a couple of toenails and he got to a game late last week.

I like this, but would it even be better to say, "it counts toward his five and the team's ten"?

Unless they are already at 10.

There are actually two situations when you can call traveling without holding the ball.

Are you the guy who comes on here selling shoes?

I'll bite; what's the other one?

Same one, when it happens on Saturday night. ;)

How about a pass to ones self. (4.44.3SitD (b).

1) There's no such thing as a pass to oneself. A pass is specifically defined as ball movement from one player to another player.

2) Many of us think that interpretation is incorrect and the proper infraction is actually an illegal dribble, since the ball didn't strike the floor between bats.

Think what you will. Rules is rules.

Yep, and the rules allow for a call of illegal dribble, yet a travel here is a stretch of the rules.

I'm used to everyone around here using the right hand for numbers, signaling the foul as well as verbalizing it.

Ed, rules are rules. But you're basing your post on a case play, not a rule. The rule says HOLDING the ball.

The case play is wrong. It's a contradiction of the rule. For years, the case play was correct, in that the ruling was an illegal dribble. Then some know-it-all board member read the play and incorrectly decided it was traveling.

Also, the example of being on the floor, placing the ball on the floor, standing and picking the ball up is traveling still requires that the ball be held.

You cannot travel unless you are holding the ball.

Yup, it isn't a travel until the ball is held. Just touching the ball is nuthin'.