IAABO Play of the Week
Click here to view the IAABO Play of the Week Number 9 for the 2019/2020 season. At the end of the video, you will need to click on the link shown below to access the survey question.  In addition, all IAABO Plays of the Week are archived at www.iaabo.org.

Click here to answer a survey to ensure that you have an accurate ruling.  Once you submit your answer, you will receive a response with IAABO’s point of view on this play
Identifying and Properly Ruling
Team Control Foul Situations
Play Situation:  A-1 has control of the ball in his or her frontcourt. A-1 passes the ball toward A-2, who is in the lane.  The ball is deflected away from A-2 and during the loose ball situation, A-3 dives for the ball and illegally contacts B-1. Team B is in the bonus. Should B-1 be awarded free throw(s)? 
Ruling: No, this is a team control foul.
 
When a team is in the bonus, too often we award free throws when a player loses control of the ball and, before an opposing player secures control of the ball, a player of the team last in control of the ball commits a foul. To prevent correctable error situations and avoid other problematic situations, the crew should be diligent and aware of game situations when player control does not exist but team control does! 
 
Suggestions to make accurate rulings during team control foul situations:
We often communicate with our fellow official(s) so we are all aware that the next foul will be a one and one or double bonus situation.  At the same time, remember (and remind each other if the opportunity presents itself) that if a foul occurs in a bonus situation, a team may not be entitled to free throw(s). Often times the non-calling official(s) may help by quickly processing the play situation and reminding the official who is moving to the reporting area that the foul is a team control foul and no free throws will be awarded.      
 
When a team secures control of the ball, that team continues to be in control until the ball is in flight on a try or tap for goal, an opponent has secured control, or the ball becomes dead.  These situations have an influence on proper application of team-control foul rulings, three and ten seconds rulings, as well as frontcourt/backcourt situations.  No team is in control while the ball is dead, during a jump ball, after the ball has left a player’s hand on a try or tap for goal, nor during the activity which follows any of these acts or if the ball is deflected away before any player secures control of the ball. 
 
Remaining engaged, anticipating possible situations that could impact the game and clear communication with your partner(s) will help improve the accuracy of your rulings and the effectiveness of your crew.  Be a great partner!  
Five Guys Tourney Finals
Postponed after Collapse of Referee
The championship game of the Five Guys Tournament between Williamsville East and Williamsville North held Saturday at Williamsville North was postponed after a referee suffered a medical emergency in the first quarter.
Benjamin Bluman, 74, a longtime referee who was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, was rushed to Buffalo General Hospital after receiving CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from medical personnel at the gym. He was breathing on his own as he left the school on a stretcher. Click here to read more.
 
William R. Saar 'always tried his best
 to help that person along in their career'
William R. Saar of East Rockaway wore two uniforms — one with a shiny badge on the front and one with a number on the back.
He was both a New York City cop and a National Basketball Association referee, but he often wore both sets of digs on the same day as he raced from one pulse-racing gig to the other.
Saar, who made calls on the basketball courts for more than two decades for some of the best who played the game — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird — died Dec. 24 after a long battle with cancer. He was 87.  Click here to read more.
Bill Introduced to Protect
Sports Officials from Violent Fans

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) -- A bipartisan bill in the Wisconsin Legislature will protect referees and umpires from violent fans and coaches.

The bill was introduced Monday by State Rep. Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) and State Rep. Don Vruwink (D-Milton).

“If sports officials are verbally abused or physically threatened when they are just starting out, they are likely to quit the job and never come back,” said Vruwink. “As a long-time coach, referee, and umpire, I have seen a disturbing increase in unruly behavior fans. This bill is intended to send a message that there are consequences for bad behavior.”

Under the bill, actions that cause a sport official harm or put them in fear of being harmed would be classified as a Class A misdemeanor. The penalty would be a fine up to $10,000, or up to nine months in prison or both. The term “sports official” in the bill is defined as a referee, umpire, linesman, timekeeper, inspector, judge, or person who performs similar functions, whether paid or unpaid, at a sporting event open to the public. Click here to read more.

Errata Notice
On page one of the most recent Sportorial, the “Basketball Rules Interpretations - 2019-20” article as provided by the NFHS contained a couple of errors that need to corrected/clarified.
 
In the Casebook correction section, the ruling for (c) should be legal.  The word illegal, should have been either omitted or shown in “strikethrough” text.
 

The section and page references shown are from the NFHS Officiating Manual and not the IAABO Manual.  The IAABO Manual references are page 22 for a Crew of Two and page 127 for a Crew of Three.  Proper signal references can be found on pages 230 and 243 of the IAABO Manual.

RefQuest Launch - Success
 
More than 1,000 officials have participated in the video plays that have been posted on RefQuest. The nature and intended use of RefQuest Plus is to provide a private forum for participation, collaboration and interaction. In addition, RefQuest Plus will serve as a platform for IAABO to post content in various forms throughout the year.  Content will be delivered to you as Training Video's, You Make the Call Play's and Single Clips.   

Accessing RefQuest
All officials should have received an email from RefQuest Plus. 
If you're new to RefQuest Plus, you will need to do the following when you receive the email:
- Click "Reset Password" on the link in the email
- Enter your email address (the same email address your RQ email was sent to)
- You will enter your new password
Once you reset your password, go to: plus.refquest.com
(It should automatically take you here)
 
Mobile Friendly
RefQuest Plus is extremely mobile friendly!  Feel free to access on your handheld device.  Of course, you can still use your tablet, PC or MAC.  

