Basketball
Cue on Defender to Officiate 3-Pointers
With the game transitioning more and more to outside jump shots and three-point attempts, officials need to focus on three separate but similar areas:
Monitoring defensive players as they...
Bench Conduct Warning Proves Worth
R ecently, the NFHS Basketball Rules Committee approved a rule change to add a coach/bench personnel conduct warning (4-48). The committee’s goal was to...
Don’t Match Fouls on The Other End
It is understood that the goal of matching is to pair likenesses. Millions of dollars are being spent every day to find and make that perfect match. The...
The Importance Of Halftime Discussions
Imagine that the buzzer to end the first half has just sounded. The game is going to be a real barn burner. The teams are tied...
How to Keep Your Head From Spinning
The athletic spin move is often one that players, coaches and fans love to see during a game and also one that makes officials...
5 Minutes with Karen Preato
Hometown: Greensboro, N.C.
Experience: Started officiating at the college level in 1998 and entered the D-I ranks in 2003. Currently works in the Atlantic 10, Atlantic...
What Coaches and Referees Actually Agree On
In any game, coaches and referees usually agree on several things:
The time of the game
The location of the game
The teams playing...
For Basketball Officials, the Journey is the Destination
To achieve maximum personal success and productivity as a basketball official, one has to be highly motivated and have a positive attitude. Furthermore, to reach and...
Prevent Timing Errors
There are three seconds to play in the game. The score is tied and team A must go the length of the court to...
Pivot Foot Recognition Is Key to Calling Traveling Correctly
When James Naismith invented basketball in the late 19th century, he was looking for a healthy indoor sport to tough out the Northeastern winters. He wanted something that avoided physical...
4 Marginal Call Landmines
There you are, just cruising along in a basketball game. Everything is going smoothly, and then all of a sudden — bang! All hell breaks loose. What happened?...
Let’s Meet Up
There are times in a game when officials should get together as a crew. There are times when officials shouldn’t get together.
During warmups is...
Honesty Starts with Yourself
If you’re not being honest with your partners, you’re lying to yourself, too.
All too often, basketball officials attempt to leave the impression that every...
Four Eyes Off The Ball
From years of being around high-level Division I men’s college basketball officials, Ray Natili learned to train his eyes and “quit looking at the basketball.” It’s a mantra...
Strong Signals Can Defuse
Reporting fouls to the table is a time to project strength and believability. Your signal should lend credibility that you stand by your call...
Don’t Waste a Chance for Self-Evaluation
Over the years, I’ve spoken to many officials approaching the end of their careers. They speak of being less keyed-up before games, grumpier during...
Leaving the Court Has Consequences
M
ost everyone knows, in the game of basketball, when the ball touches a boundary line or anything outside the boundary line, it is out...
No Autosave On Out-of-Bounds
One of the great things about being a basketball official is having to make quick and instantaneous decisions on many different types of plays that are happening at...
New York’s Rucker League: Where Basketball Officials Hone Their Craft
Basketball players at every level use the summer months to improve their skills on the court. They often do so by playing in as...
A Helping Hand With Flaming Fans
An official I know was having a tough night in one of the rural barns around here. The fans were braying, the coaches were...
Active ‘C’ Creates a Successful Crew
The center official on a three-person crew is the straw that stirs the drink. When “C” is active, things go more smoothly and games are apt to be...
Prep for Bang-Bang Plays
Crashes should not catch basketball officials by surprise. That’s a mantra from Jon Levinson, NCAA women’s basketball secretary-rules editor, and assigner for the Patriot...
Held Balls a Haven for Off-Ball Harms
How many officials does it take to rule a held ball? No, this isn’t some type of comedic riff on the well-worn “How many (insert insult here) does...
