Drive From Opposite Wing
 

Had a game this weekend in which this situation happened. Two man mechanics.

I'm L, tableside. The ball is opposite, on the wing. A1 drives toward the basket from the wing, more towards the block and the end line rather than the middle of the lane, if that makes sense. I had a couple of players in the lane I was watching, but my eyes snapped to the drive once I got a clear view of it. A1 goes up for the shot, and is bumped by B1. I call the foul. The contact occurred, at best, at the far edge of my primary.

My question is, specifically in 2 man, was this a play I should let the trail official get?

If your T didn't get it, and it needs to be called, go get it.

I'd like to think that Lead has primary on this but to be honest Lead doesn't have a great look across the lane. I don't mind Lead getting this but you gotta be really patient to see if the contact is enough to be a foul.

And I wasn't as patient as I probably should have been, which is why the question came to mind. I actually did have a good, clear line of vision to this play, which was probably why I jumped on the whistle so quickly.

That can be true sometimes but there is nothing magical about the lane line that prevents an official from seeing something 13 feet away that could be seen 12 feet away. There are multiple other situations in the game where we're covering plays 20+ feet away.

It is far more about angles than distance. Sometimes you have the angle on plays across the lane, sometimes you don't. This is not unlike the trail having the best angles on curl plays that are right in the lead's lap. It isn't just about distance. It is very possible that the lead would have the better view of a play on the far block than the trail in a two person game....less likely in a 3 person game.

That said, if it is the primary defender, consider the view the trail had. If the trail had a good angle and passed on it, leave it.

Unless the foul seems egregious sounds like a no-call for the lead. You should trust your partner had the whole play start, develop, and finish.

I also have a checklist for when I reach.

1. Was there a foul?
2. Was the foul one that as a crew we should get?
3. Was my partner straight lined?

If any of these are a 'no' I don't reach outside my primary (This also depends on who my partner may be). General rule of thumb I follow, if it looks like my partner got a great look and chose not to blow the whistle it's his no call to defend. This applies to 99% of reach calls, unless it's bloody murder then as a crew we have bigger issues to deal with.

My philosophy is that we are both making the same money, he should be able to defend his calls/no-calls to a coach.

The problem with this in a 2-man game is that the trail has to come a long way to get something that's going away from him...the lane line isn't a magical construct, and without a C there to take the play sometimes the L has a better look across the lane at the play.

I agree with you on the lane not being a magical construct. My analysis wasn't for grey area calls.

Basketball plays are almost always easier (and call accuracy almost always higher) to officiate when the play is coming towards you rather than away from you.

I am much more reluctant to have a whistle on plays moving away from me - I can't truly see it; and if I'm guessing, then I am passing...