TSSAA Officials

[5-Sport Dad]

You shouldn't complain about the refs.... Especially if you have never actually tried to call a ball game. Its tough. Besides, if you were good enough, you wouldn't let the refs change the outcome of the game.

 

That's the funniest thing I've ever read on CoachT.

 

I see you've never actually coached. Maybe you shouldn't let one or two bad refs spoil the whole bunch.

[oknative]

[Pantherbert]

Why don't you guys quit your bitching and take a ref class and put on the stripes. Its easy to be a referee from the bleachers, but try to be one from the court - its a little bit harder.

 

As a TSSAA referee, I can tell you that I could care less one bit about what all you armchair referees in the bleachers call or yell. I've been called it all, and don't really care. I call what I see, not what you see from the bleachers. You want a say about what's going on on the court - put on a referees uniform. We don't see it all, but that's why there's three of us on the court. You can't watch all 10 players at one time.

 

And keep in mind. The refs don't even see the same game as you do. They are the only unbiased people in the entire gymnasium. As a fan, you're either biased towards your children, or towards your team. As a player, you're biased towards your team, and as a coach you're biased towards your team. There's nobody else left in the gym who isn't biased - except the referees.

 

Do you scream at the referees when your son hammers another player and the ref didn't blow the whistle? Do you scream at the ref when the other team knocks the ball out of bounds off of your son's foot, but gives it back to your son's team. Do you yell and scream in your living room when your watching Colorado State playSan Jose State, probably not - because you're not biased towards one team or the other, its just basketball. But put yourself into a gymnasium with your son's or daughter's team and you see an entirely different game.

 

Do we get it right all the time. Absolutely not. Are all refs great refs - probably not. Foul recognition is the determining factor, in my opinion, as to what makes a good ref. Once you've done it for a while, you have a good idea of what to look for. Each referee is going to have variations in the quickness of 10 seconds over the half court line, or distance between playeers to get a 5 count. But referees also adjust calling on a game by game basis. Two HS power teams with blue chip players should have a game called tighter than a JV game involving freshmen. And of course you always find quality differences in referees just as you find quality differences in basketball players, coaches and fans.

 

Just remember, we don't see the same game as you do - and its not that we don't see the same game, its that you can't.

 

 

 

In a group of three, is there a "senior" ref that is able to override a call that may have been incorrect or is that generally discouraged?

 

Personally, I don't care if the game is being called correctly as long as its the same on both ends. That's all I can ask.

[bucdaddio]

There is not really a "senior" ref. If I make a call, say out of bounds off of white, and you saw from a better angle that it was off of blue, you can correct my call. It doesn't happen a lot, but it happens.

 

One thing that bothers me a lot, and makes for unevenly called games, is that one ref calls under the basket on one end, and another calls under the basket on the other end. This is to prevent one ref from having to run from one baseline to the other every time. (the one that calls near half court on one end calls baseline on the other) The problem comes when one guy calls it close and the other guy lets them play.

[bluesbrother]

I just have one question. Why aren't rules published and given to us. I know our team has been called for stuff we never even heard of. Is it some big secret that no one has a copy of the rules??? Maybe that would help out everyone.

[o21putt]

All you have to do is call the NFHS or TSSAA and they will gladly send you a copy of the rule book. Easy enough. Also, your coach should have a copy of the rule book.

Edited December 12, 2006 by papatj

[oknative]

I just have one question. Why aren't rules published and given to us. I know our team has been called for stuff we never even heard of. Is it some big secret that no one has a copy of the rules??? Maybe that would help out everyone.

The rules are published by the National Federation of High Schools. They aren't secret, only copyrighted. So you cant' copy them and put it on the internet or anything, it would technically be a felony. Ref's get a copy when they go through the referee class, and an new version every year when you renew. Seems like the cost is about $6. I don't know if you could buy a copy from the NFHS or not.

[oknative]

Check out www.nfhs.org

 

http://www.nfhs.com/index.asp?cmd=showcate...&param_0=62

Here's the site for the basketball rules. $6.75

[PHargis]

There is not really a "senior" ref. If I make a call, say out of bounds off of white, and you saw from a better angle that it was off of blue, you can correct my call. It doesn't happen a lot, but it happens.

