Lane Violations, Bad Sportsmanship, Kicked ball, and more!

Question:   A-1 is at the free throw line and the referee has bounced the ball to him. After he received the ball, B-3 from the opposing team moves in and takes a place along the foul lane. The referee waves off the free throw, in essence penalizing the shooter. My question is should this not be a technical foul against the opposing team for moving into the lane after the ref has passed the ball to the shooter? If it is a Technical can you outline the rule for me? Thanks

Answer:  It is NOT a technical foul.  Assuming the play developed as you described, the correct procedure would be for the official to recognize a lane violation by B-3 (he will signal his recognition by silently extending his arm with his hand in a fist) and allow A-1 to take his shot. If A-1 misses, a substitute free throw would be awarded.  This is really no different than any other "lane violation" such as stepping into the lane too early.  The referee will permit the shot to be taken and if it misses, he will award a substitute free throw.

Question: After a foul call in a varsity basketball game, a player had his shirt in his mouth and the player was called for a technical foul.  Why?

Answer:  Not seeing the play, it's hard to know for certain.  I would never second guess a game official who sees the need to call (or not call) a technical foul.  Not being on the floor, we can never know what the true nature of the game really is.  I can only guess that the official saw the player's action as being unnecessarily disrespectful of the official's call or possibily as unsportsmanlike conduct.  It may also have been the "final straw" in a series of prior actions which could all be lumped into a general category of "accumulated B/S." (read:  "bad sportsmanship")

Question:  I have two unrelated questions regarding what I observed during the Jericho vs Floral Park game on Jan 4. First, during halftime, I noticed one of the game officials talking for at least a couple of minutes with the parent of a Floral Park player. Is that allowed? Seems to me it shouldn't be.

Secondly, during the game a player on offense, as he was driving to the basket, lost control of his dribble and inadvertently kicked the ball. The ref blew his whistle and awarded the ball to the defending team. I always thought that only a defensive player could be called for a kicked ball and even in that case the kick had to be intentional. What is the rule?  Thanks!

Answers:  To the first question, for the sake of impartiality, I believe it is best if the game officials limit their interaction with people not directly involved with the game.  Having said that, however, when you officiate for a period of time in one relatively small geographic area as those of us who work high school ball do, it would be unusual not to get to know many people in the basketball community, including players (past and present), their parents, administrators, students, and other spectators.  It is often difficult to distance yourself from some interaction with them.  However, I think the best approach is to be cordial but brief in any conversation.

As to the second question, if the dribbler "inadvertently" kicks the ball (as you suggested) then it should not be a violation.  However, if the official sees it as "intentional" then he will rule accordingly (even if you might disagree!!)  It makes no difference whether it is the defensive or the offensive player.  Both are capable of kicking the ball "with intent."

Question:  Team A has the ball and as A-1 dribbles downcourt, teammate A-2 sets a legal screen but then pushes off the screened defender, B-1. The official calls a foul on A-2 for pushing.  Then, the official takes B-1 and lets him shoot free throws.  So team A lost the ball and team B got a 1 & 1 situation.  Is this correct?

Answer:  Not in boys basketball.  The rule for a play such as this was recently changed so that A-2's foul would be ruled a "team control" foul (similar, but not identical, to a "player control" foul).  Team A would lose the ball and team B would take the ball out of bounds at the spot nearest the foul.  No free throws would be taken.

Question:  The referee in a recent game determined that the home team scorer was, in his judgment, not experienced enough or less likely to be as responsible as the visiting team scorer.  He therefore directed the visiting team scorer to be the "official book" for the game.  Is this legal?

Answer:  Not only is it legal, but it is one of the referee's specific duties.  Rule 2-4-3 states that one of the responsibilities of the referee before the game is to "designate the official scorebook and official scorer" prior to the start of the game.  Rule 2-11-11 further clarifies this by stating "The scorebook of the home team shall be the official book, unless the referee rules otherwise."  Although the "official book" is most often assigned to the home scorer, if the referee feels that he can reduce the possibility of errors or confusion by having a more responsible person as the official scorer, he is authorized to make that designation.  In some cases, such as during playoff games, a third (impartial) scorer may be designated as the "official book."  Once the game has begun, the official book must remain at the scorer's table, including  the halftime intermission.  It cannot be taken into the locker room.

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

                             36 Years High School and Junior College Official

                            5 Times NY State HS Championships - Glens Falls

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