The Worst Error You've ever made reffing a game?

[BigT]

Game started and the poor kid got the tip and scored in the wrong basket. I then gave the other team the ball, as everyone was confused, and allowed them to try to score. Couldnt believe I didnt process that one correctly.

Another summer high school league and two rivals were playing. A kid got knocked down on a rebound and didnt appreciate it so he grabs the rebounders leg has he starts a break. Easy I have a call and the kid grabbed starts to kick at the kid who fouled him. People start to come off the bench and two guys getting water run onto the court. I didnt eject them. Clearly that would have been my first solid ejection.

Last another game a shorter power forward is getting out rebuonded all game by Dennis Rodman. This time he sees Dennis flying in the air to snag yet another rebound and as he looks up at his trajectory he moves 3 feet so he has no where to land. He of course comes down on this guys back slides to the floor with a massive smack! That is clearly an intentional foul and all I had was a regular foul.

So many lessons learned. Thanks for sharing today.

[Rufus]

Originally Posted by Toren

But I remember distinctly two calls:

First: player goes in for a layup, lays the ball of the glass, defender tries to block it and hits the backboard. The backboard rattles as a result and here comes my whistle...tweet, goaltending. At the time I blew, I knew it wasn't a violation, but I didn't have much experience with above the rim plays, so I blew. Nobody said a word. Luckily enough it was a blow out game.

Secondly: Player A shoots the ball, Team B goes up to secure the rebound, before they grab the ball, Player B gets fouled. Team B is in the bonus. I call the foul, don't award the shot. What makes this worse, is I explained to the coach, "there is no team control on a shot, so that's why you don't get to shoot free throws"...wow, precisely inaccurate is how I would describe that

Frightening in that mine are both in these two scenarios with a bit of a twist:

First: same situation only I called a technical for slapping the backboard (proving that a little knowledge along with a lack of game experience are truly not a good combination).

Second (before team control on inbounds): Coming out of a timeout I remind my partners that team A is in the bonus. On an inbound soon after I hand the ball to B1, watch B2 foul A, call the foul and proceed to give the ball to A for a throw in. Correctable error time and my crew chief bailed us out, but not a fun conversation with B's coach.

First 8th grade game: Team A scores a basket and forms up to press. B1 passes the ball along the endline to B2. This looks really weird. I call a violation and give the ball to Team A. At halftime I check my rulebook and right next to the rule is a red question mark I wrote down a few months earlier indicating I didn't understand what that rule meant. When I came out after halftime, Coach B was waiting for me. Holding a rulebook in his hand.

First varsity game: also my first three-man game, I had a block/charge play which I got right. I was so focused on making the right call that I forgot the number of the player who committed the foul. Reported the wrong number, won't do that again.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by AremRed

I had a block/charge play which I got right. I was so focused on making the right call that I forgot the number of the player who committed the foul.

Most player control (charge) calls here in my little corner of two person Connecticut are taken by the lead. I'm pretty close, but not exact, to the book in my player control signal. I usually take a step, or two, onto the court as I sound my whistle (look at me, I'm about to make a big block/charge call), signal the foul with a fist in the air, put the other hand behind my head for the player control foul, and then point in the other direction for the next possession, while at the same time stating, "Player control. Blue ball". Sometimes I have to use the no basket signal. At this point, for some unknown reason, I have crept up a few more steps off the endline, and with the torso to torso contact, I have yet to see the number the offending player. At this time the two players involved have both fallen to the floor, are usually in a pile on the floor, and they're usually slightly behind me (those little creeping steps add up). Now I have to take a few steps toward the two players to get things sorted out (like a football official separating players after a fumble), and then grab the number before I approach the reporting area. It's never easy, it happens about a dozen times every season, for the past thirty-two years. I've tried to break this bad creeping habit, but old habits, especially bad habits, die hard.

[BillyMac]

I won't go into the details because I've described the play several times on the Forum already. After a successful free throw by Team B, as Team A is bringing the ball up the court against pressure from Team B, I get to a count of ten and call a ten second backcourt violation against Team A. Team A coach goes bananas as he's pointing to the game clock, something about only seven seconds running off the clock since the successful free throw. I have to T him up. On the ride home, discussing the play with my partner, we decide that I probably turned a five second inbound count (maybe three seconds) into a ten second backcourt count (seven more seconds), without resetting in between the two counts. That's why we're supposed to change hands with each separate count.

[grunewar]

Many yrs ago, in one of my first MS games (before even reading the rules and taking the test), I called a 5 second closely guarded violation IN THE BACK COURT! Oh, the horror!

