Game Management
 

Much of goes on in a game regarding making the call or not depends on alog of issues., Our school system runs girls and boys Bball at the same time. Any suggestions on how to call a basketball game and discuss it during pre-game as in a 3 man crew when:

1) Doing boys HS Varsity a top 3 seed team versus bottom 3 seed of 12 teams.
2) Doing girls HS Varsity a top 3 seed team " " '

I personally rather not ref a girls game but neither does anyone else. Suggestions be helpful.

Pretend you don't know anything about the seeding and just call the game.

jmo

I think it depends on the coach and players. They might know they'll have a tough or easy game. You know the coaches.

But in general,

Don't miss travels on either team (perhaps on one team more than the other) and don't miss frustration fouls (perhaps on one team more than the other).

You may get more blocked shot or plays close to a GT/BI. Be alert on these plays with an explanation ready. Prep communication with coaches.


That's what I've had coaches mention, if the do say anything at all, in these types of games. They just want to know that you called a fair game.

I'm just curious why this would be something you'd consider significant. I could see something like "protect the shooter", but why do you think getting all these is important to this type of game?

When in Rome....

Around here, it's expected that some marginal stuff gets overlooked in favor of the team getting it handed to them. One of the most consistent and early critiques I received was, "That was a travel, but you might want to let it go in this game."

So you're working a girls' game. Think this attitude comes across to any of the players or coaches? Just thinking maybe you're setting yourself up for some issues before the game even starts.

I hope not. I try to hide it as best I can, myself.

Just mentioning that it the games I've done that match the OP, the losing coach complained about the winning team traveling a lot. He could be insinuating that the supposed "travels' make it difficult for his team to compete.

It's likely going to go in the other direction if it's a blowout. I may have to adjust my traveling filter if one team can't bring it up the floor without traveling - otherwise, we'll suck whatever life there is (and if it's a huge blowout, probably litte-to-none already) right out of the game.

Yes - for some the travel filter for the losing team may be lightened.

But where are traveling complaints going to come from? The coach winning by 40 isn't going to complain if the losing team travels. I'm just saying that a losing coach won't say much to you if you don't miss the winning team travels. (Assuming this isn't the rare game with zero travels.)

I see what you're saying now. Another game management lesson I learned just last week which I'm still thinking about - we had a team getting beat by about 15 in the waning minutes of the game, and I was working with 2 very respected college officials. Game was going fine - no issues with the officiating. With under a minute left, I was new lead in transition on a breakaway for the team that was losing and the lone defender was very athletic and playing excellent defense all the way down and was able to get great position as the player stopped and jumped for a 3 footer that missed. The coach was up wanting a foul and is in my C's ear. There's a stoppage for a violation and the coach is asking me why there wasn't a foul and I just tell him it was great defense. Game ends.

As I'm walking to the dressing room with my partner, who was the C getting an earful, he says I might have just called the foul at that point in the game. It wouldn't have affected the outcome and the coach would be content. I told him it wasn't a foul. He said that coach never gets up and complains and he was up in my ear and a foul would have prevented him from getting upset and it wouldn't have hurt the game. Game management.

I get what he said, but I'm still thinking about it. He's a big dog in the association. While it shouldn't matter, it still does.

This lack of integrity is appalling.

I disagree with others because I think knowing where teams are ranked or conference standings can be very good to know. However, this is informational only and would give you an idea that a contest may be more meaningful or vital in the standings to the teams involved. You would never alter how you referee or do anything differently based on this information though.

If that contact/no contact was on film/video, what would it show?

If it clearly showed no foul, and said coach watched it with you, how would he react? If you ask him directly, "do you want me to contravene my integrity and call a non-existent foul?", what would he say?

I think, after the fact, he would be fine, but I don't think that's the point. I think the point was it was a heat of the moment kind of thing that could have been diffused with a call. A game management tool. This was the takeaway I was supposed to get from it.

Could it have been a foul in another game? Maybe - there was contact. Would it have been a foul at any other time in this game? No.