Basketball officiating from the referee’s point of view

This illustration shows the “over-the-back” situation, illegal in the NBA while legal in the NCAA and high school—unless the person in front is displaced by a push. Illustration by Dickson Tsai.

Excellent article from a basketball perspective describing the divergence between fans and referees in terms of "knowledge of the game". Also, when the author makes the following observation -- "All the referees at the high school level, for instance, pass an examination, but some just cannot execute their knowledge on the court." -- he is describing what I refer to as the "culture of the game". Applying the rules knowledge in such a way that the game works the way it is supposed to work, the way the participants (players, coaches) expect it to work.

Good article.


Basketball officiating from the referee’s point of view:

What fans overlook

This illustration shows the “over-the-back” situation, illegal in the NBA while legal in the NCAA and high school—unless the person in front is displaced by a push. Illustration by Dickson Tsai. Some fans, understandably, have trouble understanding that the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS), NCAA, and NBA all play by different rules. Apply NBA rules to a high school game (with the NFHS rules that the Central Coast Section, or CCS, uses), and you’ll be left puzzled, dumbfounded even.

Each level has a different style of play, thus a different set of rules is necessary in order to keep everything fair, although it’s granted that at the professional level (NBA), entertainment value is sometimes more important than fairness.

The rule difference that annoys high school and college referees the most is the notion of “over the back.” The assumed rule is that when rebounding, a player cannot reach over someone in front to snag the rebound. This rule only applies in the NBA; “over the back” is only a foul in the NCAA and high school if a person is pushed from behind.

The tough parts of the job

The real difficulty in the job comes not in learning the rules, but being fluent enough with them so that calls become reactions. All the referees at the high school level, for instance, pass an examination, but some just cannot execute their knowledge on the court.Here, the essential belongings of high school officials are shown—the classic pinstripes jersey, the NFHS Officials' Manual, and the NFHS Basketball Rules by Topic. Illustration by Dickson Tsai."