You know the Rules have changed since 1958, don't you, Ref?

Players, Coaches & fans know ABOUT some of the Rules in basketball, but often do not really know the correct Rules......and THAT can cause problems when you're trying to referee a game.

Every year the Rules get tinkered around with. Some are minor procedural changes that the fans never hear about. Some are major Rule changes, like Hand Checking in High School Basketball recently. And all too often folks not intimately involved with the Rules, like Referees are, do not know about these Rule changes......until they see the Ref make a call they do not like or understand.

The other nite I was refereeing a Men's Rec League.

"PSUK Basketball - Bristol 2013-111" by Andrew Spillane via Flickr

A player, not liking that I had called a Violation he did not know was a new Rule Change, hollered at me, "You know the Rules have changed since 1958, don't you, Ref?

I thought that was a rather clever retort. After all, I am 63 years old. I know that, but I still move up and down the court pretty well and neither Alzheimer's Disease or Old Timer's Disease (I can never remember which one it is that I need to be worried about) has stricken me down, sidelined me or caused me to forget the Rules.

Amused tho I was with the comment, I "T'd" him up anyway for being disrespectful!

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A Police Escort Required from the Gym

NO!! Not for me & my partner. For a Home Team Fan!!

A Home Team Player committed a foul and the Visiting Team Scorekeeper thought it was the 5th on the player. The Home Team Scorekeeper, read that as "The OFFICIAL Scorekeeper," had it as foul #4. When there are discrepancies, we go by the Official Scorebook account by Rule Book Mandate.

"Referees escorted by Police" by KT King via Flickr

That the Visiting Scorekeeper was sitting on their team bench and not at the Official Score Table and was not comparing each score and foul with the Official Scorekeeper made it easy to rely solely on the Home Team Scorebook.

Anyway, while my Referee partner was sorting things out at the Score Table, this crazy fan apparently was in the stands yelling at us Referees and using a few choice words because of the Score Keepers mix up and general discontent about our calls on the evening.

I could hear some ruckus behind me, but having met with the AD and "On Campus" Security before the game (a regular part of our Referee Pre-Game routine) and requesting them to watch the fans and deal with any crowd issues, I just ignored her and let them do their agreed upon job.

As I went to inbound the ball after a number of Fouls mix up was resolved I saw a Police Officer, acting on his own initiative and not by request from either Referee, escort a fan out and could hear that fan making some not kind comments to the Police Officer. By the look on his face he wasn't amused and there was no uncertainty that she was leaving the facility!! Don't know what happened to the fan after the fan was whisked out of the gym but I know that fan never came back in!!

First time in 25 year of officiating basketball I've seen a fan have to be escorted out by the police.....Ejected out by local game management or tossed by myself or my partner, yes. But for a Police Officer to walk from one side of the gym to the stands and take out a fan? First time for that!!

By sheer coincidence, that fan section which had been rather rowdy up until then, was strangely quiet the rest of the game......

Refereeing can be so interesting and entertaining!!

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Coach, It's YOUR Student Section....

I was Refereeing a Girl's Varsity Volleyball Match when some kids in the Student Section decided it would be fun to start calling out opposing team players by their uniform number while making specific and unkind comments.

The Rules do not allow that and I am not gonna allow it.

The school Athletic Director was not present. Neither was a school Administrator. Only a fellow in a yellow shirt emblazoned "SECURITY," So I called over the Security fellow- who was standing about 20' from the offending students and doing nothing about it-  and asked him to stand with the Student Section and calm them down.

This process, of course, takes some time.

In the meantime, the Home Team Coach complains to me, "Can't we just get the Match started again?!"

"UTPA Volleyball 1 by Reynaldo Leal" by thepanamerican via Flickr

"Yep, Coach we can. However, it's YOUR Student Section causing the problem and we aren't restarting until they are under control. As soon as they settle down we can restart the Match."

Want to get a Red Card in Volleyball or "T'd' Up" in Basketball by me? Just start making a fuss about a game delay when it's your students or fans that are out of control......YOUR school is responsible for fan behavior control!!

