Basketball Officiating Terminology

Lead

• Official on endline on strong side; positioned 45 degrees midway between near lane line & 3-point line

• Official at the center court; positioned directly above the free-throw line

• Official on the baseline opposite the bench; positioned behind the backboard

• Official on the sideline; positioned at the corner of the court

Wide Triangle Coverage

• Concept of court coverage

• A strategy for offensive plays

• A type of defensive formation

• A method for scoring points

Transition

• Movement from back to front court

• Movement from front to back court

• Movement from left to right court

• Movement in a circular pattern around the court

Table Side

• Positioning on the side nearest the scorer’s table

• Positioning at the center of the court

• Positioning on the opposite side of the scorer’s table

• Positioning behind the scorer’s table

Off Ball

• Area away from the ball

• Position of the ball

• Player with the ball

• Zone of highest activity

Weak Side

• Side with two officials (center and slot)

• Side with one official (center or slot)

• Side with no officials

• Side with three officials (center, slot, and back)

Lane Area

• Free throw lane area

• Three-point line area

• Paint area

• Half-court area

Spraying

• Continuous call out of primary

• Intermittent call out of secondary

• Random call out of tertiary

• Scheduled call out of primary

Ball Watching

• continuously focusing on the ball @ improper times

• ignoring the ball during play

• focusing on teammates instead of the ball

• watching the ball only during important moments

Outside-In

• Desired angle (in most cases)

• Angle of incidence

• Angle of reflection

• Angle of elevation