Can Refs Help Improve Youth Play (Videos)

[ccrroo]

I've become very frustrated with basketball officiating at the youth level. Whether we win or lose (we've won a lot more than we've lost), my first thought is how bad the officiating was. I'm going to post some videos with the hopes ya'll can help me understand what the ref is thinking.

(I've never been trained to officiate and recognize it's a hard and thankless job.)

First video. It has to be a charge/block right? (LOL).
So my thoughts. We're trying to teach 7th graders how to take a charge. They have a right to space especially with an out of control offense that lowers their shoulder. So why wouldn't a ref give the benefit of the doubt to this player:
(note: the charge/block is hard to call and even harder to execute -- I've just about given up trying to teach it -- I think that's sad)

video -1
http://youtu.be/c-4j7GOS-Pc



So maybe it was block. But why wouldn't this reach be called in video 2. In video 1 the defender is trying to play nice fundamental defense. In this video 2, he just plainly reaches into the offenses body. No foul called.

video-2
http://youtu.be/s_NVl8XBYKI



In my naive world, at the 7th grade level, as a ref --- I think I would be encouraging the defense in video 1 vs the defense in video 2. Yet it's not called that way. The sloppy way is rewarded.