Travel much?
 

Austin Rivers


Maybe APG can embed it. I couldn't get it to work.</EMBED>

A lot of interesting comments with the clip. I only saw one I liked.

+1

Objectivity Notice- I grew up a UNC fan, then went to the Univ. of Maryland SO I've hated Dook for at least 23 of the 33 years I've been alive.

On the other side of the coin. I am an official who does not like to guess on travels and would much rather err on the side of not calling what might be a travel instead of calling one that isnt.

All that said, you HAVE to call at least 2 or 3 of those. You simply CANNOT defend a guy when he's allowed to reposition his pivot foot like that before he puts the ball down.

Must be something in the water...or the Men's D-I meetings
 

I'm a Big East guy so I don't like any of 'em ;)

Over the past few years I've come to the conclusion D-I men's coaches must have told their conference supervisors they don't want travel calls on the perimeter when offensive players aren't under heavy pressure (i.e., facing a double team). That's the only way I can explain it.

It drives me nuts because H.S. kids see this and then look at you like you've lost your mind when you call them for doing it. My travel moments of the season:

*A1 catches ball at the FT line with his back to the basket. He turns to face the basket by jumping...and complains when I call him for a travel
*A1 on three straight possessions catches the ball on the perimeter and then moves both feet without dribbling to get a better passing angle...then complains when the whistle blows
*A1 catches ball in rhythm to shoot a jumper on back-to-back possessions but takes four steps to set himself...and almost gets a T when I tell him that's not legal

But again, we're our own worst enemies. In the last example the coach approached me at halftime and said he knew the calls were correct but I was one of the few officials who called the kid for doing it. Normally I wouldn't believe a coach but given what we've all seen I had no reason not to.

At least he's consistent! ;)

Should have specified...those were three different games!

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Answer from the top...
 

So I e-mailed John Adams and told him I'm trying to figure out how the plays weren't called traveling violations since it makes it tough for me to enforce at the lower levels and also to explain to my own kids.

Here's the response: So much for that.

But again, we're our own worst enemies. In the last example the coach approached me at halftime and said he knew the calls were correct but I was one of the few officials who called the kid for doing it. Normally I wouldn't believe a coach but given what we've all seen I had no reason not to.[/QUOTE]



This happens to me more often on calling a carry. It almost seems as if every HS PG thinks it is ok to carry the ball on his crossover move. And how many times have I heard that he has been "getting away" with it all season after I call it.
I almost feel guilty for being that ref.

Being 'just a high school ref' If I see a travel, I call it. I can grasp possibly that a minor travel that is neither an advantage or disadvantage would be passed on at this level. I thinks it's fair to say that they are not missing these, but philosophically chose not to call them, which is a whole other topic.

To my point, the first travel is pretty egregious, yet no advantage is gained.

It seems there is an advantage gained on the first one. Rivers gets a chance to gain space from his defender and set himself up in a triple-threat position without dribbling the ball.

We say it - and hear it - a lot: if we make the calls, the kids will adjust. If they don't, their coaches will find someone who can adjust.

The only ones that need to be called IMO are the ones where the defender is engaged with him and he fakes right while lifting his pivot (usually left) foot. That is a travel that gives him a very definite advantage.

Couple of things:

Violations, by rule, do not take advantage/disadvantage into account.

If he's not gaining an advantage, all the more reason he could stop doing it.

But if it's not called, he will never stop doing it, and neither will the multitudes of great high school players who see it on tv.

Doesn't mean it isn't used...easiest example is a three second violation. Almost no one here calls a three second violation the instant a player is in the lane for three seconds with team control and ball having frontcourt status....and you know what, they aren't expected to either.

I love watching JV games where the officials call 5-6 3-second violations, all of which were technically correct by rule and yet not quality calls.