 

One thing that bothers me a lot, and makes for unevenly called games, is that one ref calls under the basket on one end, and another calls under the basket on the other end. This is to prevent one ref from having to run from one baseline to the other every time. (the one that calls near half court on one end calls baseline on the other) The problem comes when one guy calls it close and the other guy lets them play.

This is a good point and gets the ref's in trouble with the fans and for that matter with the coaches more than any one thing. How can coaches coach like the game is being called when its done like that? I would hope at some point that the three refs would get their heads together and get calling the game more consistant. It appears in some associations that there is a Senior Ref of the three and gives a good impression of some order and professionalism if things are done improperly. Somebody has to be a leader and not have three diverse opinions on the court. Three diverse opinions is lack of something and should not be placed together on the court. The game is more important than opinions that don't agree.

[PHargis]

Officiating has improved the last couple of years. But I notice at least once or twice a year there is a game called so lopsided that there is no way it is on accident. Had not seen it this year and hope I don't. I am guessing that jump ball is a point of emphasis this year. Seen jump ball called when only one person has control of the ball. Seen a lot of them this year. Then the same game four people tackled one from the other team and you couldn't even see the ball and had a very delayed call. I don't mind missed calls, will happen, I hate the open court muggings that are obvious that don't get called.

 

Seen a five second call where ball handler drove down and popped back out, defender wasn't within 10ft of ball. Next play other team had ball just past half court, defender was within arms reach, and refs never counted. Everyone was in shock.

 

Overall they are improving, but there are always those couple that when you see them you know the game is going to be poorly reffed, or going to go against you.

As I understand it, in basketball the coaches have to grade the refs and hopefully put comments in. if that is the case, whoever the association has who looks at the comments should make sure corrective action be taken place or at least discussed with the team. A game should never be called where lack of officiating causes the game to get out of control. That is not. the officials are not doing their job when that happens and are not communicating with the players.

[oknative]

This is a good point and gets the ref's in trouble with the fans and for that matter with the coaches more than any one thing. How can coaches coach like the game is being called when its done like that? I would hope at some point that the three refs would get their heads together and get calling the game more consistant. It appears in some associations that there is a Senior Ref of the three and gives a good impression of some order and professionalism if things are done improperly. Somebody has to be a leader and not have three diverse opinions on the court. Three diverse opinions is lack of something and should not be placed together on the court. The game is more important than opinions that don't agree.

Each referee is free to make the calls that he/she sees. It would not be a good system at all if the two "suborninate" refs had to get all calls approved by a senior ref. Could you imagine a game in which a ref blows a whistle for a charge, then confers with the Senior ref who says he didn't think it was a charge. So now you don't have a call. Who gets the ball, it was still on the rim when the whistle was blown. Can you imagine the crowd, who had a call in their favor, then its overturned.

 

The game needs 3 refs, who have different views, need independent ability to make calls.

[GCPioneer]

Each referee is free to make the calls that he/she sees. It would not be a good system at all if the two "suborninate" refs had to get all calls approved by a senior ref. Could you imagine a game in which a ref blows a whistle for a charge, then confers with the Senior ref who says he didn't think it was a charge. So now you don't have a call. Who gets the ball, it was still on the rim when the whistle was blown. Can you imagine the crowd, who had a call in their favor, then its overturned.

 

The game needs 3 refs, who have different views, need independent ability to make calls.

 

here's one for ya...this happened in the Gibson Co/Dyer Co boys game last night...it was the fourth quarter with the lead going back and forth...GC called a timeout and set up an in bound play against Dyer Co's press...the player taking the ball out had the ball in his hand and was lookin for someone on the court...a GC player then ran out of bounds on the same side of the court under the goal and received the ball...the ref blew the whistle and called him out of bounds...HE DID NOT STEP OVER THE LINE AND DID NOT RECEIVE THE BALL IN BOUNDS..he was clearly in the painted out of bounds area...