I'm rather certain this isn't the first time this Student Section has gotten out of line. Some school Student Sections just don't know how to behave and I am constantly chagrined that schools see and tolerate behavior- sometimes even smile & are amused by behavior- from THEIR students at Home Games that I am sure they would object to if they were Visitors......

On the other hand, some Student Sections are outrageously hilarious in their antics and make the games & matches more fun for everyone. I applaud them in that effort.

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Leave the Kids Who are Helping ALONE!

I Refereed my first Matches of the season last nite and I am quite happy to be mailing out letters to the Principal's of BOTH schools complimenting their JV and Varsity Coaches for excellent sportsmanship!

Do THE fans have the guts to Referee?

Despite EXCELLENT sportsmanship from the players and the coaches in most Girl's Varsity Volleyball Matches there are occasionally parents who want to Referee the game...... from their safe perch in the stands. I doubt many of them have the guts to actually be on the floor and Referee! Few people do.

Oh, it's pretty easy to Ref from the stands, but when you put on a Referee shirt & hang a whistle around the neck and realize there are numerous half crazed fans ready to challenge every call you make there are few folks willing to take on that responsibility.

In one Match a parent was hollering at one of the High School aged Line Judges when he disagreed with some of her calls.

Look folks, the AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association) sends 2 Referees to each match. As a cost saving measure preferred by the schools who pay for the Referees, the AIA does NOT send paid Line Judges to Regular Season Matches.

So High School kids end up volunteering, or more likely, BEING volunteered by their Coaches, to do the Line Judging.

(My Grand Daughter all dressed out to Ref a Volleyball Match)

In a Varsity Match the Line Judges are usually JV Players, Freshman or Sophomores. many of which do not really want to be the Line Judge!!

It is NOT as easy as it looks from the stands. I know! I have done some line Judging in Post Seasons Play Off Matches.

This particular parent thought that he was being funny to holler, "Are you blind!?" at a Line Judge who had called a ball "IN" that, in his over inflated judgement, he thought was "OUT." From my perspective on the Referee Stand the ball was "IN."

Fans can holler at us adult Referees, up to a limit, if they want. But I ain't gonna let fans holler at the kids who do Line Judging.

So I asked the attending Athletic Director to speak to the fan with 3 choices-

1. Cheer for his team and stop yelling at the Line Judges.

2. Step onto the floor and take the Line Judge spot.

3. Yell one more time at the Line Judge and he would be ejected from the gym.

Since he was with the Visiting Team, and had traveled almost 3 hours to the game, he wisely decided to focus on cheering and not take the Line Judge spot.

So, come and cheer for your schools as loud and raucously as your want. You can take your chances and yell at the Ref's, too. Some Refs have less tolerance for that than others and you never know walking in the door if the Ref for that Match has a short fuse or not......

But leave the kids who are helping do Line Judging alone!

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An Honor Call

It was just my 2nd Varsity Boy's Volleyball game of the season......IN my 2nd Seasons as a Volleyball Referee.

A ball goes out of bounds. I think it is off the Visiting Team and the Line Judge signals it is off the Visiting Team.

Photo taken by Charles "Andy" Lee via Flickr, under a Public Domain License

Just after I indicated awarding the point to the Home team I heard someone from the Home Team say, "Make the Honor Call, then!" 

Turns out it was the Home Team Head Coach AND Assistant Coach. BOTH fellows who are also Nationally Certified volleyball Referees themselves, talking to their player.

A player from the Home Team trotted over to where I was standing on the platform as the Referee and said, "I touched the ball, Ref!"

I asked if he was sure because both myself and the Line Judge thought it was off the other team.

He insisted he had touched it, so I reversed the point award.

I looked up at the Home Team Assistant & Varsity Coaches, pointing to the player that had made the Honor Call and gave them a "Thumbs Up."

After the game I was talking to the Head Coach, who as I said is also a Nationally Certified Volleyball Referee and complimented his player and Assistant Coach for making the Honor Call.