Troubleshooting
1: Website: Users must use the RefQuest Plus site, which is plus.refquest.com.  This site is different from existing public site, which is refquest.com

2: Web Platform: Internet Explorer doesn't work well (barely at all) with our site.  99% of people don't use Internet Explorer, but for the 1% that do, they will have problems.  
 
3: Firewalls: Officials that try to access RefQuest Plus at work can run into firewalls.  Firewalls are a way that businesses, usually schools, government agencies, etc, control the websites their employees can access.  If you can't access plus.refquest.com at work, you have a couple options.  1) Contact your IT representative at work and let them know you'd like to access plus.refquest.com.  2) Use your phone to access the site at work.  Be aware, you work WiFi may also have a firewall built-in.

4: Spam Folder: From time to time, your invitation to join RefQuest Plus email ends up in your SPAM folder.  

If you have any issues, please send an email to info@refquest.com and a member of the RefQuest team will contact you shortly. 

Missouri Legislator: Local Sports Referees
need more Protection from
being Threatened or Attacked

Sports officials acknowledge that their task is challenging on the field and from the sidelines, where disgruntled coaches and fans yell and jeer about calls they do not like.
But lately, says former referee and now state Representative Jerome Barnes, game environments are getting more violent. Click here to read more.

IAABO Good Citizens

IAABO recognizes Phil Pydyszewski, IAABO Board No. 168, Northwest, New Jersey, as an IAABO Good Citizen.  Phil does volunteer work for an organization called "Project Kind".  They help the homeless in the city of Newark.  People in my town of Rockaway Boro drop off clothing donations and Phil loads up his truck weekly and takes the donated items to a church in Newark where the items are put on display for the needy to acquire.  Project Kind in on Facebook. 
Officially Human; Behind the Stripes LLC (OH) was founded by Brenda Hilton as a grassroots effort to "humanize" sport officials in all sports at all levels. Brenda has spent close to 20 years working with sport officials and coordinators at the DI level and grown to appreciate them for all they do for our youth and young adults. OH is currently working with 12 high school associations (with more on the horizon) across the country to survey officials at that level, gathering information to take back constituents and participating states in hopes of building a nationwide campaign. To date, 16,000+ officials have shared thoughts and ideas on how to address the issue. This same survey is being offered to the IAABO members. Follow the link below to participate. The survey is 53 questions and takes about 10 minutes to complete.  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019IAABO
 
OH currently has sportsmanship banners available for purchase to be displayed at venues; they can be customized with the venue logo. 
 
 
 
@OffyHuman

Calling All IAABO Good Citizens

So many of us impact our communities and our world for the better.  IAABO would like to highlight many of the good deeds our officials have done throughout the year. We want to emphasize our belief in being good corporate and community citizens in the areas where we live and work.  So, whether it be a random act of kindness or an organized volunteer effort, no good deed is too big or too small!  Trust us, we’ll be humble so that our officials can be proud.  Send your email to IAABO @ info@iaabo.org  and tell us about a good deed you did this year.
 
Some examples include:
  • Rescued a puppy
  • Bought lunch for a stranger
  • Organized a fundraiser
  • Volunteered at a homeless shelter
  • Donated blood
  • Shoveled a neighbor’s driveway
  • Helped a friend in need
Click here to purchase Ref Life gear and enjoy Free Shipping - Must use code RefLife when checking out.

The Officials vs. Cancer campaign will take place inconjunction with the Suits and Sneakers week, January 20-26, 2020.  To make a donation, please contact your local board chairperson or send your donation to Officials vs. Cancer, P.O. Box 355, Carlisle, PA  17013. Click here to make an online donation.

IAABO Patches

Recently, the IAABO Office has received numerous inquiries about IAABO patches and their availability for purchase.  IAABO Patches are no longer available for purchase.  This was discontinued several years ago.  Please visit Smitty Officials’ Apparel – Smitty is the exclusive vendor for IAABO Logoed products.  Click here to view a listing of preferred retailers.

IAABO University Goes Live
"An online basketball officiating certification class"

The course is LIVE.  If your board is participating and has prospective officials that would like to enroll in the course, please have them contact the IAABO Office @ info@iaabo.org
Smitty Officials’ Apparel – Smitty is the exclusive vendor for IAABO Logoed products.  Click here to view a listing of preferred retailers.
 

Incrediware - A Natural
Wearable Anti-Inflammatory

Incrediware’s mission is to design innovative products that help patients recover more effectively and faster while assisting medical professionals to deliver a new standard of care through further development and application of unique materials.  IAABO officials are being offered the same discount as all NBA and NCAA officials.  The promo code is:  NCAAREF (30% discount). www.incrediwear.com
IAABO watch and gift sets are now available at a special price of $99.95.  To order your watch and gift set, please contact Donnie Eppley@ 717.713.8129 or email:  eppleyd@comcast.net
 
Special Deals for IAABO Basketball Officials
Briggs and Riley Luggage
Briggs and Riley Luggage - Officials will receive a 60% discount on any product.  Officials must use the form which can be obtained by clicking here - There is a lifetime guaranteed on the luggage. 
ISlides – Customize your own IAABO ISlides.  Click here to get started.

BRAZYN FOAM ROLLER

The Morph” is a collapsible foam roller that can be packed in your roller bag and taken on the road with you.  No more will you have to ask the training room for a foam roller.
 
Move Better – Feel Better – Move More – Experience More
 
Expands instantly
Collapses instantly
Light weight (1.5 lbs)
Strong (up to 350 lbs)
Targeted – releases knots and flushes toxins
True usability – standard size – easy to use
Sustainably made – eco-friendly materials
 
Use the code BRZNBB15 at check out and get 15% off.
 
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