Positioning The basic floor positioning described below will be in effect whenever the ball is established in the front-court. The half-court game begins when the initial transition has ended and the offense begins to set up a play to score. LEAD OFFICIAL

Positioning The Lead official assumes a position of good depth off the endline, approximately two feet from the baseline. The Lead official will move laterally between the 3-point arc and the nearest lane line to better judge the action in their area of responsibility. The Trail official will always be on the same side as the Lead official.

Primary Area of Responsibility The Lead official is responsible for the area between the 3-point arc and their half of the lane area. This coverage includes up to the foul line extended.

The Lead shares an area of responsibility with the Trail official – this area is from the

top two lane spaces to the 3-point arc on Ideally, the coverage should be a wide triangle their side of the court.

Officiating the Lead When the ball is not in the Lead’s primary, the official must referee the competitive match-ups off the ball. Referee only the match-ups, if a defender is just standing in the zone and there is no match-up don’t referee that person. Look for opponents that are matched up against each other and remember that match-ups constantly change. If and only if there are no competitive match- ups in your area, look to help with match-ups in the Trail or Center’s area.

KNOW THIS • The Lead will call 3-second lane violations • The Lead’s primary responsibility is watching post play The Lead • The Lead official should always look for an official position and “OUTSIDE-IN” position. coverage area THE CENTER Positioning The Center official will establish a position at the free throw line extended with their shoulders parallel to the sideline. This is the basic position for the Center official regardless if they are tableside or on the opposite side of the court.

Primary Area of Responsibility The Center official will referee their whole side of the court. This area extends from the endline to the half-court division. The Center must also officiate the half of the lane area closest to them up to the free throw line.

Officiating the Center When the ball is out of the Center’s primary, they should look for off-ball screens and weak side rebounding fouls.

The Center official will referee on the ball when it is located within the free throw line and when the ball crosses the free throw lane line nearest to their sideline.

KNOW THIS • The Center official is responsible for weak side rebounding coverage The Center official will remain the Center on the other end of • The Center’s primary responsibility is officiating off-ball the court when the ball changes possession. contact • Center should be alert for live ball rotations initiated by the Lead. THE TRAIL The Trail official position and coverage area

Primary Area of Responsibility The Trail official is responsible for the area above the foul line up to the half-court line. This area of coverage extends around the 3-point arc down to baseline on the Trail’s side of the court.

Officiating the Trail Trail officials will keep all ten players between themselves and the baseline in the front-court at all times. This is the basic position for the Trail official.

If the ball is positioned above the free throw line extended or below the free throw line extended and outside the 3-point arc, the Trail will have on the ball coverage.

When the ball is driven to the basket or shot, the Trail official must step down to acquire a better angle during rebounding. Look for rebounders coming from behind and over players.

When the ball is not in the primary look for competitive match KNOW THIS ups. First look for match ups in the lane, and then look • The Trail official must be ready to become the elsewhere if there are none there. Lead on a fast break turnover • The Trail will initiate 5-second closely guarded The Trail official will become the new Lead official on a change counts on their side of the court of possession. • The Trail official will acquire a position to referee the ball from the “OUTSIDE-IN.” Officiating Block/Charges

Distinguishing between a block and a charge has been determined to be the “most BLOCKING difficult call for any basketball official”. illegal personal contact, which Blocking is illegal personal contact that impedes the impedes the progress of an opponent. progress of the Charging, a player control foul against the opponent offense, is illegal personal contact caused by pushing into a defensive opponent.

Defensive players must have previously obtained “legal guarding position” to draw a charging call. Otherwise, any contact that occurs is the responsibility of the defensive player. Officials must be aware of the “principle of verticality” which defines what a defender may or may not do in a block/ CHARGING charge situation. illegal personal contact caused by pushing or moving into an opponent’s torso

GUARDING the act of legally placing a body in the path of an offensive opponent. A player who extends an arm, shoulder, hip, or leg into the path of an opponent is not considered to have a legal position if contact occurs. ASK YOURSELF 1. Was the defender at the spot first OBTAIN without illegally contacting an opponent? To OBTAIN an initial legal 2. Was the defender facing the offensive guarding position…the guard player? must do 3 things: 3. Did the defender have both feet on the floor when obtaining the legal guarding 1. Legally get to the spot FIRST position? 2. BOTH feet must be on the If you answered “yes” to all 3 questions, floor. then the burden is on the player with the ball to stop or change direction in order to 3. The front of the guard’s body avoid contact. must be FACING the opponent. Cylinder Principle Calling and Reporting Fouls (CONTINUED)

