Be the Referee: Basketball Contact

January 22, 2015

This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains new rules that further define contact fouls in high school basketball. 

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 Physical Contact - Listen

One of the most challenging jobs for any basketball official is determining how much physical contact to allow over the course of the game. This year, new rules in high school basketball better define what contact against the dribbler or ball handler now results in a foul.

First, it is a foul whenever a defender places two hands at the same time on the dribbler. Second, whenever a defender places an extended arm bar on the dribbler. The third automatic foul is when that defender extends and places and keeps a hand on that dribbler for an extended period of time; and lastly, it’s an automatic foul whenever the defender contacts that dribbler more than once with either the same hand or with alternating hands.

Past editions
Jan. 12 - Video Review Part 2 - Listen
Dec. 29 - Video Review Part 1 - Listen
Dec. 17 - Registration Part 2 - Listen
Dec. 10 - Registration Part 1 - Listen
Dec. 3 - Legacy Program - Listen
Nov. 26 - Sideline Management - Listen
Nov. 19 - 7-Person Mechanics - Listen
Nov. 12 - Blocking Below the Waist - Listen
Nov. 5 - Tournament Selection - Listen
Oct. 29 - Uncatchable Pass - Listen
Oct. 22 - Preparation for Officials - Listen
Oct. 15 - Automatic First Downs - Listen
Oct. 8 - Officials & Injuries - Listen
Oct. 1 - Overtime - Listen
Sept. 25 - Field Goals - Listen
Sept. 18 - Tackle Box - Listen
Sept. 11 - Pass Interference - Listen
Aug. 25 - Targeting - Listen

Be the Referee: Receiver Carried Out of End Zone

By Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials

November 4, 2021

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 – Receiver Carried Out of End Zone - Listen

A football play for you to rule on today. The quarterback throws a pass to an eligible receiver in the end zone. The receiver jumps and makes the catch, but before he lands, a defensive player wraps him up and carries him out to the 2-yard line, where the receiver finally touches the ground.

What’s the call? Is the ball spotted at the 2-yard line where the receiver finally made contact with the ground? Or is it a touchdown?

Send out the extra-point team because it’s a touchdown. The receiver’s forward momentum was stopped in the end zone, while he had possession of the ball … which is considered a touchdown catch. He does not have to get a foot or any other body part down in the end zone for it to count.

Previous editions

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