CSBOA: Video

To be a top notch official one must be a "master of the gray."  The rule book is written in black and white, but the game is played in vrious shades of gray.  "White" plays are perfect plays without a hint of a foul.  The are easy.  If we screw one of them up we have not had a good night. 

 Black plays are "no brainer" fouls.  We should get right them every time.  They are easy.

However, in between pure whit plays and pure black plays lies a sea of "Gray" or "tweeners."  Tweeners are neither obviously a foul or obviously a perfectly clean play.  Being able to officiate "Tweeners" correctly most of the time is what seperates good officials from great officials.

This clip is a very average "tweener."  It might be a foul and it might be incidental contact.  See what these officials ruled and then decide what you would have ruled.

Look at the lead pinch the paint.  Good job, but he should have rotated way earlier.

Banana plays begin on the stron side and end up driving the weaks side.  Banana plays are the most difficult play for us to cover.  No one has an open look on a banana play.  The worst case senario  for a banana play to end up in a train wreck.

The trail must hook out to maintain an open look for as long as possible.  (Ball goes rght, we go left)  The lead must pinch the paint  to get an inside look and to identify the secondary defender

The C must take the dribble driver after he/she has turned the corner.

This clip is a good example of a banana but the trail doesn't hook out and the lead doesn't pinch. 

IT APPEARS TO ME THAT THE PLAYER BEHIND IS VERTICAL AND THE PLAYER IN FRONT MAY HAVE DRIFTED BACK TO THE VERTICAL PLAIN.  MAYBE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADJUDICATED AS INCIDENTAL CONTACT.

WHAT KIND OF LOOK DOES THE LEAD HAVE.  HOW ABOUT THE CENTER?

I THINK THE TRAIL HAS THE BEST LOOK ON THIS PLAY

THE DEFENDER ON THIS PALY TO THE BASKET DEMONSTRATES GREAT DEFENSIVE VERTICALITY.  OBSERVE THE DEFENDERS ARMS.

WHY WASN'T THE LEAD BALL SIDE?

VERTICALITY IS NEVER MORE IMPORTANT THAN IN OFFICIATING REBOUNDING.  THE POSITION OF THE BALL RELATIVE TO THE TWO REBOUNDERS INVOLVED IS PARAMOUNT.

IN THIS CLIP IT APPEARS THAT THE BALL IS BEHIND THE WHITE SHIRTED REBOUNDER AND HE JUMPS BACKWARD VIOLATING THE VERTICAL PLANE OF THE BLACK SHIRTED REBOUNDER.

WHO INITIATES CONTACT IS AN IMPORTANT CONCEPT WHEN THINKING ABOUT VERTICALITY.  iF THE DEFENDERS ESTABLISH LGP THE NEXT STEP IS TO DECIDE WHO INITIATES THE CONTACT.  IF IT IS THE OFFENSE THAT INITIATES, NOT PENALIZE THE DEFENSE.

HERE THE PLAY RESULTS IN A HELD BALL.

Veery difficult plays are often refereed to as bang-bangers, or some folks refere to them as "tweeners."  They are very close to being legal from whatever perspective you look at them .  It is good to have default settings to fall back on when faced with adjudicating a bang-bang block-charge play.

A good default setting for block-charges where the ball handler is on the court is a "charge."  For a block-charge  "banger" where the ball handler is airborne, a block call is probably the better choice when considering the safty issues involved with an airborne player.

this play is probably a banger.  It is very close.  Maybe the defender "obtained" LGP before the dribble driver went airborne and maybe he didn't.  It is very close, even in slow motion and frame by frame.

Could the lead have been ball side?  Yes!

This clips shows a "trap" in the deep corner on the "C" side.  It seems to me that both the new trail and the center official are reluctent to move their feet and go get a better look at this play.  Appear connected to the play that you are officiating, and don't be afraid of going to where you need to go to see what you need to see.

Get a good look at this play and then we will scramble to see the next play.

In this clip we see a lead official who needs to be just a little more patient with his whistle.  If he had just waited a half second longer before sounding his whistle the offensive post player would ahe had a bucket. 

No one was put at a disadvantage here. Thepost wasn't dislodged, he didn't lose the ball but was begining a try.

Just a gameous interruptus moment.