FIRST, SHARPLY Introduction BLOW THE WHISTLE AND SIGNAL THE It is important that a definite procedure in officiating FOUL WITH A mechanics be used when a foul occurs. The following RAISED FIST. procedure should be performed in a crisp and professional manner by the calling official. Non-calling officials must also know their duties to keep a game running smoothly. Calling a Foul

THE CALLING OFFICIAL SHOULD… (This should take 5 to 10 seconds)

1. Whistle with a single sharp blast 2. Simultaneously raise one hand, fist clenched, straight and high above the head. 3. Pause. SECOND, GIVE 4. Verbalize and signal who the foul is on and what was THE PRE- committed. LIMINARY FOUL SIGNAL. 5. Indicate how the ball will be put into play – possession or free throws. IN THIS CASE 6. Designate the throw-in spot if a throw-in will follow or ILLEGAL USE OF THE HANDS give the number of free throws and the shooter’s number. HAS BEEN 7. If a legal goal has been scored on the play, signal that the CALLED basket was good - verbally and with hand signal. 8. The official then moves to the scorer’s table and repeats this same process using hand signals. 9. Hustle to the table and go around the players.

The Lead Official has called a foul and will go tableside to report it.

The Trail FINALLY, Official will DESIGNATE switch and WHERE THE become the BALL WILL BE new Lead PUT IN PLAY Official FROM.

THE CALLING OFFICIAL WILL NOW HUSTLE TOWARDS TO THE TABLE TO REPORT THE FOUL.

ROTATING AFTER A FOUL CALL The calling official will always go table side to report the foul. The non-calling officials should rotate to their new positions. Calling and Reporting Fouls Reporting a Foul

1. Come to a complete stop and wait to be acknowledged by the scorer. 2. If a basket was made state that first to the scorer. 3. Slowly state the COLOR of the offending players team 4. Verbally state the NUMBER of the offending player and on one hand signal the number of the player 5. Verbally state the FOUL and give the proper mechanic Reporting the Foul: “Count the basket. The foul is on Black, 5, hits, count the 6. State how the ball will NEXT be put back in basket, 1 shot” play – throw-in or number of free throws. 6. Remain table side. NON- CALLING OFFICIALS

The free officials should freeze and keep their vision on all the players until the calling official has reported the foul.

The free officials will then secure the loose ball and precede to the proper position to administer either a free throw or a throw-in.

Make sure the proper shooter is on the line if a free throw is to follow.

OSWALT TOWER PHILOSOPHY

“It is the purpose of the rules to penalize a KNOW THIS player who by reason of an illegal act has placed his/her opponent at a disadvantage. • Calling & reporting fouls should take 5-10 seconds It is not the intent that the rules shall be • Observe the activity around each team’s bench and penalize interpreted literally, rather they should infractions when necessary. be applied in relation to the effect which • The calling official shall notify the player on a disqualification the action of the players has upon their • Reporting official will complete all communication with table opponents. If they are unfairly affected as before admitting a substitute or acknowledging a time-out a result of a violation of the rules then the request. transgressor shall be penalized. If there has • The scorer will notify the officials when the offending player’s been no appreciable effect on the progress team commits its 7th foul and its 10th foul in each half. of the game, then the game shall not be • A player is disqualified after a fifth personal foul. interrupted. The act should be ignored, as it is incidental and not vital. Realistically and Bonus: seven team fouls in one half = one-and-one situation practically, no violation has occurred.”

Double Bonus: ten team fouls = two free throws Throw-Ins

DESIGNATING A SPOT FOR THE THROW-IN On every stoppage of play requiring a throw- in an official should indicate where the throw-in will take place.

The designated throw-in spot is the nearest spot out-of-bounds from where the violation or foul occurred except for…

• Fouls that occur below the foul line extended and inside the 3-point arc, throw-ins for these fouls will be taken on the endline closest to where the contact occurred.

• Technical Fouls, the throw-in shall be administered at the division line on the side of the court opposite the table after the two free throws are taken.

• Beginning the 2nd half, the throw-in shall be administered at the division line on the side of the court opposite the ADMINISTERING A THROW-IN table. The administering official should Basic Procedural Steps: sound their whistle to indicate the 1. Position yourself “outside” the thrower at the designated spot. resumption of play. 2. Keep ball away from the thrower until you are ready 3. Non-administering officials should box-in the players. • Underneath the basket or behind 4. Eye contact with partner the backboard, the ball is never for any 5. Raise your arm with an open hand reason taken out from here. Administer 6. Hand the ball to the thrower the throw-in either to the left or the right 7. Immediately step back 2 steps and begin a visible 5-second count. of the backboard to avoid contact with it.

The administering official shall hand or bounce the ball to the • Ball at the Disposal of a Team thrower and move back to observe the action. As a general rule No appreciable delay should be allowed bounce the ball for a throw-in on the sidelines and hand the ball to before placing the ball at the spot and the thrower on the endline. beginning the five-second count.

