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Home > Blogs > High School Huddle > Archives > 2011 > February > 16 > Entry
Here’s the official word on calling a close game and other nonsense that refs endure
The following is feedback to an Audible commentary that I wrote for Wed., Feb. 16 in the DDN. I knew that it would elicit a backhand, and “Rich” delivered.
Here’s his story, followed by mine. Thanks, “Rich,” for allowing me to post some of your rebuttal. As a reader, you’ll like Rich’s comments. It’s a rare inside glimpse into a world that few of us dare go, but all of us like to browbeat:
RICH’S REBUTTAL
Regarding your article on officiating. As a longtime official, I think it’s a load of crap.
The Flying to the Hoops games are exhibitions. It’s like comparing summer league ball to regular season. Besides, officials are damned if they do or damned if they don’t. As soon as you let stuff go, people complain. As soon as you call it tight, people complain. After all, a foul is a foul. There is no gray area in the OHSAA rule book.
I agree that better officials can let some minor stuff go to keep the game flowing better as a lot of us do, but they still complain. When you have great athletes as they do in the City League being aggressive and pressing the entire game, obviously more fouls are going to happen.
As far as a shortage of good officials, you might be right. In my experience some varsity officials think the game is all about them and it annoys the heck out of me. In my opinion a good official is one that is barley noticed.
Interestingly enough, of the 33 people I went to class with back in 1998, only 4 of us still officiate. The really bad ones seem to weed themselves out.
Here is a list of my favorite complaints:
• Somebody is gonna get hurt! Like me calling or not calling a foul could change that. It’s up to coaches to control their players.
• That’s over the back! There is no call in any rule book and no signal for anything called over the back. If a 6-5 player is standing behind a 5-5 player and reaches over and grabs the ball from him or her, that’s not a foul.
• After 3 or 4 shots go up from offensive rebounds, I hear “3 SECONDS!” No. Every time a shot goes up 3 seconds starts over.
• Lastly, people seem to think a player has to be perfectly still to get a charge call. No. That player is entitled to the area he or she is standing in all the way up to the ceiling. If they jump straight up and get plowed, it’s a charge.
Finally, over and back is a whole can of worms that I don’t want to get into.
AND THE AUDIBLE:
Officiating a tight game or not a judgment call
One of the best things about last month’s Good Samaritan Hospital Flyin’ to the Hoop was the lack of personal fouls called.
It’s the not-so-secret understanding that unless a hacking is heard, play is good to go. Referees, players and coaches all are on the same page about this. The relative non-whistle blowing has never ruptured into an issue.
Besides, there’s no other way that six or seven boys high school basketball games could be played in one day and come within reason of their posted tipoff times. That’s what college coaches are counting on, let alone spectators.
And then there are Dunbar’s games this season against Canton McKinley, Trotwood-Madison and Akron Buchtel.
Last Saturday’s 56-50 defeat of Buchtel was the most wincing offender, producing a staggering 56 personal fouls in 32 stop-action minutes. That amounted to a combined 70 free throws. A pumped-up and capacity crowd anticipating a classic No. 1 vs. No. 2 game instead drifted in and out as if a cure for insomnia had been found.
Dunbar’s defeats of Trotwood (54 fouls) and McKinley (50-plus) were more of the same.
This isn’t a rant against close officiating. We should applaud referees of any sport. The shortage for qualified and experienced officials at all levels in all sports has never been greater, for many abused reasons. That’s the repeated theme I hear every time I ask.
But too much of a good and needed thing can overwhelm an event and render it unwatchable. It’s like adding salt to a meal; a bit enhances the taste, but too much makes it unbearable.
Something in between ideally is best, for players and fans. That’s the toughest call of all.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Officiating
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By Fishmo
February 17, 2011 3:07 AM | Link to this
Rich is right Mr. Pendleton. You have have your head up your …
By TRUE DUNBAR FAN
February 18, 2011 8:36 AM | Link to this
I agree i think some of the officials really are good and some are just terrible, rich is right I was at all three mentioned games and that was just way too many fouls called, I see less fouls called i n college games than in high schools games, and i think Akbar from dunbar gets way too many fouls called on him, lets just hope it gets better during the tournament and less fouls are called, because I’m trying to watch dunbar go back to back State titles again……
By MAC
March 11, 2011 7:57 PM | Link to this
I’ve officiated off & on for over 30 yrs and I’ve found Rich is spot on w/ most of what he’s said. Most officials @ state tournament level R prima-donna; they think the game is all about them & act as if they’re auditioning 4 a movie part instead of trying to control a game? Yet, I do find the best officials call more fouls 2 keep the game under control. I usually let things play on if I can’t discern whether someone gained an advantage or not which many times leads to rough play & all concerned getting upset. In the end, only the players really know if there was a foul or not; officials can only call them like they see them & hope they use good judgment while doing it. I try 2 call the violations more in order to control the game; there’s way too much traveling & carrying of the ball going on which if cleaned up would eliminate many of the fouls IMHO.