Double dribble
 

I was at a girls basketball game last night as a spectator. A girl dribbled close to foul line, picked up the ball and looked around for someone open and then started a dribble again. There was no call. When a girl picks up her dribble there are lots of things that you have to watch which may take your mind off the fact she had already dribbled. I wondered how often this may have happtened in one of my games. Curious how the veterns keep track.

That's our job.

How do you determine if a defender has LGP? How do you know if a player sets an illegal screen? How do you determine a foul vs incidental contact?

Practice. Seeing plays. Concentration. To name just a few.

Really shouldnt be any reason to loose track. I know a few guys that like to keep talking to themselves mentally during the play to keep track.

The times I've seen where they get away with is 2-man games where the T gets straightlined,of course getting straightlined in 2/3 from any position is a good way to miss a lot of stuff, and is looking through the ball handler's back on a quick pick-up and dribble.

Happens to the best of us:

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uTxb_EJnNFQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Nothing special, when the player freezes or starts shuffling around for more than 5 seconds people start to forget whether the guy dribbled, or more frequently which foot was his pivot foot.

It happens. Just like those dog-gone false double vowels. :)

I don't think there's any trick to it, you just have to pay close attention. Anything a player does casually, naturally is much more likely to be missed. In the posted video here, I think the player himself had forgotten, so it's not hard to imagine that the officials did too. Another one I have seen. A player tucks the ball under one arm and stands for an extended length of time to hold for the last shot. Just before time to start the last shot sequence, the ball handler will wipe both shoes clean. oops

Not a travel, no advantage.

Advantage not required.
There certainly is an advantage here, though, in that the player is allowed to fix a traction issue.

I assumed he was kidding.

I was being serious, otherwise I would have thrown in a :p.

I agree, advantage not required by rule but that seems to be the direction in which a lot of high-level (TV) basketball is headed.

I don't do a lot of high level (TV) basketball, do you?

Nope.

New NFHS directive: Regardless of what the rule says, if you see it done at higher levels (on TV) call it that way.


I'm still hoping he's kidding.

So the recent directives on contact with a ball handler needing to be whistled without consideration of any advantage or disadvantage fits into your theory how?

The other time it happens is when the ball is being dribbled in one official's area and then into another's and the dribble is picked up. Then they dribble again after the hold and official has forgotten about the original dribble.

Depends on the level I guess. I watched a lot of those Maui/Atlantis Division 1 mens tournaments this week and saw a lot of 'automatic' hand checking fouls go uncalled. However do I call them in my high school games without consideration of any advantage or disadvantage? You bet your ass.

I admit I am guilty of this. I, on a rare occasion, have lost track of a player already dribbling and allowed him/her to happen again. Should it happen? No. Does it? Yes, even the best of officials have brain farts every now and then. :p

heheh

Ok.... that was clever

If a player wiped both shoes, I'd probably not notice. I don't spend a lot of time staring at a player who's standing still with the ball.

Huh...
 

If you did notice, would you call it? Has anyone ever called this or seen it called?

Becoming more aware of it now, does anyone plan on calling it if they see it?

I think I called it once. If not exactly this, it was something similar. The team slowed down the game a lot, whenever the defense was backed up in a zone, they would pull it out. The point guard had some kind of weird little habit, if it wasn't wiping the shoes it was something else that involved moving both feet. If memory serves, I called it at least once and saw him do it another time or two when watching this team as a spectator.

I had the exact play described in a summer travel youth league about 20 years ago. A1 picked up his foot wiped it clean, then picked up his pivot foot and wiped it clean. When his pivot foot returned to the ground, I called the travel. I called it then, and will call it exactly the same way the next time I see it.