Basketball Referee

Basketball Referee

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

SubscribeGet emails when new questions are answered. Ask Me Anything!Show Bio +

Share:

Ask me anything!

Submit Your Question

651 Questions

Share:

Last Answer on September 20, 2019

Best Rated

Our AAU league posted a notice on its site that starting in spring, players need gov't issued photo ID. But it did not say how the rule was to be enforced or when or by whom ID's would be examined. Do you have any more on that? Thanks.

Asked by rodk over 10 years ago

I do not have any special knowledge of AAU league or tournament rules. I do know that age verification is a perpetual problem in traveling basketball.

Are lane violations on free throws the least-whistled calls in the NBA? I honestly don't even know what the rule is anymore, given that it seems like ONE team is in the lane before the ball leaves the shooter's hand on like 80% of 2nd free throws.

Asked by NBA-wut about 10 years ago

The NBA is different than NFHS because in high school players are supposed to wait until the ball hits the ring or backboard. In the NBA they can move on the release.

you call a foul and the table does not tell you it should be a bonus situation. B1 inbounds the ball and scores. then the table informs you the previous call should be a bonus. is it correctable.

Asked by tony over 9 years ago

This error is correctable, as long as it is discovered during the first dead ball after the clock has been started. When B1 scores, the ball is dead and the free throw should be awarded. The points scored by B1 shall remain counted.

When you dribble and the defender goes for the steal, are you allowed to use the non dribbling hand to block or even swap/push his hand away

Asked by Tamudawson over 9 years ago

You are entitled to your vertical space. If you use your forearm out of your vertical space to seperate the defender it is an offensive player control foul.On the other hand, if your forearm is within your vertical space and the defender pushes your arm away to get closer to you it is a common foul on the defender.

In District play offs can the referee call a foul in the last 4 seconds ? Example A player from the opposite team fell and the other teams player jumped over him and didn't even touch him but they got to shoot because they said he touched him !

Asked by LouLou about 9 years ago

A referee can call a foul anytime during the game, as long as a foul has been committed. If there was no contact and no unsportsmanlike behavior then no foul should be called.

Youth basketball (13-14) ball is in play & scorekeeper hits buzzer in error; some players continue the game (clock still running) & no whistle was blown. A basket is made & then the whistle blows & referee claims no basket. Was this a correct call?

Asked by Debbie over 10 years ago

Players should play until a whistle is blown. In your scenario the refs made two mistakes: 1) if there is not an advantage by the team in possession when the buzzer sounded, they should blow the whistle and find out what the timekeeper wanted, and 2) once they let the game continue then they should count all activities until the whistle.

On a designated spot throw in. Can a player take one step forward to adminster a throw in

Asked by Rox over 10 years ago

On a spot throw-in, a player must stay within a 3 foot area along the out of bounds boundary. That three foot area extends from the out of bounds line all the way back to the wall, or the first obstruction (bleachers, table, etc.).  

So to answer your question, as long as the player does not step in bounds before releasing the ball, he can take as many steps forward short of breaching the out bounds line.