Basketball help
 

I have been doing some rec ball lately and several times my partner and I have forgotten who is shooting. especially on a bonus situation.

What do you guys suggest I can do to help fix this problem. I have look in the rule books for proper mechanic or procedure of what to do after blowing a whistle on a foul call. Unfortunately, I can not find any section that teaches the proper procedure after blowing whistle on a foul call for both shooting and non-shooting.

So my question is what should we do after the whistle is blown for a foul call (shooting & non-shooting)?

On every foul you call, grab two numbers: the person that committed the foul, and the person who was fouled. In that order.

And then do that if you're the calling official and non-calling official, in the same order.

Go watch a game or two of five and practice this while watching your colleagues.

Slow down, take your time, observe both players involved in the play. After calling a foul, don't be in a hurry to get to the table to report the foul. Also, communicate and make eye contact with your partner.

When the foul occurs tell your partner verbally who the shooter is. (#10 is my shooter). Verbally saying the number may help you remember. Mainly as said above, take your time and don't be in a rush to accomplish everything.

I dont have my officials manual at the moment, but I believe that there is a procedure something along the lines of:

Whistle, state the foul, state the consequence, state the restart.

In other words, color, #, foul, consequence - at the spot. If you communicate properly you and your partner(s) should know what happens next.

For example - at the spot - red, 32, hold, 55 white shoots 2 ....

I try to make eye contact with my partner while stating this. No problems.

*Slow down (as was already mentioned).
*Follow the NFHS officiating manual, which calls for you to give the color/number of the player who commited the foul at the spot. Get onto Arbiter's NFHS site and watch the training videos.
*Remind yourself constantly after one or both teams has six fouls that the next foul will be shots, unless it's a TC. That way you burn it into your head to find the shooter.
*When you find the shooter, say his/her number loud and proud. You'll remember, your partner will hear you and so will everyone else. If you yell out "15 white is the shooter!" the chance that 32 white walks to the line should be reduced.

Pointer Sisters ...
 

For me, as the calling official, I point to the shooter and verbally say "shooter" to my partner. Verbally saying the number sometimes confuses me. Seriously. As the noncalling official I'm always identifying the shooter. As a crew, we have to be aware of the sixth foul, on each team, in each half. It helps to also know when the ninth foul on each team occurs in each half.

Not to mention your partner who is trying to focus on the player who fouled.

I just point to the shooter and say "I've got your shooter" and don't release until I see his number. But I won't verbalize it unless asked by the calling or administering official after reporting.

In addition to what's above, start getting your shooter on the 5th or 6th foul -- better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. (This will really help if the table told you it was the 5th foul last time, but now realizes this foul is the 7th.)


"I've got your shooter, if we're in the bonus".

Also, communicate with your partner when it is the 6th foul so you can both be sure to get the shooter next time. Ask the table to tell you on the 6th -- too many wait until the 7th and you are "surprised"