Some things to pay attention to as the season gets underway.
Please make sure all players are properly uniformed. Taking care to enforce uniform rules at the beginning of the season helps to make it easier for all of us as the season progresses.
Tee shirts, if visible, MUST match the torso color of the jersey.
Headbands, wristbands, leg sleeves, tights and arm sleeves (not part of a tee shirt) must be white, black, beige or the predominant color of the jersey. All such items must be the same color and all players wearing these items must be wearing the same color.
Knee braces do not have to meet color restrictions. Knee braces must be unaltered from the manufacturer’s original condition out of the box.
Note: There are NO technical fouls issued for any of the above uniform issues. The player(s) simply cannot participate until the issue is corrected.
Behavior warnings on the head coach/bench personnel…It would probably be a good idea to pre-game the scorers and the official timer regarding the new rule (4-48). If you do this and a warning is required, the table will know what to do.
Be consistent from the beginning of the game to the end of the game in how you enforce the rules. The score and time remaining should not affect your rulings on fouls and violations. Remember there are two teams out there. Both have the same goal but may be in position to try to achieve that goal by different methods.
Tip of the Week
An official that uses rules book terminology is more professional and enhances communication, understanding, and causes less potential confusion. Use rules book terminology in your pre-game conference, when instructing the scorer and timer, when conducting the pre-game meeting, and when responding to coaches or player.
Examples of Professional Terminology vs. lay person terminology include:
- Travel not “walk”
- End line not “base line”
- Technical foul not “bang em”
- Free throw lane not “paint”