Hand the ball to the player on an endline. “Chop” the clock in when the ball is Bounce the ball to the player inbounded. on a sideline Technical Fouls

EXAMPLES OF UNSPORTSMANLIKE Introduction TECHNICALS INCLUDE • Acts of Deception Technical fouls are given to a player who has • Disconcerting a free thrower violated the spirit of the game, committed • Taunting or Baiting an opponent an unsportsmanlike act, or attempted to • Verbal abuse or questioning of an subvert the rules in some manner. official

Flagrant Fouls and Intentional Fouls Swearing Definition are also considered unsportsmanlike technical fouls. TECHNICAL FOUL a foul by a non-player, a non-contact foul by a player, an intentional or flagrant foul while the ball is dead. Administrative Technicals

Unsportsmanlike Administrative technical fouls are Taunting issued when a team has violated a set Technical Fouls rule of procedure.

A player that has endangered an opponent, These technicals are issued to verbally abused an official, or acted in a the violating team. Examples of general unsportsmanlike manner should be Administrative Technicals include: assessed a technical foul. • Too many players on the court at one time Depending on the context a player may • Failure to sub for a injured or be ejected from the game for any of these disqualified player Act of Deception infractions. • Requesting an excessive time out • A 2nd Delay of Game warning

The Penalty: two free throws awarded, and possession is granted at the division line. All technical fouls count as team fouls.

If two technical fouls are assessed to the same player, it results in an automatic ejection. Disconcerting a Foul KNOW THIS Shooter The rules provide officials with the use of the technical foul to regulate unnecessary and unsportsmanlike activities. Officials must be able to control a game at all times – the technical foul is one tool that an official Technical Foul has. Out of Bounds

Introduction AN OFFICIAL’S LINE RESPONSIBILITIES Primary responsibility for all out-of-bounds Boundary lines of the court consist of calls rests with the official whose sideline or endlines and sidelines. The inside edges endline the ball has crossed: of these lines define the in bounds and • The Lead has the entire endline. out-of bounds areas. A player is out of • Center has there sideline from endline to bounds when they touch the floor, or any endline object other than a player, on or outside a • Trail has the closest sideline and the far boundary line. endline.

WHEN IS THE BALL OUT? Call only your own line. There should be no The ball is out of bounds when it touches: double whistles. 1. On or outside the marked boundary line 2. A player who is out of bounds. If an official is in doubt, they may, with a 3. Any other person, the floor, or any questioning look, appeal to the object on or outside a boundary. closest official for help. When an appeal is 4. The supports or back of the backboard. made, the responding decision must 5. The ceiling, overhead equipment or be made instantly. If both officials are supports of the basket unsure they use the alternating possession arrow. CALLING OUT OF BOUNDS To signal that the ball is out of bounds: 1. Give a sharp blast of the whistle. 2. Raise one arm above the head with Out of Bounds fingers extended Coverage 3. Remove whistle from mouth and lower the arm. 4. Simultaneously call out the color of the team entitled to the ball and point toward their basket.

KNOW THIS • The sides, top, and bottom of a rectangular backboard are IN BOUNDS • The supports of the basket and behind the backboard are OUT of BOUNDS • The officials whistle does not make the ball dead – if the ball is out of bounds it is already a dead ball. • A ball that is knocked out of bounds simultaneously by two opposing players will result in alternating possession. Free Throws

Introduction

Free throws are awarded for fouls which occurred during the act of shooting, after a team has reached either a single or double bonus situation, or after a technical, flagrant, or intentional foul is called.

Fouls after a made basket will receive one shot. Fouls after a missed basket will receive two shots, unless the shot was attempted behind the 3-point arc which will incur three free throws. Two shots and the ball are awarded for technical, intentional and flagrant fouls.

BONUS SITUATIONS Beginning with a team’s seventh foul in each half; a one-and-one situation will be awarded to fouled player. If the first attempt is successful, one bonus attempt will be awarded. After the tenth team foul in each half, two shots will be awarded. Official’s Positioning

The calling official will remain table side and is now the Center official Calling official will become Center. The Lead and Trail go The Lead and the Trail official will be opposite table side. positioned opposite table side.

The Lead official will administer all free throw attempts.

Know This • Subs for the shooter may only enter on a • Do not begin administering any free successful final attempt. throws until the calling official has • If the fouled player becomes injured, or completed reporting the foul. disqualified before his awarded attempts, • Try must be attempted between the foul their substitute must attempt the shots. line and within the free throw semi-circle • Free throws are not taken for player • Subs may not enter until right before the control fouls. final free throw of a series.

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