Pre Game

Dave Dow

Went to two camps this summer. One of the camps stressed how important pregame and post game meetings are. I have some handouts that outline certin situations to discuss with your partner or partners (3 person). With this vast knowledge on this forum is there anything in your pregame that you stress to your partners and will you share the information with the forum?? Thanks! By the way the loader is parked for the Summer****😃 😀

Jurassic Referee

Dave Dow wrote
Thanks! By the way the loader is parked for the Summer.

At the bottom of the cliff, where you usually park it? 😮

mick

Dave Dow wrote
Went to two camps this summer. One of the camps stressed how important pregame and post game meetings are. I have some handouts that outline certin situations to discuss with your partner or partners (3 person). With this vast knowledge on this forum is there anything in your pregame that you stress to your partners and will you share the information with the forum?? Thanks! By the way the loader is parked for the Summer****😃 😃

You've been to two camps. You know stuff.

Will you share with the forum?😉
mick

garote

One that I always use, I usually say more for myself than my partner. OFF-BALL, OFF-BALL, OFF-BALL...any idiot with 3 cents in their pocket can call the ball. The refs that move up are the ones that get the off-ball calls!!!!

zebraman

Dave Dow wrote
Went to two camps this summer. One of the camps stressed how important pregame and post game meetings are. I have some handouts that outline certin situations to discuss with your partner or partners (3 person). With this vast knowledge on this forum is there anything in your pregame that you stress to your partners and will you share the information with the forum?? Thanks! By the way the loader is parked for the Summer****😃 😃

We have a two-person and three-person pregame form on our association website which lists a lot of the things I talk about with my partners in a pregame conference.

http://www.scboa.com/html/forms.html (page down to "PREGAME CONFERENCE FORMS")

Official99

garote wrote
One that I always use, I usually say more for myself than my partner. OFF-BALL, OFF-BALL, OFF-BALL...any idiot with 3 cents in their pocket can call the ball. The refs that move up are the ones that get the off-ball calls!!!!

Thats a great point. Especially if you are trying to move up. Observers like officials that make good calls off-ball... especially in their own area. Very rarely does a game need six eyes on the ball; very rarely does it need four eyes on the ball! Stay home, make the calls and trust your partner. Most experienced referees can tell if their partner is a strong or weak official before they even walk on the floor. You will know before the game even starts if "your" areas are going to be wider (so you can help out and pick up the slack) or smaller (because you are working with a Jim Burr and don't want to over step your boundary).

Another thing I like to talk about is keeping it even. If I make a call at one end of the floor, my partner should know about it so they can make the same call at the other end (if the same or similar situation should happen down there). If the crew is making consistent calls at both ends of the floor, no one can complain.

stewcall

zebraman wrote
We have a two-person and three-person pregame form on our association website which lists a lot of the things I talk about with my partners in a pregame conference.

http://www.scboa.com/html/forms.html (page down to "PREGAME CONFERENCE FORMS")

Z

Thanks for the website! Nice one page summary- clear--
Stew in VA

icallfouls

Dave Dow wrote
Went to two camps this summer. One of the camps stressed how important pregame and post game meetings are. I have some handouts that outline certin situations to discuss with your partner or partners (3 person). With this vast knowledge on this forum is there anything in your pregame that you stress to your partners and will you share the information with the forum?? Thanks! By the way the loader is parked for the Summer****😃 😃

I think that if you want others to share with you, you should also share with the forum, afterall you went to 2 camps. Spread the wealth 😀

Dave Dow

icallfouls wrote
I think that if you want others to share with you, you should also share with the forum, afterall you went to 2 camps. Spread the wealth 😃

So much with so little space . How to position yourself on the court so you can see better angles. Slow down and relax while working games. Never and I mean never make a travel calll in front of your partner.( can be brought up at half time or the at the closest break)🙂 Spacing in the post position between def and off. Don't worry about the quick sand area, you can look from that area too. On lead in a two man go to where the players are so you can see the post position area, but pre game that with your partner so he knows what you are doing. All great women and men who worked Highschool and DivII and DivI. If I can remember just a few things and practice them this year I'll be doing great.

icallfouls

Dave Dow wrote
.... Never and I mean never make a travel calll in front of your partner.( can be brought up at half time or the at the closest break)🙂

Never? Here's a situation for you. Last seconds of a game, it is a 2 point game, shot goes up .... There is a significant travel that for some reason partner didn't see, but the other referee(s) did.

