Basketball Question

I don't do basketball but in three man they each have a primary coverage area. They have some secondary responsibilities. In the endline play you are correct that R1 has the primary, however it may be that he missed a reach in so he wasn't sure who it was out on. The other possibility is you are watching a new guy or a guy who just moved up and doesn't have the confidence to pull the trigger.

He was out because he left the baseline........

How long has Illinois been using 3 man crews? In Kentucky they were using the two men crews for regular season but had to use three men crews for playoffs - actually if I am remembering correctly it was up to the school which crew they used for regular season but they went with two man because it was cheaper.

As the playoffs neared you would see some of the better refs assigned to the JV games before the varsity game. They played the JV game and then the better refs would stay for the varsity game and do a three man crew on their own basically for free. They did it so they could practice their mechanics and court responsibilities before the playoffs.

So the point of my story is to propose that if they are new to the 3 man crew they may not be sure of their mechancis although what MST said about a newbie is good too.

If he is not sure why did he blow the whistle?

Because the ball went out of bounds. He may not on who but he knows it's out.

Obviously, the whistle blew because the ball went out of bounds. But he didn't hesitate to look at another ref for help.

I'm not just picking on this guy, it seems to be a trend. I may be wrong, just an observation.

I do recognize that officials in all sports (well, not socker) have a pretty tough job.

Why the caveat about s****r?

quote:

How long has Illinois been using 3 man crews?

I'd say at least 7-8 years. For as long as I can remember. At my school at least, we had 3 officials for JV and Varsity games. A couple times when we'd go on the road, we would only have two for a JV game, but most in our area are doing 3 for all JV and Varsity games. With girls games, the 3 officials do both games. With boys games, we use 3 in one game and 3 in the other.

The Missouri games I've seen use 3 officials as well for JV and Varsity games. It gets expensive, but that's part of running an athletic program...

quote:

Originally posted by Michael S. Taylor:
Why the caveat about s****r?

Sorry, that was meant more to be funny than offensive.

I have great respect for officials and try hard to instill that in my sons and players I've coached.

That's what I thought but sometimes that's tough on the internet.

Thanks for understanding.

The official under the basket is called the lead position he calls a triangle centering around block play. Many time when you are in the lead there can be some aggresive play under the basket that you have to keep your eyes on and also see your coverage area. There is a rule among officials you do not blow a whistle on another guys line so if the lead is locked in on physical play he can very well not see who touched it last with that looks to either the trail or c whiche ever side it was on for help.

I saw that very thing happen last night in a ACC game. The lead blew the whistle on the ball out of play and imediately looked to another official for direction.

Proper basketball officiating mechanics entail making eye contact with your partner on many calls - much more so than in umpiring. It can be for numerous reasons - a double whistle, getting help on who touched the ball last, or the "ready" nod before putting the ball at the disposal of a player for a throw in/free throw. It is common for officials to get together on a call - sometimes it only takes 2 seconds to resolve. What you don't want to have happen is one official with a raised fist (foul) and the other with a raised open hand (violation). That's why you adhere to areas of responsibility, although there is always some overlapping.

I am assuming there is some sort of text(s) that teaches baseball and basketball umpiring to the detail we are discussing here...i.e. positioning, rotation, areas of responsibility. Please tell me what these books are and where I could get them.

Thanks!

Yes, there are....

Each sport has its own mechanics manuals that are written for differing levels of the the game.

For baseball, (and all other sports as well..)

There are mechanic manuals put by many sources (NFHS, CCA and PBUC) The one most regarded and followed is the CCA Manual (Collegiate Comissioners Association).....then the PBUC ( Professional Baseball Umpire Corp)....the NFHS guide is often disregarded due to some shortcomings and lack of updates....

The 2009 CCA Baseball Umpires Manual includes all standard mechanics and techniques required of college umpires. You get all the below information in one resource... this season's manual covers:

Mechanics changes
Mechanics points of emphasis
Mechanics for crews of 2, 3, 4 and 6 umpires
Character
Conduct and ethics
General principles such as style and form of calls, handling situations and suspensions
Basic umpiring guidelines
Signals

You do not learn how to be an umpire by reading the rule book. That is only the rules portion....these manuals assist you in the "How To" portion....

For rules, you can not rely on the rule books alone either....There are a number of publications that provide history, theory,application and interpretation of the various rule codes...

They are:

Jaksa Roder (The Rules of Professional Baseball:
A Comprehensive Reorganization and Clarification)

JEA- Jim Evans Annotated

BRD- Baseball Rules Differences- By Carl Childress

They are not cheap, but can be bought...I probably have $500 at least wrapped up in my rules library...and I get the BRD each year....

NASO.org carries the CCA Manuals and many others..
Rulesofbaseball.com is the Jaksa Roder website...
Officiating.com carries the BRD...

quote:

Originally posted by biggerpapi:.....Let me make a comparison so you will understand my frustration. MLB umpires in the last two years have become very good and getting together, discussing a call and making a decision. To me, this isn't chickening out and hoping someone else will make the call...this is getting the call right.

I'm surely not ripping all refs, I've just noticed a disturbing trend.

One basketball official looking at another after his whistle for the ball going OOB is "to get the call right". - Not a distubing trend at all (in fact its in the NFHS book and part of basketball game management for years).
The only difference is that, in this case, they dont huddle, then rule- the other official points if he knows who it went out on. If no official knows for sure, you go to the alternating possession (AP) arrow.
I guess I just dont understand your frustration. As an umpire, you must have an idea of the mechanics/responsibilities/game management that are similar yet different in any sport and not let the "fan bias" frustration get to you...