Refereeing

If you love basketball, want to make new friends, and contribute to the growth of basketball in Malta, then the chances are you may have what it takes to become a referee, score-table official or statistician.

For those interested in becoming a referee and/or a score-table official please contact the MBA Director for Refereeing, Bernard Vassallo on [email protected]

Additionally, if you have any issues or feedback to do with refereeing and/or score-table officiating in Malta, please email the MBA Director for Refereeing, Bernard Vassallo on [email protected]

—————————–

Officiating is a great way to make new friends, build your confidence and participate in basketball.

The officials play an integral role in any basketball match to ensure it is played in a fair and safe manner within the rules.

The role of the basketball referee is to ensure the game is played in a safe and fair environment. The referee has to enforce the rules of the game by making decisions when a violation or foul has occurred and the referee must stop the game and issue the correct penalty.

All officials are called referees in the MBA and one is designated as a crew chief. The crew chief has the final say in all calls.

The primary responsibility of a basketball referee is to enforce the rules of the game.

Referees are responsible for calling violations if players travel, double-dribble, commit a foul or any other violation of the rules. Specific responsibilities of basketball referees include calling fouls and administering and enforcing changes of possessions or free throws.

The authority of referees includes calling unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, player or coach ejections, or even calling a forfeit of the game in certain circumstances. Referees are also responsible for maintaining order during stoppages in play, and can assess technical fouls or eject players for rules infractions during stoppages.

SCORE TABLE

Imagine watching your favourite basketball team play a game with no timer, no scoreboard or no stat sheet.

The players would have no idea what the score was, coaches would be confused as to how to manage the clock and the viewing public would be left clueless as to how many points were scored. This would be the case without score-table officials

Score-table officials are also an indispensable element and are responsible for the smooth flow of the game.

There are several different positions on the score-table, amongst which are the scorer (fills in the scoresheet), the timekeeper (operates the game clock and the scoreboard) and the 24 second shot clock operator (operates the Shot Clock). Each position has different responsibilities but all are essential.

STATISTICIAN

The role of the statistician is to record predetermined statistics for players and teams either electronically with a statistics program on a computer, tablet or smart phone or manually with a paper template. It is often recommended that statisticians use the electronic option for collation speed and accuracy.

The effective recording of statistics usually requires at least two people. One to “call” the game by commentating every event which requires statistical recording and the other to “record” the game by making the statistical entries and following the caller’s instructions.