He replied, "We teach our player's that our team's honor and self-respect is more important than any point!"

Well played Coach!!


Campo Verde @ Westwood 3/5/2015

Brian Hannah Westwood Head Coach

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Student Scorekeepers: Disaster awaits!

The Home Team is responsible for providing the Official Scorekeeper. A Scoreboard is an optional item but almost every High School has one and so a Scoreboard Operator is always on hand for games.

Recently, working a Varsity Basketball Game at a smaller school, our Official Scorekeeper was 16 years old & the Scoreboard Operator was 17.

"Fair-play Controller product" photo by David Fulmer via Flickr

When I learned that while checking the Score book Pre-Game I asked the school AD (Athletic Director) if they had any adults available to handle the scorekeeper, etc. The answer was NO, but that the students were "experienced."

I commented to my Referee Partner, "Disaster awaits us!"

Sure enough-

A wrong score was posted on the scoreboard in the 1st Quarter. Referees do not just look for Fouls & Violation in a game. We also keep an eye on the Scoreboard to be sure the correcte score & number of Team Fouls is posted. So when I saw 9 points for the Home Team stay at 9 points after a made basket I had to correct the score.

Then, after a Technical Foul was called, which counts toward the Team Fouls for One & One/Double Bonus Free Throws, the Scoreboard Operator did not change the Team Fouls. We corrected that. This was in the 2nd Quarter.

In the 4th Quarter the clock did not start after a ball was in-bounded, so I had to correct that, too.

By this time the 2 students were feeling quite chagrined.

I smiled to them, and said, "Don't worry about the mistakes. The fans will blame the Refs! You're OK."

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Sports Quotes You've Probably Never Heard

"Last year we couldn't win at home and we were losing on the road. My failure as a coach was that I couldn't think of anyplace else to play."
-Harry Neale, Professional Hockey Coach

"Blind people come to the ballpark just to list to him pitch."
- Reggie Jackson commenting on Tom Seaver

"I'm working as hard as I can to get my life and my cash to run out at the same time. If I can just die after lunch Tuesday, everything will be perfect."
-Doug Sanders, Professional Golfer

"All the fat guys watch me and say to their wives, 'See, there's a fat guy doing okay. Bring me another beer."
-Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers Pitcher

"When it's three and ten, you can have the milk drinkers; I'll take whiskey drinkers every time."
-Max McGee, Green Bay Packers Receiver

"I found out that it's not good to talk about my troubles. Eighty percent of the people who hear them don't care and the other twenty percent are glad you're having them."
-Tommy LaSorda, LA Dogers Manager

"My knees look like they lost a knife fight with a midget."
- E.J. Holub, Kansas City Chief's Linebacker regarding his 12 knee operations

"My theory is that if you buy an ice-cream cone and make it hit your mouth, you can earn to play tennis. If you stick it on forehead, our chances aren't as good."
-Vic Braden. Tennis Instructor

"When they operated, I told them to add in a Koufax fastball. They did but unfortunately it was Mrs. Koufax's."
- Tommy John, N.Y. Yankees, recalling his 1974 arm surgery

"I don't know. I only played there for nine years."
-Walt Garrison, Dallas Cowboys fullback when asked if Tom Laundry ever smiles

"We were tipping off our plays. Whenever we broke from the huddles, three running-backs were laughing and one was as pale as a ghost."
-John Breen, Houston Oilers

"This film looks suspiciously like the game itself."
-Bum Phillips, New Orleans Saints, after view a lopsided loss to the Atlanta Falcons

"When I'm on the road, my greatest ambition is to get a standing boo."
-Al Hrabosky, Major League Relief Pitcher

"I have discovered in 20 years of moving around the ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse to the price of the seats."
-Bill Veeck, Chicago White Sox Owner

"Because if it didn't work out, I didn't want to blow the whole day."
-Paul Horning, Green Bay Packers running Back on why his marriage ceremony was before noon.