So after the game, your assignor comes in and says great game up until that travel that we didn't get. They ask if anyone else saw it. Yes, I saw it, but I was told at camp, NEVER call traveling in front of my partner. The assingnor says that you all were in line to get some really good playoff games until that moment. That just doesn't fly in this situation. Never is too restrictive and not realistic. Sometimes the C/T officials' primary call is a travel in the post in front of the L. This is something that I cover in pre-game, halftime, and at deadball periods late in close games. Better to be good, than to look good in this situation.

I realize that this next comment is likely to draw criticism, but in talking with various assignors that I work for about this situation, "get the play right, and worry about calling in front of your partner later." The assignor would rather you do this so that they don't have to hear about how the ref's missed one.

zebraman

icallfouls wrote
Never? Here's a situation for you. Last seconds of a game, it is a 2 point game, shot goes up .... There is a significant travel that for some reason partner didn't see, but the other referee(s) did.

So after the game, your assignor comes in and says great game up until that travel that we didn't get. They ask if anyone else saw it. Yes, I saw it, but I was told at camp, NEVER call traveling in front of my partner. The assingnor says that you all were in line to get some really good playoff games until that moment. That just doesn't fly in this situation. Never is too restrictive and not realistic. Sometimes the C/T officials' primary call is a travel in the post in front of the L. This is something that I cover in pre-game, halftime, and at deadball periods late in close games. Better to be good, than to look good in this situation.

I realize that this next comment is likely to draw criticism, but in talking with various assignors that I work for about this situation, "get the play right, and worry about calling in front of your partner later." The assignor would rather you do this so that they don't have to hear about how the ref's missed one.

I agree that "never" is too restrictive. There are times when an official's primary or secondary coverage area might be in front of a partner. That being said, I think Dave Dow's evaluator probably meant that you should not call a travel that is right in front of your partner when it is not in your primary or secondary coverage area. And I agree (with the exception of an occasional sub-varsity game when I am helping train a brand new official who needs my help in his/her area).

The assignors I work for expect an official to be able to call an obvious travel in their own area. In the end-of-game situation that you bring up, they would want to know why the responsible official missed the obvious travel. They would not want the other two officials ball watching out of their areas.

My assignors expect the other two officials to trust their partners and watch their own areas. What's the point of having 3 officials on the floor if we are all watching the same thing? Who is watching the other 8 players?

Calling a travel that is out of your primary or secondary coverage area is a great way to expose yourself as a ball watcher.

icallfouls

zebraman wrote
I agree that "never" is too restrictive. There are times when an official's primary or secondary coverage area might be in front of a partner. That being said, I think Dave Dow's evaluator probably meant that you should not call a travel that is right in front of your partner when it is not in your primary or secondary coverage area. And I agree (with the exception of an occasional sub-varsity game when I am helping train a brand new official who needs my help in his/her area).

The assignors I work for expect an official to be able to call an obvious travel in their own area. In the end-of-game situation that you bring up, they would want to know why the responsible official missed the obvious travel. They would not want the other two officials ball watching out of their areas.

My assignors expect the other two officials to trust their partners and watch their own areas. What's the point of having 3 officials on the floor if we are all watching the same thing? Who is watching the other 8 players?

Calling a travel that is out of your primary or secondary coverage area is a great way to expose yourself as a ball watcher.

Z

Agreed, just merely pointing out that there are exceptions and we must train our brain to recognize them.

Alot of newer officials get told "stay out of my area" and then, when they are on a crew where they are the "veteran," they don't make the adjustment. This is the type of call/no call that can hurt an officials career/confidence (or adversely affects the game), but the intent to respect the primary of another official was coming from a good place because it is so ingrained on them.

BillyMac

PREGAME CONFERENCE

Court Coverage:
Trail’s Primary Responsibilities:
- Sideline And Division Line
- Last Second Shot
- Drives Starting In Primary
- Bring Subs In
- Weak Side Rebound Coverage
Lead’s Primary Responsibilities:
- Endline And Sideline
- Post Play
- Illegal Screens At Elbows
Stay In Your Primary, It Must Be Obvious To Come Out Of Your Primary

Coaches And Captains:
- Players properly equipped.
- Players wear uniforms properly.
- Practice good sportsmanship.

