Changing the ball?
 

So had a game Tuesday where, halfway through the 2nd quarter, coach A1 comments about too much air in the ball, could we take some out? My partners and I discuss this during next TO, and after the 2nd quarter ends an end we notify both coaches we'll do it during halftime. For the record, the ball was probably bouncing either slightly high, yet in the acceptable range or--depending upon your view--slightly too high to be acceptable.

No one complained about the ball the entire 2nd half.

Here's the question: Is there anything against doing this mid-game? Was this a situation where we just tell the coach "This is what we started with, this is what we'll finish with." Since the R "verified" the game ball before the game began, is there any rule against swapping it out after the game begins?

For that matter, is there ever a time (for reasons that I can not currently think of) that you WOULD/COULD switch or alter the ball after the game began?

That's a good one. Never thought of that before.

I don't disrespect the decision your crew made, mainly because you talked to both coaches about and all parties agreed.

That said, I think from a logic standpoint I would have stuck with the game ball as it was in the 1st half. Game ball integrity is alluded to in the rule that states it must remain at the table during halftime.

It's easy for the R to not take the testing of the air pressure in the game ball seriously before the game, but this is why it's important. If you don't, you may regret it when you're stuck with an out-of-specs ball for the whole game. If you do, than you can confidently tell the coach, "sorry, Coach, but we checked the ball and it's legal. We're not going to alter it now."

I can't imagine this would be a problem for anybody. If you agree it has too much air, take some out, whenever that is. If you don't agree, leave it alone.

Had a low level game (either YMCA or AAU) once, about halfway into the first quarter, the coach throws me a ball from his bench and says we should use that instead since the other ball was low (I think). I thanked him and threw his ball back to him. The ball we were using was fine, and I wasn't going to change course.

In your case, if the ball met specs, I'd leave it alone. If not, and you hadn't addressed it previously, then I see no problem with your solution.

Whatever you do, dont do what a partner did to me last year. I was the R and it was partway through the first quarter and he decides during a dead ball that ball wasn't to his specs, knowing that I checked the ball before the game. I was on the other side of the court and he just went off and went to get another ball.

And Earl Scruggs ...
 

Game ball develops a leak and starts going flat.

28.5 ???
 

Way back in the late twentieth century, when the 28.5 girls ball first came into use, we had a referee allow a 28.5 girls ball in a high school boys varsity game for a few minutes. A player eventually asked about the ball, and it was replaced with the proper boys ball.

I hope you threw it back to him like this:

http://c0.thejournal.ie/media/2013/1...-2-390x516.png

If both teams agree, do it. If not, keep the original ball. Happened to me earlier this year (with one team not agreeing).

Had a case where the ball used in the first half was apparently NOT the "official conference basketball" so we switched at halftime (no one told us that ther was an official ball to be used)

If blood got on the ball, I would change out ball. I think this would be easier and quicker (and probably safer) than having the ball cleaned.

When I first started officiating basketball, coming from my background in soccer, I was caught off-guard when we were given only one ball. In soccer, multiple balls usually end up being used in any given game. NCAA rules actually require a minimum of five balls. At the amateur level, it's not at all uncommon for a team to put a ball in play that we hadn't checked as the referee crew. Often times we'll hear one or several players complain that the ball is too hard/soft, in which case we'll check it at the next stoppage and replace it if necessary.

Anyway, back to basketball, to me it wouldn't seem like a big deal to switch out a ball if a player complains that it's too hard/soft. Of course, if the ball is on the end of the spectrum one way or the other, we should probably be asking the teams' guards before the game what they think before we decide to use that ball.

No, we shouldn't. The rules provide for a legal range - if it meets the standards, we're using the ball. At least 80% of the time, I remove air from an overinflated ball.

Do you ADD air the other 20% of the time? :D

Speaking of (game) balls and inflation pressures, is it true that if you take air out of the ball you will have fewer held balls in girls games? I'm asking for a friend.

The other option is that he doesn't do anything to it 20% of the time, which may or may not be appropriate depending on how we define over-inflated. I'm guess the 80% happens when the ball doesn't conform to the required pregame inspection specifications, and the 20% of the time is when it is over-inflated by manufacturer's specifications but still passes pregame inspection requirements.

My question is why you would mess around with trying to make the ball conform to the standards (removing or adding air). Assuming I discover the situation during pregame, I would just ask for a different ball.

