Basketball
Listen to Everything You Hear
When was the last time you heard someone say, “Consider the source”? That saying has been around for as long as one can remember, but what is the...
Officiating Loose-Ball Action
There are a few rulings you can make that can affect possession. Rulings such as traveling, three seconds, loose ball fouls and illegal dribble are...
Don’t Sell Your Halftime Short
Basketball officials have been instructed time and again about the importance of pregame discussions as a crew. The 60 minutes prior to tip are a crucial window for an...
Travel vs. Fumble — Which is It?
There are times when a player who has control of the ball unintentionally drops it from his or her hands — a fumble —...
Five Offseason Tips for Stress Free Officiating
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lashback. Sitting in front of my computer, I take a peek at my inbox. It’s the middle of August and I’m waiting to see...
How to Keep Your Head From Spinning
The athletic spin move is often one that players, coaches and fans love to see during a game and also one that makes officials...
No Substitute for Awareness
There is more to know than just foul or violation. Commonly astute officials might have heard once to have an awareness to what type...
5 Minutes with J.D. Collins
Hometown: Hartford City, Ind.
Experience: NCAA national coordinator of men’s basketball officiating; former coordinator of officials for the Mid-American Conference and Summit League; former consultant...
Prevent Timing Errors
There are three seconds to play in the game. The score is tied and team A must go the length of the court to...
Stay Home in Primary
Supervisors want officials to master the fundamentals, creating good habits and developing a consistency to their game — characteristics shared among the elite in...
Careful with Explanations
There may never be a game we officiate that is free from controversy, in which every call is met with agreement from two compassionate...
Focus on the Feet to Get Traveling Rulings Right
There are those who proclaim that the block/charge call is the most difficult in basketball. Consistently getting traveling rulings right at the end of...
Team Officiating Beyond Out-of-Bounds Plays
Officials who are looking for a way to distinguish themselves should look no further than the topic of team officiating. The best officials at all levels have...
Pivot Foot Recognition Is Key to Calling Traveling Correctly
When James Naismith invented basketball in the late 19th century, he was looking for a healthy indoor sport to tough out the Northeastern winters. He wanted something that avoided physical...
Start Your Game on the Right Track
Starting the game on the right track helps everyone get off to a smooth start. Starting on a bad note can set the tone...
A Helping Hand With Flaming Fans
An official I know was having a tough night in one of the rural barns around here. The fans were braying, the coaches were...
A Guide to Enforcing the Three-Second Violation
If there is one rule many officials are loath to enforce, it seems to be the three-second violation. For them, ruling a three-second violation carries the...
Don’t Match Fouls on The Other End
It is understood that the goal of matching is to pair likenesses. Millions of dollars are being spent every day to find and make that perfect match. The...
Flopping for Fouls has Repercussions
The NBA continues to have a real problem with “flopping.” League officials recently levied some fines and penalties for “faking being fouled,” and the rampant problem...
Leaving the Court Has Consequences
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ost everyone knows, in the game of basketball, when the ball touches a boundary line or anything outside the boundary line, it is out...
The Shot
As an exhausted Tom Clark settled back into the aisle seat of his Delta Airlines flight the morning of March 29, 1992, a slight...
Multiple Whistle Blasts Effective in Certain Situations
If you watch a basketball game closely on TV, you are bound to hear multiple whistle blasts several times. Multiple tweets are not disallowed by rule, but they...
No Autosave On Out-of-Bounds
One of the great things about being a basketball official is having to make quick and instantaneous decisions on many different types of plays that are happening at...