Double Whistles:
- Let’s both hold our preliminary signal and not give a block or player control signal.
- Make eye contact with each other.
- Give the call to whoever has the primary coverage, unless you definitely have something different that happened first.
- Opposite signals: Assess both fouls. Count the basket if the ball was released before the contact. Resume with the Point of Interruption.

Pass And Crash:
- Let’s have the Lead official follow the pass, stay with the ball.
- The Trail will be responsible for the crash.

Out-Of-Bounds Help:
- If I have no idea and I look to you for help, just give a directional signal. No need to come to me. Just point.
- If I signal but I get it wrong, then blow the whistle and come to me. Tell me what you saw and let me decide if I’m going to change it.

Press Coverage:
- Help each other. New Lead will wait at midcourt.

Technical Fouls:
- If I T a coach, get me away from the coach. The situation is heated and I don’t want to whack the coach back-to-back. Let’s move away from the benches. Non calling official should inform the coach that the coaching box privilege has been lost.
- Let’s get together and make sure we administer the penalty or penalties correctly and in the correct order and at the correct basket.
- If one official issues a warning to somebody (player or coach), make sure the other official knows. If I’ve already warned the coach, the coach shouldn’t get a free shot at you.

Two-Point/Three-Point Shot:
- If one official incorrectly signals the number of points, the other official will simply blow the whistle immediately, discuss the play with our partner, come to a decision, signal the correct number of points to the table, and resume the game. We will only correct if we are 100% sure.

Goaltending And Basket Interference:
- 99% of the time, the Trail will be responsible for the call.
- Lead can help out on a quick shot in transition, when Trail hasn’t made it into the frontcourt yet.
- Let’s remember that it’s never basket interference or goaltending to slap the backboard. Coaches and fans always want it, but we can’t award the points.

Last Shot:
- 99% of the time, the Trail will be responsible for the call.
- Let’s both have an opinion, in case Trail’s not sure.
- How will we handle a full-court pass when the Trail is stuck in the backcourt?

Foul Mechanics:
- Preliminary signal given at spot of foul for all common fouls.
- Calling official must designate throwin spot or number of shots.
- Noncalling official, get the shooter. If the ball enters the basket, inform partner that ball went in.

Throw Ins:
- Ten players, eye contact, check table, check clock.

Timeout Mechanics:
- When the ball is dead, we must be alive.
- Team calling timeout must have player dribbling or holding the ball.
- Both officials must know the game situation when play resumes following a timeout (team, direction, spot or run baseline, shooter, number of shots).
- One official at spot of throwin or free throw line with ball facing direction in which it will be put into play. Other official at division line, quarter for 30 second and three quarters for 60 second.

Post Play:
- Let’s not allow a defender to use a forearm on a player with the ball.
- Let’s not allow a defender to use a leg or knee to move a player off the block.
- Let’s make sure the offensive player isn’t holding off the defender, or holding him with his off-hand.
- As Lead, let’s find the post matchup as soon as possible so that we get the first foul.
- Remember the RIDD’s. Don’t let players: Redirect, Impede, Displace, or Dislodge.

Ball-Handler / Hand-Checking:
- Two hands on the ball-handler is a foul. Automatic.
- One hand that stays on the dribbler is a foul.
- Let’s not let a defender ride the dribbler as the ball is coming from backcourt to frontcourt.
- Remember SBQ. If the dribbler’s Speed, Balance, or Quickness are affected, we should have a hand-checking foul.

Screens:
- We must work hard off the ball.
- In the first half especially, let’s clean up the screening action. The screening action will be right in front of the defensive coach in the first half, so if the coach sees an illegal screen, we should too.
- In the second half, with the defensive coach 60 feet away, let’s be aware of the screening, but we don’t need to focus quite as hard on it. If there’s an obvious call to be made, let’s absolutely make it; but we won’t make it our “point of emphasis” in the second half.

Consistency:
- Let’s see if we can call the same game. Be consistent with each other.
- Let’s try to remember what we’ve called earlier in the game, and what we haven’t called. Be consistent with what has already happened in the game.
- If I have a very close block/charge play and I call a blocking foul, then the next time you have a similar block/charge play, you should have a blocking foul.

Game Situation Awareness:
- One of us should quickly check the clock after every whistle to make sure the clock stops properly.
- One of us should check the clock every time it should start to make sure it does so.
- Let’s try to be aware of the foul count during the game. We don’t want to be surprised when it’s time to shoot the bonus. If we know that the next foul will result in bonus free throws, we’ll be more likely to remember our shooter.

