Grassroots Refs Need to Get Better Too – Part 1
Posted by Ganon Baker at 6:08 pm
Refereeing is the hardest job to perform in sports especially in the rec, AAU, and HS levels. I am here today to support referees and I know how hard it is to perform efficiently in this environment. However they must improve, they must understand the rules of the game, and realize how important communication is with the coach
I have viewed many AAU and HS games and sometimes referees are flat out wrong. For example a EURO Step or a side step lay-up is not a walk. A EURO Step (Dwayne Wade, Raja Rondo, Manu Ginobili) is not a walk at any level, if the player takes two steps as they are picking up the basketball, a ref may say “well you are only allowed one and a half steps.” “What?? How can you measure one and a half steps,” I said, “you want the kid to cut off half of his foot, so he does not walk?” The rule is clarified as the player’s ball is in the air going to his hand, he gets 1 step, then as he picks the ball up, his second step is executed. His third step is the actual jump. Any referee out there, please continue to read this.
A regular lay-up is never called a walk because when the player shoots a one handed lay-up it is executed as follows:
- Dribble to the right, pick ball up, put right foot down, left foot down, and jump. No Walk
- EURO Step is Dribble to the right, pick ball up, put right foot down, left foot down (to the left side at an angle past the defender), jump. No Walk
Most lay-ups are the same technique only two different angles of the step. Refs stop penalizing the kids for something they work hard on, enjoy doing, and is legal. You frustrate the coaches, players, parents, and skill teachers, like me, who teach legal moves. Please let the coaches defend after the game or half time what they believe and teach. Respectfully both of you guys will learn something. To defend your call by saying the move is only allowed in the NBA is irrelevant. Frankly ignorant statements like that tick me off. The neat thing about the NBA is that it is a game played by extraordinary talent executing elementary moves. There is definitely a natural progression of teaching moves to players. But if the player can execute a EURO step, step away, or a behind the back pass in a 6th grade game, and then don’t suffocate his potential talent and joy within basketball. Please tune in next week for part 2.
Discussion
I agree referees need to get better. They need to continually work at their game as the best players would. As an official, I see some officials that care about EVERY game they work and others that base the importance on the level or the number of games they have worked that day. As a coach of youth and former high school coach also, I get very irritated by officials taking away great (non-travel) moves made by my players. These are the moves we would spend time working on in practice. But just as irritating are the coaches, players and parents that think they know what traveling is. Think about this: By rule you are allowed to establish a pivot foot then dribble (if you have not used your dribble. You must release the ball BEFORE picking up your pivot foot) or pick up your pivot foot but you MUST pass, shoot or call time out before it returns to the floor. Other things to consider are the one-to-two jump-stop off of a dribble or catching of a pass (then NO pivot foot is available). Lots more to discuss on this subject but for now let’s make sure we do our best as officials AND coaches to know the rule and application of the rules surrounding traveling.