A Primer on Basketball Officiating
(To make you a more educated Jerk, so you can focus your efforts on the opposing coaches and players... and not the zebras)





email refs@kirksjerks.com to submit a question, we'll post it here.

Your opinion of referees is going to depend completely on how a particular call benefits your team. Here's proof. We all know that at the beginning of the All-Valley Karate Championships in the Karate Kid, the referee says, "No contact to the head is allowed". He even docks a point for it early in the tournament. And yet, we all know Daniel Larusso takes out Johnny with a crane-kick right in the face to win the championship.

You weren't sitting in the theater crying, "HEY REF, HE KICKED HIM IN THE FACE!!" You know why? Because you were rooting for Daniel-San. Imagine how you'd feel if you were a Cobra-Kai? You'd be bitching, "Hey Miyagi, how much did you pay these refs??"

This is why refs can't win. They don't become officials to make you happy, they are there because they love the game and enjoy being part of it. Can't have basketball without the stripes. And unless you really love watching that And1 mix tape street ball show, thats a good thing.

So at kirksjerks.com we've decided (by request) to make an "basketball rules for dummies" section. It's ok to be upset at a call, the same way it's ok to be upset when your own player misses an open layup. But show the same respect with your reaction, because refs are humans and hearing "hey ref you &#(@#" does not help.

Imagine you're a cook at a restaurant. You totally miss putting any cheese on some guy's Veal Parmasagna. The waiter brings it to him, and the guy blurts out, "Oh COME ON, you piece of S*** cook, OPEN YOUR EYES!" Meanwhile, the other people at the table start chanting "BULLS***". In how big of a rush is that cook going to be to make those people happy? How likely are you to get the chef's secret sauce on your meal? And refs don't get fired in the middle of a game!

So how can you help? By being a bit more educated about the way officials think, about certain rules, and about the way things work. You wouldn't imagne how hard officials work to get better. First of all, 99% of them have other full time jobs during the week. Lawyers, Accountants, Executives.... they run the gamut. During the summer time, they spend their own money, take time away from their families, get away from their jobs, to go to officiating camps all across the country to learn from the best. During the season, they watch and break-down tapes of every play in a game, and have others critique their calls. These guys eat, sleep, and breathe basketball. When they watch a Laker game, they pay attention to the refs... not Kobe.

So here are a few questions that get asked, and our "OPINION" on why refs call certain things, backed up by some rules definitions from our trusty NCAA Basketball Rules Book.

1. What is the deal with the 3 second rule. When is it called?

An offensive player can't be in the lane for more than 3 seconds. It really should be the 5 second rule, because unless a player has been warned about 10 times, refs aren't going to call this unless it's completely obvious. No, this isn't ignoring the rule. With all rules, officials weigh the letter of the law vs. the spirit of the rule. Like in football, holding occurs on just about every play on the interior line. Officials will call it if there is an obvious advantage gained. Oh, you know when else an official wont call 3 seconds? When some fan in the 3rd row is yelling "REF, 3 SECONDS!!"

2. Tell me what travelling really is.

The only call more mis-identified by fans than travelling   is the play where the pitcher fakes throwing the ball to third, then fakes throwing it to first... and everyone yells "BALLLLLK". If you try to think of a definition of travelling, most of us say "I know it when I see it", like when a guy picks up his dribble and takes an extra step, or he's in the post and switches his pivot foot. The most common misconception is that a player travels if he is on the ground with the ball. If a player is dribbling the ball and then touches the ground with anything other than his hand or foot... then its travelling. If a player dives to the ground to gain possesion, he isn't travelling as long as he doesn't attempt to get up or stand.

3. When is it actually a 10 Second violation?

Remember, if you have been in the backcourt for 8 seconds, and the defense knocked the ball out of bounds. The offense gets 10 more seconds to advance past midcourt. This is different than the NBA.

4. Why does it seem like all the fouls are going against us sometimes?

We all know that at 7 team fouls we shoot 1-and-1, and at 10 we are in the double bonus. Inevitably, if the fouls are 8 to 2, the coach with 8 fouls against him is going to say "Call it both ways". Even if one team in fact fouled 8 times and the other team in fact fouled just twice, coaches and fans are going to want the game called "Both Ways". Think about how stupid that is. Only in professional wrestling does a ref call a game "One Way". There were "hometown refs" in Hickory, Indiana... but not in college basketball.

5. When are the refs calling 5 second violations?

OK, you know alot about basketball right? Quickly define the 5 second rule. If you can, then congratulations. If you can't, think about how many nuances of the rules that you probably weren't aware of. A closely guarded situation occurs in the front court when a player is dribbling or holding the ball and the opponent is less than six feet from him, actively guarding him. You may watch 100 basketball games and see this called once. Another one where it has to be OBVIOUS. But guess what? Some people want it called on every possession.

6. Are Media Timeouts arbitrary?

Media timeouts occur at the first stoppage in the four minute intervals of each half. So if there is 15:45 left in the first half, and the ball goes out of bounds... we're getting a media timeout. Then again at the first opportunity under 12 minutes. So if you ever wonder why coaches don't call a needed timeout, its probably close to the media stoppage and he's just waiting for a whistle.

7. So why are Fouls Missed?

We could write a book on this one. Basically, the mere fact that contact occurs doesn't constitute a foul. When 10 guys are running at full speed in a small area, people are going to run into each other. Ever wonder why a guy can extend his forearm into a player in the post... but if he does it at the perimeter, he gets called for handchecking? Because that's what the rules allow for to make basketball a better game. It's all about judgement. When we watch games on TV, and see 42 camera angles in super slow-motion, we getting a pretty good look at fouls. When things happen instantaneously, officials have to make a judgement and a decision right away. Hold your hand up right now and stick up two fingers. Now, looking at them you can clearly see that you are holding up 2 fingers, right? But if you asked someone who was standing to the side of your hand, they might only see 1 finger as it is blocking the other one. Just because you thought you saw a foul from the 23rd row, if those 6 eyes didnt see it... it's not getting called.

8. Explain the Kicked Ball

I love when a ball hits a guy in the leg and some clown yells, "Kicked ball, ref". Kicking is an intentional act.

9. What determines a Block/Charge?

Here's another one that the common fan doesn't usually get. Alot of times we hear a fan say "He wasn't set". Being set has nothing to do with taking a charge. A defender can be moving and take a charge. There can also be contact by a defender, but as long as he is vertical and not initiating any contact, there's no foul. First, officials are going to call the obvious. They are going to call fouls that put either team at a disadvantage. So our guy could be driving to the lane, get bumped, and if he scores the basket he may not get a call. The contact didn't put him at a disadvantage. Sometimes officials don't want to bail a guy out of a bad shot that he's not going to make anyway. Block/Charge plays are all about who gets to a spot first, with time and distance considered. From there on it's all judgement. 

Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers)

1. What game are you watching?
Answer: This one
2. Are you kidding me?
Answer: No, if I were kidding you I would have said -A horse walks into a bar, and the bartender says, "Why the long face?"