Last Two Minutes:
- We’re not calling anything in the last two minutes if we haven’t already called it earlier in the game, unless it’s so blatant that it can’t be ignored. We don’t want our first illegal screen to be called with 30 seconds left in the game; but if the illegal screen puts a player into the first row of the bleachers, then we have to call it.
- Let’s not put the whistles away in the last two minutes: That wouldn’t be consistent with the way we’ve been calling the game. If the game dictates it, let the players win or lose the game at the line. We don’t want to be the ones who decide the game by ignoring obvious fouls just to get the game over.
- End of game strategic fouls: If the winning team is just holding the ball and is willing to take the free throws, then let’s call the foul immediately, so the ballhandler doesn’t get hit harder to draw a whistle. Let’s make sure there is a play on the ball by the defense. If there’s no play on the ball, if the defense grabs the jersey from behind, or if the ballhandler receives a bear hug,we should consider an intentional foul. These are not basketball plays and should be penalized as intentional.

2006-07 Rule Changes:
- Changed the guidelines for headbands and sweatbands.
- Added that a school logo/mascot is also permitted on the pants, compression shorts, sweatbands and headbands.
- The exact time observed by the official may be placed on the clock when a timer’s mistake has occurred.
- A fourth delay situation was added for water on the court following any time-out.
- Changed the procedure for delay warnings to only one warning for any of four delay situations (previously three).
- Established a new signal for a team-control foul. The arm is extended and the fist is punched.
- Clarified that a player who has any amount of blood on his/her uniform shall be directed to leave the game until the situation is corrected.
- Clarified that a closely guarded count is terminated when an offensive player in control of the ball gets his/her head and shoulders past a defensive player.
- Clarified that an unsporting foul can be a noncontact technical foul which involves behavior not in accordance with the spirit of fair play.
- Clarified that a player is one of five team members who are legally in the game at any given time except intermission and that during an intermission, all team members are bench personnel.
5-11-2 Clarified that during a 30-second time-out, no on-court entertainment should occur.

2006-07 Points Of Emphasis:
- Concussions
- Uniforms
- Time-outs
- Intentional Fouls
- Rule Enforcement/Proper Signal Use

Bad Zebra

Wow...that's a comprehensive list. Thanks.

BOBBYMO

zebraman wrote
I agree that "never" is too restrictive. There are times when an official's primary or secondary coverage area might be in front of a partner. That being said, I think Dave Dow's evaluator probably meant that you should not call a travel that is right in front of your partner when it is not in your primary or secondary coverage area. And I agree (with the exception of an occasional sub-varsity game when I am helping train a brand new official who needs my help in his/her area).

The assignors I work for expect an official to be able to call an obvious travel in their own area. In the end-of-game situation that you bring up, they would want to know why the responsible official missed the obvious travel. They would not want the other two officials ball watching out of their areas.

My assignors expect the other two officials to trust their partners and watch their own areas. What's the point of having 3 officials on the floor if we are all watching the same thing? Who is watching the other 8 players?

Calling a travel that is out of your primary or secondary coverage area is a great way to expose yourself as a ball watcher.

Z

If you make a travel call right in front of me late in the game when the games on the line and its a travel that I got blocked out of for some reason.............................. I am going to say thanks!!!!

zebraman

BOBBYMO wrote
If you make a travel call right in front of me late in the game when the games on the line and its a travel that I got blocked out of for some reason.............................. I am going to say thanks!!!!

Bobbymo,

You won't get the chance to thank me. If that isn't my primary or secondary coverage area, I won't be looking there. I trust you as my partner. My assignor wouldn't have put you on that big game with me if you weren't capable. You will get yourself into position and make that call.

If the travel happens in my secondary coverage area, I'll help you out if it's an obvious travel that you missed. But if it's that obvious, we need to talk after the game about why you didn't get yourself into good position to make that obvious call at a crucial time. You lose credibility with both coaches if I have to help you out on that one.

BOBBYMO

zebraman wrote
Bobbymo,

You won't get the chance to thank me. If that isn't my primary or secondary coverage area, I won't be looking there. I trust you as my partner. My assignor wouldn't have put you on that big game with me if you weren't capable. You will get yourself into position and make that call.

If the travel happens in my secondary coverage area, I'll help you out if it's an obvious travel that you missed. But if it's that obvious, we need to talk after the game about why you didn't get yourself into good position to make that obvious call at a crucial time. You lose credibility with both coaches if I have to help you out on that one.

