Auchenflower, Brisbane
Article by PTE Jayde Cook
6 Oct 2011

Refereeing at the 2011 U14 Boys Club Championships.

I was recently given the opportunity by Basketball Queensland to Referee at the 2011 U14 Boys Club Championships at Auchenflower, Brisbane when a Referee selected by Western Australia was unable to attend at late notice. It’s a great honour to be selected to represent your state and also your country as a Defence Basketball and Queensland Basketball Referee.

The Championships for the Referees started a day earlier than the players with a 3 hour session with one of the Technical Commissioners of Basketball Australia doing some practical training with the 24 Referees selected from around Australia. This session was Basketball Australia’s way to get their new concepts and directives implemented in the quickest and most direct way. The idea is that Basketball Australia implements their concepts and directives at the grass roots level when the Referees from nationals return to their respective associations and pass on their new teaching at their local clubs etc.

The game of Basketball is has been constantly evolving and getting better. In recent years Basketball has seen some of the most drastic changes implemented since the introduction of the Possession Arrow. The new; Key, ‘No-Charge’ Circle, 3 point line, Time-Out advancement line, Centre line rule, 8 second rule, 14 second shot-clock rule and the Break Away foul rules have all been released and implemented across Australia over the past two years. The new rules have all made it easier for the offence to achieve the object of the game. The ‘No-Charge’ circle has given more space in the key for drives to the basket. The new Centre Line rule allows the Offence a way around a late trap defence so the defence has had to refine and perfect their trap defence plays. The moving of the 3 point line has been implemented to accommodate the new Key and ‘No-Charge’ circle that has given the defence the advantage. The new Time-Out advancement line has given the Offence a new way of setting up plays in the last two minutes to benefit a catch and shoot scenario or increased time in the front court allowing a more structured Motion or similar Offensive play. The Break Away foul has been introduced to take away the temptation to foul to prevent a fast break and therefore has seen the Defence forced to work to achieve a good defensive position.

The new 14 second reset for the shot clock under 14 seconds in the front court when a foul or foot violation is called has given the Offence further pressure to attempt a shot in the 14 seconds rather than the previous 24 seconds. Although the new Centre line rule gives the Offence the benefit of more room in the back court effectively it is at a loss to the new 8 second count refinement. The New Key has seen the space available to the Offence in the half court for extended periods reduced resulting in the defence spreading their Zone Defence to take advantage. The new 3 point line has seen the space on the side line that has been there since the early 80’s further reduced and has created more out-of-bounds calls for the un-prepared offence under increased threat from the closer D under the new key layout.

The Advanced Referee mechanics in the pipeline by the Technical Commissioners of Basketball Australia are refining Two Person Mechanics to be more on par with the Off-Ball coverage gained by Three Person Mechanics. The new concepts by Basketball Australia cover the likes of officiating and managing Post Play and the ‘No-Charge’ circle. Further Directive has been given about the ¾ and Post Play Blind spots eliminated by Three Person Mechanics. The newly found space by the offence has led to an increase in the amount to travels that increase offensive threat needing to be called. The new directive sees Offensive Threat become a big part of the Ball Handlers draw cards when it comes to Defensive contact when bringing the ball down the court which reduces the effect of the new 8 second ruling.

All these Rule Changes, Concepts and Directives are expected to be learnt, implemented and refined at the Championships before Basketball Australias Technical Commissioners release the Referees and Referee Coaches from the Championships.

My Championship consisted of 8 games of varying quality and skill. This allowed me to get a feel for the new rules and have a chance to try out the new concepts and directives under the ever vigilant watchful eye of the Technical Commissioner. I was able to impress the Referee Commissioner and Technical Commissioner enough to achieve 1^st in Queensland, 3^rd Referee and 5^th overall Referee at the Championships. My best game was the NW Tasmania Thunder V Sturt Sabres game on the second last day on show court to decide game match-ups from 9^th-12^th spots which was a 4 point game throughout and came down to the wire. From that I was selected to be Crew Chief (Referee) for the 5v6 playoff for the Championship Division. I look forward to Refereeing at the up coming Australian Defence Forces Basketball Association National  Championships at RAAF Williamtown, Newcastle and implementing the new directives and concepts to benefit Defence Basketball and Players, Coaches, Officials and Spectators.

Jayde Cook
Level 2 Referee
Australian Defence Forces Basketball Association