Be the Referee: Basketball Video Review
By
Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials
February 3, 2022
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Basketball Video Review - Listen
When watching a college or NBA game, the last two minutes of the game can seem like it takes forever, especially in recent years where more and more judgment calls made by officials are subject to instant replay. At the high school level, video is not used to make a ruling or confirm or overturn a call made during the course of the contest.
The only time video review is used in basketball at the high school level is at the MHSAA Semifinal and Final games. In these games, video review can be used only to determine if a shot was released in time at the end of the fourth quarter or overtime or if that shot was a 2-point or 3-point field goal attempt.
The MHSAA believes that this very limited use of replay in these games at the very end of the tournament series in boys and girls basketball is the right call.
Previous editions
Jan. 27: Wrestling Inspections - Listen
Dec. 16: Ball Over Backboard - Listen
Dec. 9: Winter Officials Mechanics - Listen
Nov. 26: Instant Replay - Listen
Nov. 11: Tourney Selection - Listen
Nov. 4: Receiver Carried Out of End Zone – Listen
Oct. 28: Volleyball Back-Row Block – Listen
Oct. 21: Soccer Disallowed Goal – Listen
Sept 30: Field Goal Falls Short – Listen
Sept. 23: Volleyball Obstruction – Listen
Sept. 16: Catch or No Catch – Listen
Sept. 9: Intentional Grounding – Listen
Sept. 2: Pass Interference – Listen
Aug. 26: Protocols and Mechanics – Listen
Flashback 100: First-Ever WNBA Draft Pick Rocked at Salem, Won Titles at Tennessee
January 17, 2025
Caitlin Clark is the most recent No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft, joining an elite group that includes Chamique Holdsclaw, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Candace Parker — all decorated former top picks.
But the very first No. 1 pick in WNBA history was none other than Salem High School’s Dena Head.
Selected first overall in the 1997 WNBA Elite Draft, Head’s career more than lived up to that status.
A standout at Salem, Head led her team to the Class A Semifinals in 1987 before the Rocks fell to eventual champion Detroit Cass Tech. That season, she averaged an impressive 27 points per game, earning Michigan’s Miss Basketball Award from the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan. Her 748 total points that year still rank 13th on the state’s all-time single-season scoring list. She remains one of only 33 Michigan high school players to surpass 2,000 career points and one of just 24 to play in more than 100 career games. Over her high school career, she averaged 19.7 points per game.
Head continued her dominance at the collegiate level, winning two national championships at Tennessee under legendary coach Pat Summitt. She was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year in 1989 and later earned the SEC Player of the Year honor in 1992. On the international stage, she helped Team USA secure a gold medal at the 1991 World University Games and a bronze at the 1994 World Championships.
Before making WNBA history, Head spent seven seasons playing professionally overseas in Brazil, France, Spain, Italy, and Hungary. In 1997, she was selected first overall by the Utah Starzz in the inaugural WNBA Draft, playing three seasons in the league. She reached the postseason in 2000 with the Phoenix Mercury.
In recognition of her outstanding career, Head was inducted to the Salem Wall of Champions in 2016 — a fitting honor for a true pioneer of women’s basketball.
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
Jan. 10: Despite Launching Before 3-Point Line, Smith Still Tops Scoring List - Read
Jan. 3: Edison's Jackson Earns Place Among State's All-Time Elite - Read
Dec. 20: Future Olympian Piper Leads Grosse Pointe North to Historic Heights - Read
Dec. 13: The Other Mr. Forsythe in Michigan School Sports - Read
Dec. 6: Coleman's Legendary Heroics Carry Harrison Through Repeat - Read
Nov. 29: Harbaugh Brothers' Football Roots Planted in Part at Pioneer - Read
Nov. 22: 8-Player Football Finals Right at Home at Superior Dome - Read
Nov. 15: Leland Career Helps Set Stage for Glass' International Stardom - Read
Nov. 8: Future Baseball Pro Led Escanaba's Legendary Football Title Run - Read
Nov. 1: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices - Read
Oct. 25: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: Todd Martin’s Road to Greatness Starts at East Lansing - Read
Sept. 13: James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6: Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read
(Photos courtesy of Salem athletic department.)