Basketball
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...
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...
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...
Solving the Two-Call Conundrum
Does anybody remember the old days when basketball was a non-contact sport and most fouls were easily identified and called? I can hear you...
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...
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...
Unsporting Behavior In the Eye of the Beholder
It’s often said great basketball officiating requires striking the proper balance between art and science.
That’s due, in part, to the fact that the rulebooks...
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...
Zone of Verticality Comes With Its Own Set of Challenges
A meeting this past season of the Wisconsin Basketball Officials Association (WBOA) saw a lively discussion break out regarding arm positioning as part of...
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...
Prevent Free-Throw Huddles to Eliminate Delays
At best, it’s an unnecessary delay that interrupts the flow of the game.
At worst, it’s an open invitation for gamesmanship that complicates critical moments...
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...
The Importance Of Halftime Discussions
Imagine that the buzzer to end the first half has just sounded. The game is going to be a real barn burner. The teams are tied...
Do You Take The Easy Way Out?
The officiating culture can be brutal. An easy way out of a tough situation might seem like a good idea sometimes. After all, certain officials...
Have Patience Considering Continuous Motion
“Two shots,” or “Going up!” Terms that are not used often enough. What many hear more often is, “No, on the floor!”
Ask yourself what...
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...
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 —...
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...
