Help With This Situation

[Hawks Coach]

Trail may have seen a shot released after the horn, which presents the interesting possibility that the player may have been fouled in the act but the shot would not have counted. Once the player commences his shooting motion, you can have a shooting foul. If the foul on the shooter occurred before the buzzer and the shot was released after the buzzer, the shot does not count but the shooter still gets two FTs. And the lane would be cleared.

IMO, trail should not have had an opinion on this play because he doesn't know when the foul that lead is calling occurred with respect to the horn. All he knows is when the contact he saw or the shot occurred. That is not relevant.

[klancie]

This is a helpful topic to me as a new official. What, then, is the best thing to do in this situation as either the the trail or lead?

If I'm the trail, and I'm going to wipe off the layup, should I hesitate just a second to wait for a possible call from the lead? Or should I wipe it off immediately and then have a conference with the lead if he calls a foul?

If I'm the lead, I think it's clear that I should call a foul on the layup if I see it. Should I make an immediate call, or hesitate a second to see what my partner is going to do?

[w_sohl]

Originally posted by coachmjw
I also officiate - I call the foul look at the clock and heard the horn - see the game is tied. I don't make the foul call - say overtime. Ref's know the situation and use common sense.

So by doing this you have just decided the outcome of the game, as a coach isn't this what you complain about officials doing all the time? If an airborne shooter is fouled even after the horn has sounded they will be shooting fouls. It is not our job to do what the coaches think is fair but what the rules dictate are fair.

[SamNVa]

I think that it is pretty obvious that the foul occured before the horn sounded. Here's my reasoning;

- most referees that I know do a mental reset when they hear the horn sound, so if the referee wasn't blowing the whistle when the horn sounded, he would not have blown it (for the foul) at all.

- if he was in the process of calling the foul when the horn sounded, then given human reaction time, the foul must have occured at least 1 to 2 tenths of a second before the horn sounded.

All in all I'd say it ws a good call.

AOEAMO,
SamC