One of the topics we discuss during our crew’s pre-game is the importance of refereeing the defense, or, in other words, making sure you are watching what the defense does during a competitive matchup, a drive to the basket, or a shot by the offense.
But while watching high school games, and I watch my share of them, I must admit most high school officials do a poor job refereeing the defense. In fact, because of this, we end up penalizing the defense way too much when the defense hasn’t broken the rules of basketball.
We penalize defensive players during at least three play situations during competition.
The first play situation is during a shot for goal by the offensive player.
A veteran college basketball official once told me that the call we miss the most as basketball officials isn’t the block/charge play – it’s the blocked shot play.
Too many high school officials do not allow defensive players to block shots. We blow the whistle when the defense gets a legal block up top and try to convince everyone a foul occurred down low with the body. This is nonsense. If a defensive player legally blocks a shot up top, then other contact by the defense should be ignored, unless that contact takes the offensive player to the floor.
The second play situation is when an offensive player drives the ball to the basket, becomes airborne, and attempts to shoot the ball. Too many times the defensive players guarding the airborne shooter are in legal guarding position and have established verticality, but still we whistle a contact foul on them when it was the offensive player who initiated the contact. Be careful that when the offensive player begins to move the ball around, while still in possession, and makes contact with defensive player’s hands and arms, when those defensive players are legal, you don’t whistle a foul on the defense.
The third situation is during a competitive matchup while the offensive player is committing a dribble-drive down the floor or toward the basket. If the defensive player has established legal guarding position, meaning they have two feet on the floor while facing their offensive opponent, then that defensive player can move to maintain legal guarding position. Too many times in high school basketball we whistle a foul on a legal defensive player when that defensive player is only moving to maintain their legal guarding position. Often, if you are refereeing the defense, it is actually the offensive player who is initiating the contact on the way to the basket. Unless the defensive player loses their legal guarding position by stepping into and contacting the dribbler, then that defensive player is legal while guarding the offensive player from the beginning of the competitive matchup to the completion of the play.
Whistle discipline is important too, when making sure the defense is given an equitable opportunity to play the game of basketball. As Hank Nichols, long-time college basketball official and past national coordinator of NCAA officials, used to tell us as young referees, “Anticipate the play, but not the call.” Or in other words, anticipate what the defense is going to do, but don’t put air in the whistle until you see “the whole play develop.” Anticipating foul calls is not a good thing when it comes to basketball refereeing, especially when it comes to defensive play.
As high school officials, we need to do a better job rewarding good defense on the floor. We all know basketball has become more of an offensive game compared to what it was like 50 years ago. But good defense should be rewarded because those are the rules, and as we all know – defense wins championships!
And that’s, “The Primary Focus.”
Good article, Scott. Important topic. A suggested addition to this line of thinking/training:
Patience is key to accurate ruling on plays involving contact by opponents in a basketball game. Unless an official is able to discipline themselves to watch the play begin, develop and finish, they’ll be inclined to put air in the whistle instinctively when contact occurs. Developing a mental checklist when your basketball IQ tells you the offense is attempting to gain an advantage (by making a strategic pass (assist), drive to the basket or shot attempt) will provide the seconds or even tenths of a second to up your chances of making a correct call. Recognize, the more the needle swings in favor of the offense, the more likely the defense will do something to swing the needle the other direction! Your job as an official is to judge whether that “something” is legal or illegal.
We get no bonus points for being the fastest whistle in a game. As a matter of fact, the quicker the whistle, the lower the call accuracy. PROCESS the play, THEN make a decision. My mental checklist begins with the question, “Who initiated the contact?” and continues through my evaluation process until I reach the final question: “Did the contact I just observe, by either the offense or defensive player, have an IMPACT on the play?” The answer to that question triggers my whistle.
First reaction to the idea of using a mental checklist and the suggestion of being more patient in our play evaluation process usually produces resistance and the claim that as officials, we are required to make instantaneous decisions and simply don’t have the time to ponder a decision on the court. Frankly, that argument doesn’t hold water. You have much more time than you think and when a coach complains, “that was sure a slow call”, I enjoy the response, “…but it was right, Coach!”
Looking to gain a little more time to process a play? Find it in early recognition of threats in your primary area of coverage. Stop ball-watching. Raise your basketball IQ so you can anticipate the play (not the call!). FACT: The longer you observe a defensive player’s actions, the more accurate your decision on ruling legal or illegal contact. FACT: The #1 cause of an inaccurate call in officiating? Being out of position. FACT: The #2 cause? Coming on a play late. Time is your friend. Develop patience in your play evaluation process and your call accuracy will improve.
Good stuff Dave! I remember a conversation I had with Joe DeRosa about refereeing the defense. At the time, Joe was a NBA referee. After retiring, he worked college basketball in multiple conferences – including the Big 12. Joe always talks about “slowing down plays.” And the way you “slow down a play” is to apply the principle of incrementalism – or, in other words, watch a play “begin, develop, and finish. How do you “slow down a play?” Repetition, repetition, repetition.
“FACT: The longer you observe a defensive player’s actions, the more accurate your decision on ruling legal or illegal contact. ”
This is why it is imperative that we learn to let the play begin, development, and finish before sounding our whistle.
Excellent point Jason! It’s so important to “protect your primary” and to “see the play” you are responsible for refereeing. Guessing should be a rarity when it comes to a 3-person officiated game. The main reason we added the third official was to take “guessing” out of the game of refereeing. You can’t call what you don’t see. So don’t try it!
Good stuff Dave! I remember a conversation I had with Joe DeRosa about refereeing the defense. At the time, Joe was a NBA referee. After retiring, he worked college basketball in multiple conferences – including the Big 12. Joe always talks about “slowing down plays.” And the way you “slow down a play” is to apply the principle of incrementalism – or, in other words, watch a play “begin, develop, and finish. How do you “slow down a play?” Repetition, repetition, repetition.
Thanks for offering lots to ponder on refereeing the defense! As a newer ref, I’ve experienced more questions from coaches on blocked shots not ruled a foul than block/charge calls made. The most frequent line of questioning – didn’t you see the contact on the body or arm especially when it’s a block by a guard on a forward (unexpectedly). Also, blocked shots called a foul outside of a primary area from my perception happen more often than they should, but that’s my limited experience.
Paul Pedersen – Regarding contact to the body while blocking a shot, here’s how I referee that play. If the defensive player contacts the body to gain an advantage to block the shot, then more than likely I’m going to assess a foul. But, if the defensive player blocks the shot and then contacts the body, that contact is going to need to be substantial in order for me to assess a foul. We’ve all seen the play where the defense gets a good block on the shot and then the referee comes out with a body foul. That just doesn’t make sense if you’ve played the game. You get a good block on me with a small amount of body contact and I call a foul on you? You’d get run off the blacktop! Regarding your second scenario, a whistle coming from another area of the court than the primary, I would encourage you and your crew to discuss “matchup proximity” during your pregame. In our pregame, we discuss where the block attempt comes from – does the block happen in front of the offensive player, or behind? Depending where the block attempt occurs, that should let the crew know who has primary coverage on the play and who has secondary/tertiary coverage.
Great points – some that I can add to my pre-game moving ahead! I agree with you block with a small amount of body contact is a-ok. Thanks for adding more clarity to the discussion!