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.)