Special Edition

FUN-damentals and Other FUN Situations

Editor's note:  The wording of the following statements is not intended to include every possible contingency but is meant to serve as a brief reference for some common play situations.

PART A - TEN FUN-DAMENTALS (our readers should know ALL of them!)

1.  It is not possible for a dribbler to be guilty of "TRAVELING" until AFTER he secures, catches or possesses the ball, no matter how bad it looks!

2.  There is no such thing as "OVER THE BACK!"  There may be a call for "ON the back" (more correctly, a PUSH) but only if the contact violates the vertical space of the player whose back is hit or displaces him from behind. 

3.  A "3 SECOND VIOLATION" is not "1-2-3 whistle!"  It's "one thousand one - one thousand two - one thousand three....." and then it may be a whistle if it's clear to the official that an advantage has been gained.  Remember:  when player receives the ball while in the lane for 2 seconds and makes an offensive move to score, the count is suspended.  So, he could be in the lane much longer than 3 seconds.  If he stops his move to score, it would be a violation.

4.  CLOSELY GUARDED situations can occur anywhere in the front court and they do not end when the dribbler gets past the "hash mark."  That's the way the old rule used to read, but that was changed years ago.  A closely guarded player may actually hold the ball for 4 seconds, dribble for an additional 4 seconds and then hold the ball for an additional 4 seconds (12 seconds total) without a violation being called.

5.  TIME OUT may be granted to either a player or head coach when a player on that team has possession of the ball and includes soaring through the air out of bounds (High School only).  If the time out request is not recognized by one of the officials, it cannot be granted. 

6.  GOAL TENDING will not be called on a blocked shot try at the offensive team's basket unless the ball is A) above the basket  B) on its downward flight and C) has a chance to enter the basket. If any of those three things are missing, it cannot be goal tending. 

7.  MORE on goal tending......In HIGH SCHOOL, even if the ball has hit the backboard, the above three factors still hold true.  In NCAA, once the ball hits the backboard above the basket, it can't be blocked.

8.  SLAPPING THE BACKBOARD is not an automatic technical foul.  It should be called when the player does not make a legitimate attempt to block the shot ("hot dogging").

9.  A "high dribble" is not automatically a "PALMING" violation, or (more correctly) a "DOUBLE DRIBBLE" violation.  The dribbler can legally bounce the ball as high as he wants but cannot allow it to "come to rest" in his hand.  Generally speaking, the dribble ends when the ball comes to rest (secured, caught, possessed) or is ruled dead.

10.  A LOOSE BALL IS NOT A LICENSE TO KILL.  That is, unlike football, players are free to pursue a loose ball but are not allowed to hold, push, clean out an opponent's legs or pile on to secure control of a loose ball.

PART B - FUN SITUATIONS FOR OFFICIALS TO SORT OUT

1.  BLOCK/CHARGE - The official must, first and foremost, determine if the defensive player has "established a legal guarding position."  Then he must continue to monitor the defender's movements to be sure he is moving legally to maintain that initial guarding position without being the one who causes contact.  The toughest situation is when the offensive player tries to avoid contact, slides off the shoulder of the defender and, now off-balance, goes to the floor while at the same time the defender "flops" to try to draw the charge.  Two bodies on the floor.....??

2.  DRIBBLER DRIVES INTO DEFENDER - Similar to the above play, it can be difficult to determine whether one or the other has the greater blame for the ensuing contact.  Often times it is the dribbler who is angling into the defender while the defender, legally moving to hold his ground or maintain his position, inadvertently contacts the dribbler with his hands.  Who is causing what to whom?  And if they both fall down, then what?

3.  GOAL TENDING/BASKET INTERFERENCE - Two quick questions must be asked.  A) If it was a shot, was it above the basket, on its downward flight and did it have a chance to enter the basket?  B) Was the ball ON or (with)IN the basket (or in the imaginary cylinder that extends to the ceiling) at the time contact is made with the basket or the ball by either the defense or the offense.  You can't even ask the questions in the time the officials have to sort it out!

4.  LOOSE BALL - TIME OUT -  Time out cannot be granted if the team does not have possession AND if the time out is not RECOGNIZED by the official.  On a typical play, the bodies are flying and the ball is like a greased pig.  While the crowd is going crazy, the official must look for fouls, see possession and see or hear the time out request by player or head coach before blowing his whistle.

5.  MOVING SCREEN - The official knows the screener may approach from the front or within the visual field of the defender and the screen can be implemented "short of contact."  But what to do when the defender runs into the screener?  And what about when the screener comes from behind or just barely out of the visual field of the defender?? In that case, the screener must allow space and time for the defender to avoid the screen.  With 10 players moving in a small area, sorting it out can get very sticky at times.

6.  JUMP STOP/TRAVEL - The players are so quick and so talented that many times their footwork may be legal but it "looks bad" and the traveling call is incorrectly made.  The key for the official, as always, is to determine where the ball is when the dribble ends (that is, when the ball is secured, possessed, or caught).  Until that happens, none of the fancy footwork means a thing.

7.  BUZZER BEATERS - It's a one possession game in a noisy gym.  A shot at the buzzer will determine the outcome.  The clock is counting down.  The dribbler is being closely guarded.  The official must A) look UP to see if the shot is released before the horn goes off  B) look at the arms, bodies and legs to see if a foul was committed by either the defense or the offense  C) look DOWN to see if the shooter's feet are behind the 3 point circle.  That's why video replay is legal in NCAA games.  It is not yet legal at the High School level except in certain playoff situations.

Do you have a question? Have you seen a play you didn't understand? Was there a controversy you'd like clarified?  Send your questions in and I'll do my best to get you an answer!

Skip Yutzler

IAABO Board 127

41 Years High School and Junior College Official

Selected 5 times to officiate at the New York State High School Championships

Ask The Ref !

2011 - 2012 SEASON

With Veteran Long Island Official Skip Yutzler

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