"I have a lifetime contract. That means I can't be fired during the third quarter if we're ahead and moving the ball."
-Lou Holtz, Arkansas Football Coach

"I won't know until my barber tells me on Monday."
-Knute Rockne, when asked why Notre Dame had lost a game

"I tell him 'Attaway to hit, George."
-Jim Frey, K.C. Royals Manager when asked what advice he gives George Brett on hitting

"I learned a long time ago that 'minor surgery' is when they do the operation on someone else, not you."
-Bill Walton, Portland Trailblazers

"Our biggest concern this season will be diaper rash."
-George Macintyre, Vanderbilt Football coach surveying the team roster that included 26 Freshman and 25 Sophomores

"The only difference between me and General Custer is that I have to watch the films on Sunday."
-Rick Venturi, Northwestern Football Coach

And the best of all...... Tampa Bay Bucs coach John Mckay when asked what he thought about his team's execution, replied, "I think it's a great idea"......

What's your favorite quote?

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3 Reasons Why Fans aren't Allowed to Referee Games

There are reasons why the Fans are not allowed to Referee the game:

1.  Don't know the rule as well as they think. High School Rules are NOT the same as College & NBA Rules. 

2.  Personal bias towards their team clouds their perception of what is or is not a Foul/Violation committed by the other team or their team. 

3. Despite their plaintive cries to "Call it BOTH ways," fans do not see the game "both" ways....

My Ref partner ejected a fan in the First Half. The fan, evidently proud of his antics, took a deep bow to the crowd just before he walked out the door which was met with a loud cheer from his little group of fellow agitator fans. Remarkably, THAT group was conspicuously quite the rest of the game......

Photo by COD Newsroom via Flicker,  available under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Coming back to the court after Half Time Break the Security Person told me another fan in the lobby during Half Time said to him, "Those Ref's ejected my friend and they are going to have to eject me too!"

The Security Person did not identify the fan and I did not ask. I do not need to go looking for trouble...... but I will take care of it if it shows up.

Sure enough, we were barely into the 3rd Quarter when a fan bellows out some inane comment about a call my partner had just made. A very simple and obvious Foul Call, it was.

My partner's back was to the crowds, so he turned and asked, "Who said that?"

The fellow who had made the comment sat silent. Such courage! He can yell when the Ref's back is turned to him but would not own up to his conduct face to face. BUT a woman sitting behind him immediately, and vigorously, pointed to the fellow and with no hesitation said, "He did!"

It seems she was just as tired of his obnoxiousness as we were!

And so my partner ejected that fan, too.

The fan refused to leave, even to take a bow. It was not a stand off he was destined to win......

I trotted over the the Security fellow, who was engrossed in a conversation in the far & other side of the court with some school staff, not seeing the altercation, and told him we had just ejected a fan who refused to leave. Would he please escort the fan out.

"Which fan?" He asked.

I do NOT point to fans. I describe them to the Security folks, so I said, "The one in the back t-shirt next to the guy in the red & white cap."

"Yeah, that's the one who said you Ref's were going to have to eject him, too."

I replied, "Tell him his wish has been granted and make sure he is completely out of the gym,"

I think some fans who delight in being rude and hollering at the Ref's Do not realize:

1.  These are High School Games. Not College or NBA where more outrageous behavior is tolerated, perhaps even encouraged. We abide buy the AIA Motto, "Pursuing Victory with Honor," I believe that standard should apply to the fans as well as players & coaches...... 

2.  Other fans are NOT amused by their outrageous misbehavior. Belligerent fans detract from the other fans enjoyment of the game. 

3.  When ejected, the fan does NOT get to stand in the lobby and watch the rest of the game thru the doors or windows in the doors. They are sent completely out of the building where only a pair of x-ray Vision Glasses from a Cracker jack Box will help them see the rest of the game. 

4.  The game will not restart until the fan is out of the gym.

And the team for which those 2 fans thought we were making such bad calls?

1. Had FEWER Fouls called on them than the other team

2. Won by 20 points

So our "poor Reffing" apparently did not affect the team's ability to win, only a couple fans opportunity to see the whole game. A game they had to drive at least an hour to get to from their school and pay to enter. I hope they felt like they got their money's worth!

