Rndballref
20 Years Experience
Chicago, IL
Male, 60
For twenty years I officiated high school, AAU and park district basketball games, retiring recently. For a few officiating is the focus of their occupation, while for most working as an umpire or basketball referee is an avocation. I started ref'ing to earn beer money during college, but it became a great way to stay connected to the best sports game in the universe. As a spinoff, I wrote a sports-thriller novel loosely based on my referee experiences titled, Advantage Disadvantage
No, by rule they cannot, but it depends (and the following discussion assumes the offensive player does NOT have the ball):
Coaches teach the armbar technique but if the arm in the back prevents an offensive player from moving to another legal spot, it is holding.
If the armbar is set within the verticality the defender is entitled to, and the defender's forearm is used to keep from being pushed backward by the offensive player then there is no foul, or an offensive foul.
I always looked to see if the armbar moved foreward to push the offensive player off his spot, then it is a foul. If the armbar did not push the opponent, I would not call it
Share Answer: 
I call it bad preventative officiating. One of the officials should count the players after each time out, and prevent the play from starting until you have ten players on the floor. However, once the play starts the fifth player cannot come back in until there is a dead ball whistle.
Share Answer: 
There is no provision for a referee to overrule another official in the Federation rules book, however in practice one official is designated as the referee in a crew with a responsibility to resolve simultaneous calls. My experience is that before the game this situation is discussed between officials. I think it is important to get the call correct, but each referee has his own area to watch. So if I make a call that one of my partners sees a different way I want that official to approach me, tell me what they saw, I give my perspective and then I decided if I will overrule my own decision. That way I can defend the final outcome. So, a few principles: 1) a ref should be watching their own area - that is why you have 2 or 3 of them, 2) there is some overlap and sometimes a second look sees something you can miss, and 3) officials should decide how they will consider overruling each other before the game. Based on your description (that the shot was clearly made from inside the 3 point line), regardless of how the ref's changed the call they apparently got it wrong.
Share Answer: 
Well, the referee is considered to be part of the floor where he is standing. If he is out of bounds and the ball touches him, it is out of bounds. If he is in bounds and the ball touches him, play on.
Share Answer: 
Air Traffic Controller
Have you ever ordered a pilot to abort mid-takeoff?
Chef
Is it true that the "specials" are usually the stuff that's been sitting around awhile?
Wills and Estates Lawyer
Can I leave everything to my pets?
OK, we need some common sense here. Normally after a time out and the warning horn sounds, a player would be denied entering the game. This is to eliminate delays due to substitution gamesmanship (in pro hockey for example the home team has "last substitute"). But in the case where a coach has 30 seconds to replace a fouled out player this rule should not, and does not apply to either team. If common sense prevails, the officials should let A-6 in the game.
Share Answer: 
It is confusing because there are different philosophies of how to call these situations. The rules clearly state that a foul intentionally committed should be called intentional and administered with 2 free throws and the ball at point of interruption.
Most referees will avoid calling intentional fouls if the foul is not severe, the player attempted to go after the ball, and/or did not grab the player. Here is the dilemma...if you wait to make sure a foul is a foul when the whole gym is expecting one then it looks bad not to call an intentional and play can get rough. If you have a quick whistle on first contact it looks like you are aiding the losing team in their attempt to foul their way back into the game.
I wish I had a better answer for you. This is one of the toughest judgement calls in the game.
Share Answer: 
Rule 6 Section 3 Article 3... Teammates shall not occupy adjacent positions around the center restraining circle if an opponent indicates a desire for one of these positions before the referee is ready to toss the ball.
Share Answer: 
-OR-
Login with Facebook (max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
Register with Facebook(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
Browse Jobs
Host a Q&A
Search
Submit Your Question
Host a Q&A
Last 7
