Basketball

Basketball

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...

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...

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...

Four Eyes Off The Ball

From years of being around high-level Division I men’s college basketball officials, Ray Natili learned to train his eyes and “quit looking at the basketball.” It’s a mantra...

For Basketball Officials, the Journey is the Destination

To achieve maximum personal success and productivity as a basketball official, one has to be highly motivated and have a positive attitude. Furthermore, to reach and...

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...

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...

Free-Throw Mechanics Deserve Pregame Attention

W hen thinking about the mechanics you use as a basketball official, where do you put the bulk of your study and practice? Proper location...

Cue on Defender to Officiate 3-Pointers

With the game transitioning more and more to outside jump shots and three-point attempts, officials need to focus on three separate but similar areas: Monitoring defensive players as they...

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...

Second Nature

The first thing most of us do in the morning is look at our alarm clock, watch or phone. When we look at our...

Let’s Meet Up

There are times in a game when officials should get together as a crew. There are times when officials shouldn’t get together. During warmups is...

See The Call, Be The Call

Whenever you work a basketball game, it’s always a good practice to be thinking — but not for too long. Yes, it’s important to keep yourself mentally ahead...

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...

Bench Conduct Warning Proves Worth

R ecently, the NFHS Basketball Rules Committee approved a rule change to add a coach/bench personnel conduct warning (4-48). The committee’s goal was to...

Active ‘C’ Creates a Successful Crew

The center official on a three-person crew is the straw that stirs the drink. When “C” is active, things go more smoothly and games are apt to be...

New York’s Rucker League: Where Basketball Officials Hone Their Craft

Basketball players at every level use the summer months to improve their skills on the court. They often do so by playing in as...
basketball, multiple whistle blasts

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...

Honesty Starts with Yourself

If you’re not being honest with your partners, you’re lying to yourself, too. All too often, basketball officials attempt to leave the impression that every...

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...

Keep Wandering Coaches Contained

Wandering coaches who drift beyond the coaching box often need reminding of the location of the box. Simple body language or hand gestures help to guide coaches to...

Big-Small Match-up Awareness  

The ballhandler dribbles up the court and, as the lead official, you are working to find the best possible position along the endline to officiate the play. Some...

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...

Stick to the Plan When Covering Last-Second Shots

Although we might not think of it this way, basketball crews have set plays, just like the teams they officiate. If they don’t, they should. The teams rely...

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