RCBA Refereeing Points of Emphasis 2008-09 Basketball Season
RCBA Refereeing Points of Emphasis – 2015-16 Basketball Season
Division: / Points of Emphasis: / “Must Calls!” for Every Game! / Floor Positioning: / Comments:Grade 3-4 / i)Whistle must be blown
ii)Cannot ‘freeze’ on a call
iii)Positioning on Baseline & Trail
iv)Grade 3-4 Differentiated Rules
v)Confidence
vi)Game Management / i)Travel;
ii)Double Dribble
iii)Reach Fouls/Contact Fouls
iv)Three (3) seconds in the key; (Later in the season – after Christmas) / Be in Position!
Important to have the officials in their proper baseline and trail positions throughout the game. They should be on the baseline and in the trail position, and not involved in the middle of the floor or off the baseline. / Refereeing the Game in accordance to the players or the type of game is important. More aggressive play needs to be called tighter - more calls are necessary!
Officials need to ensure that they ‘blow their whistle’ and react appropriately when such occurs. They must focus on the call and keep their composure.
Game Management (GM) must include efficient handling of substitutes (line up, numbers recorded, and find their man as quickly as possible) so that the ball can get into play within a reasonable time. It also includes getting the players to line up for foul shots quickly. GM is also getting to work effectively with the minor officials. Know the timing and scorekeepers roles and the procedures to check scores, time, and substitutes for equal play time.
With the above occurring within the game, confidence can increase. So will the willingness to blow the whistle can occur more efficiently and when necessary.
Calling the “Must Calls” will lead to calls involving shooting fouls. The ‘reach fouls – reach-ins, pushes, bumps, arm chops’ are a must call, as such activity is not coached and displays poor defensive skills.
Grade 5-6 / i)Working with partners
ii)Confidence & Game Control/Management
iii)Zone vs. Man to Man Coverage
iv)Covering Zones of Responsibility
v)Rule Differentiation for Gr. 3-4/5-6
vi)FIBA Rules
vii)Double Whistle Protocol
viii)Coach Rapport
ix)On floor communication / i)Building on skills from Grade 3-4 Emphasis
ii)Illegal Screens/Offensive Fouls
iii)Shooting Fouls, working towards all fouls
iv)Timeouts
v)Zoning / Referees need to cover the court. Referees need to hustle into positions at the baseline and trail positions. As well, referees should begin ‘sliding over’ to half court to cover defensive positioning in Zone 3. Officials should begin working the baseline – moving into a better position to see space between players. Trail officials should begin working the ‘arc’, moving toward the basket on player drives or shots, and rebounding situations. / Referees are beginning to build their skill sets. Important to know the rules, the floor positioning and the fouls & violations. Referees are building from that learned in previous experiences as they grow as officials. The FIBA Rules must be studied and the differences between the Div. 3-4 and the Div. 5-12 rules must be clear. With the basic idea of violations and reach fouls established, focus can be on the determination of shooting fouls. Evident fouls must be called. As well, discretionary fouls are also requiring a quick decision, as advantage – disadvantage starts to be recognized and applied. Consistency becomes vital to the application of the rules – violations and fouls. Communication with players on the floor – being proactive and preventive can be established to improve games.
A key to this level of basketball is the incorporation of screens in offensive schemes. Officials need to be cognizant of moving screens, particularly at the ‘elbows’ or top of the key. Offensive fouls, such as moving screens and charges are becoming a stronger part of the game as the level of players also improves.
Partners should start to cover their respective zones of responsibility, rather than watching the ball at all times. This is important to start coverage and increase awareness of ‘off-ball’ situations that may occur. Each should now be able to distinguish their lines of responsibility on violations. Any double whistles should be limited and if such occurs, should be handled effectively, through one’s position. The referee where the play is coming to generally takes the responsibility for the calling of the infraction – foul or violation, unless the other referee has something previous to the double whistle.Referees should be able to begin to relate appropriately to coaches, enabling themselves to respond to questions addressed to them by coaches. Referees should be able to distinguish between appropriate approaches and non-appropriate approaches by coaches. Officialsshould be communicating with coaches/players within the context of each game.
Grade 7-8 / i)The Advantage – Disadvantage Concept
ii)Partnerships
iii)Off-ball/Zones Coverage
iv)Man to Man vs. Zone Press
v)Game Management – Dead Ball Efficiency / i)Building on skills from Grade 5-6 Emphasis
ii)Bock/Charge Calls
iii)Zone Traps/Press (Post Christmas)
iv)Zone vs. Man to Man Defence / Partners need to know their individual responsibilities for coverage – zones, pressure defence, full court press/half court press, etc. Transition between the two officials is occurring with comfort. Movement along the baseline and in the trail positions are incorporated throughout the game.
Officials are in the correct positions to ‘see the space’ between players to help judge contact and initiation of contact. This is particularly important in the calling of Block/Charge. / The Advantage – Disadvantage Concept should start to be recognized and employed in the games. This idea needs to be applied consistently throughout the game and should be a focus based on the officials’ positions on the court, the type of game occurring, and the level of skills existing within the context of the game.
The Block/Charge is an increasing component of games and should be recognized and called consistently throughout games. Positioning on the floor is critical to making this call correctly. Recognition of defensive positioning is also important in recognizing contact.
‘Ball Hawking’ should not be occurring, as the officials should be focused on their specific zones of coverage responsibilities. Working with the partner should create ease in covering the respective areas of coverage each is responsible for. Transitions between the partners – switches/full court pressure defence/administration of violations or fouls should some second nature and thus officials should be able to maintain this throughout the game.
Officials require a flow to be created and maintained in the games. Dead ball efficiency is important to maintaining game management and flow. Timeouts, foul shots, substitutions, inbounds, etc. are important to creating proper dead ball efficiency.
Officials need to understand and apply the Man to Man vs. Zone Defence positioning of players. The implementation of a ‘Zone Trap’ defensive position has created some concern for coaches and should a key consideration and focus for officials. Understanding player position/defensive stance & man coverage, and coaching intent in the positioning of the players are keys to the officials’ recognition of zone traps or zone coverage.
Grade 9-12 / i)Positioning
ii)Court Coverage
iii)Game Management / i)Building on skills from Grade 7-8 Emphasis
ii)Unsporting/Technical Fouls
iii)Knowledge of defences / Officials should be attempting and emphasizing being in the right position on the floor at all times / Officials see a quicker paced game at this level. It is important that the officials are in the ‘right position’ on the floor at ALL times. Conditioning and hustle are extremely important to get the official to consistently apply this throughout all games. Continued work with partners, being able to discuss various aspects of the game is important to managing the game. Increased communication within the game with players and coaches is essential to game management and flow of the game. Continuing to focus on dead ball efficiency is also important.
Game management also requires judgment on hard fouls vs. a contact foul. It is important to recognize the ‘hard foul’ and call the unsporting foul in relation to this. With the new rule for the ‘break away’, this rule and decision is also important to consistently apply.
As well, technical fouls become more involved in games and need to be discretionally used. Determining why and when to use and not use is important to this level.
Understanding the implications around the various types or levels of defensive strategy also becomes part of the focus for the officials.