My partner was like,

[Texas Aggie]

Honestly, based on the calls I and partners have made (or not made) and missed, NOTHING comes close to problems caused by others -- usually scorers and timers. I don't mean to pick on these guys because 98% of the time, they do a good job and get it right, but when they mess up, particularly the timer, things go to hell faster than you can say, "I love my mother-in-law."

I was watching a game a few years ago when the timer started the clock when the team doing the throw in passed along the baseline out of bounds. Nobody really noticed the clock starting since everyone was watching the play but when the buzzer went off in 3 seconds rather than 5 or 6, it was obvious something got screwed up. Then, they reset the clock and do it again, only the clock guy set it for 6 MINUTES rather than seconds, and the buzzer never goes off! They reset for a third time (I don't know why, other than the screaming by one of the coaches got to them) and the game ends like it should.

The officials did NOTHING wrong (except allow the third replay -- should have ended the game or at worst, put a second back on the clock and go throw in) and yet I'm sure were blamed.

[JetMetFan]

In the "little bit of knowledge is a bad thing" category, this one happened while I was officiating intramurals in college. We had a good program so I'd gotten into the rule book and discovered the ball is dead immediately after a made FG/FT.

Team A makes a FG and Team B hasn't picked up the ball to inbound it. Team A has a sub at the table...so, knowing the ball was dead and remembering subs can enter on a dead ball, I let A6 into the game. Kind of like a line change in hockey. Everyone just started shaking their heads.

[Multiple Sports]

I can remember getting punked a few times by coaches as a young official and not stepping up and giving a technical foul....

Driving four hrs home and realizing I left my stones at home really pissed me off.....doesn't happen anymore !!!

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by Multiple Sports

I can remember getting punked a few times by coaches as a young official and not stepping up and giving a technical foul....

Driving four hrs home and realizing i left my stones at home really pissed me off.....doesn't happen anymore !!!

This is something I still need to work on. My tolerance level is way too high.

[Multiple Sports]

Originally Posted by grunewar

This is something I still need to work on. My tolerance level is way too high.

Grun -

Here is what I learned regarding this....I didn't whack college coaches when started doing college because I was still in that "friend " mode from hs. Also too many hs assigners don't want you giving T's because they want to keep their contracts ( $$$$$ ) and T's get coaches upset...

I learned the opposite in college ball. If you aren't goint to take care of business in a college game, then good riddance.... the college supervisor can get someone else real quick......there are thousands of U2's

Grun - what's up with your NADS ( NATS )........the GONADS have looked preety weak and shriveled up since the All Star break !!!!! Don't come up 95 to the "Yard" or Chris Davis might have to smack you around .......

[grunewar]

MS - I appreciate the advice. I DO need to take care of business a bit more quickly and not give them so much leash.

On the NADS - Disappointing season. High expectations, lack of timely hitting (Laroche mostly) and inconsistent relief pitching. Was at the Phils vs Nats game this past Saturday. Nothing those Phila fans hate worse than Werth hitting an HR for the win. Much fun. Plus, tailgating at the park is great - right LCUBED?

On the O's - was up at the Yard a few weeks back for the Tigers series. One of the better games I've been to lately. Davis went yard. A good time!

Be well.

[bigcityballer]

Four games into my officiating career, I missed an offensive player stepping on the baseline. The offensive player made a really nice series of moves to get by the defender. As he plants his feet to go up for the dunk he clearly steps on the baseline. The beaten defender pointed to the spot and yelled he stepped out. BUT I had taken my whistle out of my mouth to say, "Oh, man nice move" and watched the dunk. I knew he stepped out but felt it was too late to call it after he dunked and my stupid comment. At any rate, I quit the association at the weeks end and went back to coaching. I was not missed.

[jeremy341a]

Originally Posted by bigcityballer

Four games into my officiating career, I missed an offensive player stepping on the baseline. The offensive player made a really nice series of moves to get by the defender. As he plants his feet to go up for the dunk he clearly steps on the baseline. The beaten defender pointed to the spot and yelled he stepped out. BUT I had taken my whistle out of my mouth to say, "Oh, man nice move" and watched the dunk. I knew he stepped out but felt it was too late to call it after he dunked and my stupid comment. At any rate, I quit the association at the weeks end and went back to coaching. I was not missed.

You couldn't call it anyways. It was too athletic to penalize.

[OKREF]

This summer at camp, biggest brain fart I've ever had. 3 man mechanics. Free throw late in the game. Shooting team down 1, under 20 seconds left, second free throw. Shooter shoots the shot, runs about five feet in before the shot hits the rim. Makes the shot. I step in call a violation and wave off the bucket. Only problem is I was in the trail position. The "C" said he just missed it. It was so egregious, I just saw it and reacted.