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Winning VS Student Athlete's Health

Winning IS important. Don't get me wrong. But there has to be some reasonable balance between the Coach or the Parent's desire for victory and the student athlete's health.

Recently I was Refereeing an OFF Seasons High School ages league......

A defensive player lost balance and fell backward, thumping her head on the court.

Following the National Federation of High School and the Arizona Interscholastic Association CONCUSSION Protocol Guidelines I instructed the Coach to remove the player from the game.

The PLAYER protested saying, "I hit my elbow, not my head."

The Coach protested saying, "She hit her Elbow and not her head."

I told them both I SAW her head bounce off the floor. She was out of the game until an authorized Medical practitioner could clear her to renter the game.

She stayed out the rest of the game....

I reported the possible Concussion to the Referee Coordinator and the League Director right after the game. BUT, she had another game immediately following and, as fate would have it, I was Refereeing that game, too......

Just prior to the start of the game the Referee Coordinator, League Director, Coach AND the Player's mother asked to speak with me.

"She says she did not hit her head. Only her elbow," was the claim, again.

I reminded the Coordinator & Director of our current National and State Concussion Protocol, saying, "A player will say anything to stay in a game, even that they did not injure something that they DID injure. I am not gonna risk her health for a Summer League Game OR my family's financial status by letting her play without proper Medical release and getting sued later by an attorney for letting her play if it turns out she did have a concussion."

The Mother, WHO  SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE MOST INTERESTED IN HER DAUGHTER'S HEALTH, was not happy at all, but the girl was not allowed to play the next game.

Why, oh why, would a parent or Coach risk a kid's health for a measly Summer League game?

Image "ouch." by Beth Rankin via Flickr, available and modified  under a Creative Commons Attribution License

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"What are YOU gonna do about that, Ref?"

So queried the Captain of a Men's Recreational League in the 1st Half of a game I was refereeing. 6 Fouls to 0.

"That's not right!" He further protested.

I looked at the Scoreboard and replied, "I agree, it's awful that your team has committed so many Fouls."

"Well, what are you gonna do to FIX it?" He further pushed.

"What am I gonna do to fix it? Well, I'm gonna keep calling fouls on YOUR Team realizes I am not gonna let them get away with all the cheap stuff they've been doing and they stop it!" Was my response.

"But you'll foul us all out!" He complained.

"If that's what it takes for your team to play straight up basketball, then that's OK with me."

By some miracle that team suddenly stopped the cheap stuff and went on to win a close game.

Sometimes you just gots to let folks know where the line is drawn so they know how to behave......

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Thanks For Making My Coach Sit Down

So said the Athletic Director as he ushered my Referee partner & me into the locker room after the game.

High School Rules state that a coach is allowed to STAND and coach the team in 14' wide "Coach's Box" in front of the Team Bench.

But if a Coach gets a Technical Foul, that privilege to stand is taken away.

"ESPN Armed Forces Classic - Game Day - U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, South Korea - 9 Nov. 2013"

 by USAG- Humphreys via Flickr

We recently had a game with a Coach who has a reputation for nagging at Referees. In fact, on our way to the court I overheard the Team Trainer comment to another adult team supporter, "Do you think Coach will get "T'd" Up again tonite?

Well, sure enough I DID "T" Up the Coach.

He did not like it. Few do. But most know the Rule and have enough sense to sit down- even if they do continue to glare at the Refs!

Not THIS Coach......

When the Coach did not take a seat and just stood there glaring at me I motioned with my hand to sit and said, "Coach, Please sit down."

Nothing.

Again I made the hand gesture to sit and said, "Coach, Please sit down!"

A fan hollered out, "What? Is he a dog that you can tell him to 'Sit'?" We ignored the fan. It WAS a rather funny quip.

The reply from the Coach, while pointing to a couple people at the end of the bench near the scorer's table was, "I am waiting for them to move so I can sit down."

