Officials’ 2 Person Pre Game Duties

Enter the playing court on the opposite side of the court from the team benches at the approved time(the rule book indicates 20 minutes); the proper positions are at the 28” marks, with the referee observing the visitors and the umpire observing the home team- during this time ,of course, you are looking for proper conduct of players(grasping the ring will not be tolerated), jewelry, and the # of players on the teams.  Matching Tshirts(same colour as the jersey) are allowed.

During the warm up, the officials are to get a head start on professionalism by not shooting basketballs, setting on tables or things of this nature- and not talking to fans- this is a time for you , also, to prepare mentally, as the players prepare- observe the way the teams handle, pass, and shoot  the ball, etc

In FIBA rules, the home team sits to the left of the scorer’s table as the teams face the court ; however, there is a loophole to allow other arrangements ; if teams agree. Teams shoot opposite their benches in first half.

One of the officials’ first duties is to be certain that the team benches are below the 28’ mark  that marks the coaching box- even start the benches 6-8’ below that to give the coach some flexibility is his/ her movement.

Also- during observations of teams, your duty is to check floor conditions, backboards, rims , nets; check court and end lines for debris, etc.

At 12 minutes , the officials speak to the captains at center court on the ground rules- ask if any questions, concerns that the captains may have, Actually, each team is permitted to have only one(1) official captain and the officials need to identify that player on each team.

Team rosters have to be in at 20 minute prior to game time officially(use common sense here), and starters must be designated at the 10 minute mark- theses are the responsibility of the referee- when the referee goes to the table, he/she should know the # of players dressed in uniform on each team, so this information will coincide with the scorebook .

While at the score table, please be sure to introduce yourself to the minor officials and make them feel comfortable in their particular job by answering questions and making suggestions. One of your responsibilities is to protect the minor officials in the case of any controversy that may occur- very important - the 5 of you are a team of officials !

At this point, the referee needs to find a good used game ball and place it at the table of minor officials

Buzzer at 3 minutes simply to alert teams there is 3 minutes remaining in warm up; then again at 1:00 remaining in the warm up- this is the official signal for teams to return to their respective bench areas.

At 3 minutes, officials cross the floor and introduce themselves to the coaching staffs, visitors first-- and wish the teams good luck !- this is not a time to receive input from a coach or coaches- this is a courtesy

At the end of the first half, gather half way between center circle and far side line at mid court; then at the table, please be sure to check the score; also be aware of the possession arrow to start the second half before you go to locker room

During the half time intermission when officials return to the court at the 3 or 4 minute mark, they return to the same pre game positions, opposite the table(both in 2 person and 3 person officiating)