Z

Z-

I agree with you for the most part but as we all know.... As hard as we try to get in the best position to "see the whole play" there are still times when things happen and we get blocked out. It sucks when that happens but it still can happen at no matter what level we are working at.... So if it would happen and my partners saw it.. I would expect them to get it. ESPECIALY AT THE END OF A GAME!!!! I trust my partners also but I believe that our assignor trusts us as a crew to get the play right!!!

To me its the same thing as a last second shot.. Is it a 2 or 3??? Before the buzzer or not?? Most people pregame that in that sittuation we should all take a quick look... In case needed to help out... Why??? To get the play right!!!

I would rather explain to an assignor that I got blocked out of a play and give my partner credit for getting it right then try to explain why someone on our crew saw it and didnt make the call. Lets just get it correct.... Isn't that our job?

Believe me, I am going to do everything I can to get in the best position that I can to be able to make the call. I have refereed many games at many differant levels and you know what??? I have missed a few calls over the years. I will be the 1st to admit that. Am I proud of it .. NO ...but it happens and it makes me work harder every single time I hit the court to not let it happen again.......JMO

rainmaker

Bad Zebra wrote
Wow...that's a comprehensive list. Thanks.

A little too comprehensive for me. My non-negotiables for pre-game are, last-minute shot, pass-crash, eye-contact during play, technicals, calling tight or loose, getting together for conferences, primaries and secondaries, any knowledge about the teams or coaches, my poe's, partner's poe's, giving and requesting help, talking to coaches, warm up time protocols, and anything this partner and I had trouble with the last time we worked together. Much more than that, and the pre-game runs on into the first quarter!

zebraman

BOBBYMO wrote
So if it would happen and my partners saw it.. I would expect them to get it. ESPECIALLY AT THE END OF A GAME!!!! I trust my partners also but I believe that our assignor trusts us as a crew to get the play right!!!

But your partners have their own responsibilities. If they have to call travels in your area, who is reffing the other 8 players? What if both of your partners are looking in your area ("helping") and two rebounders start pushing and shoving each other and nobody is watching them? Now you have a worse mess than a missed travel.

BOBBYMO wrote
To me its the same thing as a last second shot.. Is it a 2 or 3??? Before the buzzer or not?? Most people pregame that in that situation we should all take a quick look... In case needed to help out... Why??? To get the play right!!!

We know which official has the clock in that situation because it's part of any decent pregame. If it's so close at the buzzer that the official with clock responsibilities wants my opinion, he/she can wave me in and I'll give them info on what I heard (not what a I saw because I'm still reffing the game and listening for the horn when I know the clock is getting near 00:00). But that is a different situation than an official reffing their partner's area instead of their own. Besides, I'm not going to be a lot of help because if the shot came out of your area, I wasn't watching the shooter (I could tell a shot went up out of my periphery or because players started to work for rebounding position) and I don't know if the ball left his/her hand before the horn.

BOBBYMO wrote
I would rather explain to an assignor that I got blocked out of a play and give my partner credit for getting it right then try to explain why someone on our crew saw it and didnt make the call. Lets just get it correct.... Isn't that our job?

Our job is to work as a crew, trust each other, and cover our own areas. Honestly, if I can't trust you to get an obvious travel in your area than we shouldn't be working a game together. Partners miss calls. That's reality. Unless you're a brand newbie, I'm not out there babysitting you. I'm letting you do your job.

BOBBYMO wrote
Believe me, I am going to do everything I can to get in the best position that I can to be able to make the call. I have refereed many games at many differant levels and you know what??? I have missed a few calls over the years. I will be the 1st to admit that. Am I proud of it .. NO ...but it happens and it makes me work harder every single time I hit the court to not let it happen again.......JMO

I've missed calls too. We all do. Even the refs at the highest levels miss a call now and then. I cannot recall a single time of ever seeing a D-1 or NBA ref calling a travel in front of one of his/her partners when it was not their primary or secondary area. It would completely ruin crew integrity. Besides, if it happened right in front of an official and didn't get called, maybe it wasn't a travel and it just looked like one from the ball watcher who was looking out of his/her area.

JRutledge

BOBBYMO wrote
If you make a travel call right in front of me late in the game when the games on the line and its a travel that I got blocked out of for some reason.............................. I am going to say thanks!!!!

If you make a travel call that was not there, I will kill you in the locker room. 😉

Peace