"Coach, just go sit at the end of the bench and nobody needs to move. But do it now."

It was quite clear we were not gonna restart the game until that Coach behaved properly.

Finally the Coach SLOWLY moved to the of the Bench and sat down.

"Thanks For Making My Coach Sit Down."

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How to get Ejected from a High School Basketball Game

If, after spending the better part of the game yelling at, protesting, criticizing the Referee calls and generally being an abusive nuisance, it might not be a surprise to find out that the Referee's tolerance level for such behavior may be rapidly declining...... In fact, the "tolerance level" may not make it to Half Time......

And if you are sitting right on the sidelines and object to the Referee calling a "T" on a player from your team who throws up his/her arms & does some sort of hopping up & down with his arms flapping up & down in some sort of pirouette/ dance to protest for being called for an obvious Foul and holler VERY LOUDLY at the Ref, who is about 15' away from you, "Ref, YOU SUCK"......You can expect to be ejected.

If you are sitting among the same group of fans that had the first fellow ejected for hollering, "Ref, YOU SUCK," and you object to a player from the same team being called for a Technical Foul for "Taunting" by clapping his hands in the face of an opponent he had just stolen the ball from and scored a basket against saying, "Bring it on, dude!" And you look directly at the Ref who is 5' away from you and yell loudly, "YOU ARE THE WORST REF'S EVER!"......You can plan on being ejected.

And when after the ejection, the husband/boyfriend immediately stands up and sticks a Cell Phone Camera in the same Ref's face and says, "I'm videoing you!"......You can plan on being ejected, too. Politely, but quite firmly and immediately so.

And when the ejected fan "Flips a Bird" at the other Ref while walking out of the gym and the husband/boyfriend yells, "F___ YOU!" (TWICE) at the Ref as he exits, the Ref's pretty much understand why they had to call 3 Un-Sportsmanship Conduct "T'S" on players from the same team in the game (and NONE on the opponent). The kids do reflect their parents......

Oh, and the fan that "Flipped off" my partner said she was going to write a letter to the AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association) about the "out of control" Referees as she walked out of the gym. I'm sure the AIA will have great sympathy for her grievance......

You can meet such interesting people when Refereeing......

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Sometimes Ya Gots to Trust the Referee

Playing a round of Golf the other afternoon and ended up in a group, none of who I knew.

As the round progressed it became apparent 2 of the golfers were well acquainted- one was the Basketball Score Keeper at the High School he teaches at and the other was the District Athletic Director.

When I mentioned I Referee High School they both paused, looked at me and said, "THAT's why you look familiar!"

The the AD said, "I learned an important lesson from you."

I did not recall ever seeing the fellow before and asked how that was.

Turns out he was the AD at a local High School and did NOT like my NOT calling an "Over and Back" violation against an opponent.

He said, "I went into the Referee locker room at Half Time to ask for an explanation as to why you missed that call. You calmly pulled out your Rule Book. When I saw that it was all marked up with red ink underlining & yellow highlighter I realized I might have made a mistake in questioning your call......You turned to a page, held it out to me and said, "Here's the Rule." After I read it you said, "and this is how we call it" and explained it to me very clearly. I thought I knew the Rule but I was wrong and you had made the right call. So now each season I tell all my coaches to be sure and attend the AIA Coaches Meeting to learn the Rules. I don't want them to question the Ref's call and be wrong and be as embarrassed as I was with you!"

It is quite common among fans and even some coaches and AD's to be FAMILIAR with a Rule, but not REALLY know it.

So, if you're watching a High School Basketball game and see a player dribbling the ball near the half court line know this-until the Ball and BOTH feet of the dribbler cross the Center Court Line the ball is still in Back Court and the player can step BACK into the Back Court with no violation.

It drives fans, players & coaches crazy when that happens and the Referee does not blow the whistle, but the Referee is making the right call.


Sometimes ya gots to trust the Referee. He might just have spent a LOT of time studying the Rule Book!

(Pictures of my 2016-17 NFHS Basketball Rules Book. Authentic wear & tear.)

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