Whatcha got?
 

At the end of last season I ran into several fellow officials at different places and different times and we always seemed to share stories about our respective seasons. I, for one, enjoyed telling stories about some of the interesting or goofy stuff that had happened and sureashell* enjoyed listening to others tell theirs. I thought it would be a good idea if other officials in our association got together and shared with one another some stories that could be used as teaching tools, kind of like a season debrief with an educational slant. Unfortunately it never came off. So I'm hoping some folks here would be willing to share their stories or experiences in the following categories:

Successes (Struggled, then nailed it!) What worked?

Screw ups (Doh!)

Finally got to apply...

Break-through moments (Oh, now I understand.)

Funny business (Not on my watch!)

I was in the soup, here's why, and here's how I got out of it.

I was in the soup, here's why, and I didn't (couldn't) get out of it.

Ack! I should have known that...

I wish we pre-gamed thaaaat.

Practical application of what the book says. For example: three seconds, leaving the court for unauthorized reasons, etc.

*Tip of the cap to JR

Big thanks to anyone who takes the time to share.

Well I will take the above one....one of my goals to start the year was if/when I call a T on a coach was to quickly report the T and then to move to administer the FTs. In the past I've loitered too long either around the bench or the reporting area after the T and (sometimes) felt the need to inform the coach the loss of the box. I like to say I've grown out of the mentality of always getting in the last word with a coach in this situation, but some aspects it's still there. So my goal was to bury this habit once and for all....

Fast forward to an early season GV game. Coach for visiting team is getting annoyed at the fact his team is falling behind and instead of coaching he's chirping. Minute into the fourth quarter and we have a 20 point game. I'm trail opposite the table on a rebounding situation. Visiting player commits a foul from behind on a rebound and I call the foul. As I'm about to report the foul coach comes on the court to (loudly) complain about the call. I put the whistle back in my mouth and call the T.

Partner and I come together (like we pregamed for) and he has got my shooter on the rebound (we were in a bonus situation). So we get our order correct and go shoot some FTs.

Right as the FTs were being shot I realized I forgot to report the original rebounding foul...d'oh....hey no problem it was quiet in the gym I will just get the tables attention from the lead position to report the foul as all we are doing is shooting FTs. No need to head over to the reporting area as opposing coach is still unhappy. So I look at the score keeper and simply call out either table or book to get his attention. He is still staring down at the book. Repeat from me 2-3 times with a stronger voice each time and he still isn't paying attention. Finally get his attention which some people thought could have been a yell, but was just my commanding/forceful voice and off we go.

So I do everything I wanted to do..call the T, huddle with partner and move to spot without any additional emotion, but I forget to call the original foul before the T. I never do that and then compound it by trying to rectify my mistake by trying to report the from the baseline assuming the book was paying attention with what some people could assume was an 'emotional' voice/tone. Lesson learned and my one 'big' error on the year. Something to laugh about at the end of the year and learn from for the future.

Like The Back Of Your Hand ...
 

Know the correctable error rule backward, forward, and inside out. Hope that you will never have to use it, but if needed, make sure that you correct the error properly because two wrongs don't make a right in basketball.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3117/3...1520c5cc_m.jpg

Wait? I'm Being Told ... What? Never Mind ...
 

Not once, but twice, in thirty-two years, after a shot goes up, as the lead, I see the ball go out of bounds, on my endline, and make the wrong call. Once because I thought that the ball went in, when it didn't. Another time because I thought that the ball didn't go in, when it actually did.

Both times, my partner, the trail, had to bail me out. Hey. At least, as the lead, I was keeping my eyes down, and not watching the flight of the ball. That's a positive. Right?

How's it go again? Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on me?

Screw ups (Doh!)

I am doing a game (14U) in Vegas for the Adidas 64 tournament. First 3 pointer of the game the kid goes up shots and misses and comes down and the defender put a hand in his stomach and pushes him to the ground. I call a shooting foul and as I report the coach asks kindly isnt that a foul after he finishes the attempt. I tell him I was distracted by out stupid the foul was and he is right and thank him for bringing it to my attention. I should have stopped the shots and gone with the ball out of bounds. I think one of the hardest things to judge is in the shooting motion or attempt is finished then a foul. I hope I get better at it.

Thanks to those of you who shared your stories.

My Doh! was similar to BillyMac's. I was L and a shot went up. I thought it was a swish but it turns out it was not. B1 grabs the ball and looks at me. I tell him "Let's go." He takes the ball OOB and passes to B2. A1, who had been chippy during the game loses it. "You have got to be kidding me! G-D it!" Whack!. I didn't find out it was an airball until I was explaining the T to his coach, of which he quietly and politely informed me. Doh!

Question for the group: This thread doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Are there too many topics in one thread or are the topics themselves just uninteresting? :o

I'd be glad to break them up if folks wanted it that way. I have become a MUCH better official as a result of learning on this forum and I posted this thread to learn more from the experiences of others.

The "The Worst Error You've ever made reffing a game?" thread seemed to have some good traction and I've learned some things in that one.

*I'm glad that the thread I started has been enlightening for you as it has been entertaining and enlightening for me also. When I mentor younger refs it's good to see--and quite humbling--to find that we all came from the same place: "lots of enthusiasm, but limited knowledge". I can't tell you how many times after a game that on the drive back home I have reflected on "calls" that I made---sometimes pleased with myself, yet other times critical of myself. I guess, that's how we grow.