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[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Rich

If you have a competitive matchup just above the FT extended on the far side of the court, you need to have distance AND the angle to officiate that matchup. Same with a half court trap on the far side.

You may think you can credibly officiate that from a few steps from the sideline, but I think you're mistaken. I still work about 40% of my games 2-person. I end up in the circle or even beyond it at times. Much of that time I end up in the backcourt when I go that wide, but not always.

Agree.

With a play in that location, your best position will be at least as far into the court as the circle, maybe even beyond it just a bit. You might also go into the backcourt depending on how high or low the play is. Being more then 1/2 the width of court away from the play is just too far away to have a good view.

Originally Posted by AremRed

There's a difference between positioning in the backcourt (the rule of thirds) and officiating from the circle in the frontcourt. By officiating from the circle, or even close to it, you are right in the way if there is a deflection and turnover.

Obviously in 2 man you are going to come further onto the court as Trail than in 3 man. Still, being near the circle is simply too far.

To get any sort of angle you'd need to see in a trap by moving just toward the backcourt while staying a few feet from the sideline, you could end up being 50-60 feet from the play. Plus, the distance you'd need to move to any adjustments you'd need to make to maintain a view through the players are multiplied by the distance. By moving only towards the backcourt, you pretty much give up any chance of improving your angle as the players shift.

Staying well on your side of the court would be akin to the leading covering a play in one corner while positioned on the opposite side of the paint.

And so what if you get caught in the middle on a turn over. That is rare. Far more common is that you'll not be able to adequately cover the trap on the far side. If you do get stuck on a turnover, just go down the other side to cover the play at the other end. If you have a good partner, they will see what happened and will shift to the other side. If they don't, you can slide back across once you get to the endline.