Be the Referee: Dive on the Floor

December 7, 2017

In this week's edition, assistant director Mark Uyl discusses some of the misunderstandings that arise when a basketball player dives for and gains possession of a loose ball. 

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 – Dive on the Floor - Listen

In just about every single basketball game that’s played during the season, a player will hustle and dive for a loose ball that’s on the floor. As that player dives and tries to gain possession of the ball on the floor, yells from every corner of the gym come, screaming for a call of traveling.

This is one of the more misunderstood situations under basketball rules. Once that player dives for the loose ball on the floor and gains possession, there are two ways in which they’re guilty of a traveling violation: The first is if the player takes the ball and attempts to stand up; or the second, the player rolls over from their back to the front or front to back.

Other than that, that’s a legal play, and the ball remains in play.

Past editions
November 30: Wrestling Weight Monitoring - Listen
November 23: Ejections - Listen
November 16: Toughest Call - Listen
November 9: Hurdling - Listen
November 2: The Survey Says - Listen
October 26: Helmet Comes Off -
 Listen
October 19: Goal Line Rules - Listen
October 12: No 1st-Year Fee - Listen
October 5: Athletic Empty Nesters - Listen
September 28: Misunderstood Football Rules: Kicking - Listen
September 21: Preparation for Officials - Listen
September 14: Always Stay Registered - Listen
September 7: Other Football Rules Changes - Listen
August 31: Pop-Up Onside Kicks - Listen
August 24: Blindside Blocks - Listen

Be the Referee: Libero

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

September 17, 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 – Libero - Listen

In volleyball, a libero is a defensive player who plays in the back row. It’s a fairly new position, as it was introduced in 1998 – and the libero plays by some unique rules:

► The libero wears a different color jersey from the rest of the team – so they are easily identifiable. Only one libero can be designated for each set of a match.

► The libero can serve, but can't perform an overhead set in front of the attack line, or complete an attack if the ball is above the net.

► The libero is never allowed to rotate to the front line.

► The libero is the first line of defense, often passing to the setter and covering open spaces.

► The libero can be replaced without restriction – but in the event of an injury, can only be replaced by the player the libero originally replaced.

Previous 2024-25 Editions

Sept. 10: Cross Country Uniforms - Listen
Sept. 3: Soccer Handling - Listen
Aug. 24: Football Holding - Listen

PHOTO Livonia Franklin libero Mckenna Moore (1) defends during her team's match against Livonia Churchill this season. (Photo by Douglas Bargerstock.)