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

Be the Referee: Abnormal Course Condition

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

October 1, 2024

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 – Abnormal Course Condition - Listen

We’re on the golf course today and our approach into 18 has gone from bad to worse. Or has it?

Our shot lands in a puddle, in the middle of a bunker, which certainly isn’t good. But because water in a bunker is an abnormal course condition, we’re allowed free relief.

We’re able to go to the nearest spot of relief, no closer to the hole, and drop within a club’s length of that spot while still playing from the bunker.

Or relief can be taken outside of the bunker, no closer to the hole, and within line of the shot – but a penalty stroke is added.

So you have two options if you find water inside a bunker; only one requires you to take a penalty stroke.

Of course the best course of action is to avoid the bunkers all together!

Previous 2024-25 Editions

Sept. 25: Tennis Nets - Listen
Sept. 18:
 Libero - Listen
Sept. 10:
 Cross Country Uniforms - Listen
Sept. 3: Soccer Handling - Listen
Aug. 24: Football Holding - Listen