All / most of the other balls are being used by the teams during warmups. OR, the team has one ball that is the "game ball". Or, it's just easier / quicker / less disruptive to put the needle in and let the air out than it is to seek out a new ball.

Only if you hide the ball.

No. The game of basketball is a lot more about touch and finesse than soccer. Slight changes in the ball, inflation, texture, weight, etc., even if all the changes are within the legal ranges, will have a bigger impact than the variations in a soccer ball within the legal ranges. Don't change the ball unless it is not legal.

Not true. The ampunt of air in a soccer ball will affect how far it flies, how fast it flies, and the spin rate on those fancy kicks you see. The reason many balls are used is because the clock does not stop when it goes out of bounds and they pay outdoors so it may take a while to get it back.

I can find no rule specifically prohibiting changing the ball but if I deemed it good to start the game we use it for the whole game. Just because one player or one team thinks it doesn't suit their game is not a valid reason to switch. Both teams will need to adapt to the ball being used.

Outdoor sports need to have multiple balls available. In football, each team will have multiple balls checked by the officials so as not to slow play down. There's no need for this in basketball.

This reminded me. We had an AAU game several years ago. The listed home team was to provide the ball. Our team had several good shooters while the other team had more of an inside game. The ball given by the home team (we were visitors) was extremely worn down. We complained, but the "home team" insisted on using that ball. We were playing by NFHS rules and the officials said that the ball was within legal range. Are there any rules regarding the condition of the ball? Thanks.

At the highest levels of soccer, all balls used absolutely must be of identical pressure, weight, and quality. In the amateur and youth competitions that make up 99.9% of the competitive soccer played in the United States, we're not so worried about it. The difference between a basketball with a pressure on the high end of what's legal and a basketball with a pressure on the low end of what's legal is certainly meaningful, but if players generally agree that a ball's pressure is either higher or lower than what they'd prefer (and I'm not talking about games of high enough level where game management specially prepares a ball for game use; I'm talking about games where we're asking a team for a ball to use during the game), I don't see any reason why we can't change one legal ball for another legal ball.

I was reffing a college showcase soccer game a couple months ago and the whole first half the ball sounded flat. I asked the girls during a stoppage for a corner kick how they liked the ball but both teams responded it was ok. I checked it at halftime -- 3 PSI. For comparison, DA and ECNL games use a ball at 13psi and most youth tournament balls are inflated to 9psi.

Why Are Some Balls Returned, While Others Aren't ???
 

Here, in my little corner of Connecticut, fans are allowed to keep balls that go into the stands as souvenirs. Before every game, the officials rub about six dozen balls with Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud. Wait? I'm being told ... What? Baseball? Never mind.

Yes.
1-12-1
1-12-1-b. It shall be spherical
12-1-c. It shall have a deeply-pebbled cover with horizontally shaped panels bonded tightly to the rubber carcass.
1-12-3
The home team shall provide a ball which meets the specifications. The referee shall be the sole judge of the legality of the ball and may select a ball provided by the visiting team.

So, I'm assuming by warn down, you mean 1-12-1c wasn't met (deeply-pebbled cover).

Problem is, "deeply-pebbled" is subjective, and if the R says it's good enough, there won't be much you can do about it at the time.

3? Yikes. If I had a game where the ball was at 3 we'd almost certainly have players complaining about it within the first minute of the game. I hope you switched it out at halftime.

I bring with me an air needle every time onto the court. The reason is because almost every time the ball they give us has more air than needed in the ball. I take it out even if I am not the Referee. I do the bounce test and take out air accordingly. I do not want long rebounds and want to help the ball go in the hole.

Problem solved.

Peace

Hell yeah I did! Contrast that with the DA goalie who asked me to swap out a ball because he could "compress it with his hands". I checked that one at halftime, it was at 11. :D

Same here.

Bingo.

Amazing how basketballs are always overinflated and footballs are always underinflated.

Thanks Adam. Yeh - I would have argued the deeply-pebbled, had I known the rule.

The Rules (NFHS and NCAA Men's & Women's) specify who determines the legality of the Game Ball: It is the Referee.

Once the Game Ball has been chosen by the R there is no need to change the Game Ball unless the Game Ball becomes non-legal. A Head Coach complaining about the Game Ball is no reason for the Game Ball to be changed.

MTD, Sr.

Only cuz you're relatively new to soccer - not that long ago that soccer only permitted one ball per game .... And you are, in soccer, required to check any ball to be used in the match. Getting sloppy?;)