Be the Referee: Hoops Officials Manual
February 20, 2020
This week, MHSAA officials coordinator Sam Davis announces the addition of a new resource to assist basketball officials across the state.
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 Officials Manual - Listen
High School basketball officials in Michigan have a new resource to help them better understand all aspects of their role.
The new Basketball Officials Manual is available in a hard copy format from the MHSAA Office, and can also be downloaded from the MHSAA Website for handheld device use.
The book emphasizes and promotes consistency in rules knowledge and application, theory and philosophy and mechanics and signals.
This uniform approach will help assure MHSAA member schools and teams they can rely on the same approach to officiating, regardless of where they are located in our great state.
The basketball book is the first in a series of such sports-specific manuals. A hard copy can be ordered for $10, and the PDF download is free.
Past editions
Feb. 13: Held Ball or Traveling - Listen
Feb. 6: Hockey Rules Chart - Listen
Jan. 30: Cheer Safety - Listen
Jan. 23: Goaltending - Listen
Jan. 16: Wrestling Tie-Breaker - Listen
Jan. 9: Pregame Meeting - Listen
Dec. 19: Alternating Possession - Listen
Dec. 12: Ratings - Listen
Dec. 5: Video Review Success - Listen
Nov. 28: More Injury Time - Listen
Nov. 21: Football Review - Listen
Nov. 14: Sideline Safety - Listen
Nov. 7: Officials Playlist - Listen
Oct. 31: Most Important Line - Listen
Oct. 24: Automatic 1st Downs - Listen
Oct. 17: Catch Momentum - Listen
Oct. 10: Golf Rules Changes - Listen
Oct. 3: No Tackle Box - Listen
Sept. 26: You Make the Overtime Call - Listen
Sept. 19: Swimming Finishing Touch - Listen
Sept. 12: Curbing Gamesmanship By Substitution - Listen
Sept. 5: Football Safety Rules Changes - Listen
Aug. 29: 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
Be the Referee: Fair or Foul?
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator
May 6, 2026
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 – Fair or Foul? - Listen
In baseball or softball, what makes a batted ball fair or foul? Seems pretty easy, right?
Let’s go through some scenarios.
The white chalk line is considered fair territory. So are any foul poles. If a ball hits the foul pole – it’s a fair ball.
If a ball hits a base – it’s a fair ball.
If a ball that hits the ground in the infield, crosses over a base in fair territory before slicing into foul ground, it’s a fair ball because it crossed the base in fair territory.
A ball in the infield that is hit into foul territory that spins back into fair ground is fair. It doesn’t matter that it hit in foul territory first.
And a ball that rolls to a stop before getting to a base, that is sitting in foul territory but is hanging over the white chalk line, is fair.
Previous 2025-26 editions
April 28: Wrong Green - Listen
April 21: Injured Runner - Listen
April 14: Officiate Michigan Day - Listen
March 11: Basketball Replay - Listen
March 3: Over the Back - Listen
Feb. 24: Wrestling Out-of-Bounds - Listen
Feb. 17: Backwards Skiing - Listen
Feb. 10: Faking Being Fouled - Listen
Feb. 3: Bowling Pins - Listen
Jan. 27: Ski Gates - Listen
Jan. 20: Cheer Judges - Listen
Jan. 13: Basketball Over the Back - Listen
Jan. 6: Bowling Ball Bounces Out of Gutter - Listen
Dec. 9: Puck on Goal Netting - Listen
Dec. 2: Goaltending vs. Basket Interference - Listen
Nov. 25: Football Finals Instant Replay - Listen
Nov. 18: Volleyball Libero Uniforms - Listen
Nov. 11: Illegal Substitution/Participation - Listen
Nov. 4: Losing a Shoe - Listen
Oct. 28: Unusual Soccer Goals - Listen
Oct. 21: Field Hockey Penalty Stroke - Listen
Oct. 14: Tennis Double Hit - Listen
Oct. 7: Safety in Football - Listen
Sept. 30: Field Hockey Substitution - Listen
Sept 23: Multiple Contacts in Volleyball - Listen
Sept. 16: Soccer Penalty Kick - Listen
Sept. 9: Forward Fumble - Listen
Sept. 2: Field Hockey Basics - Listen
Aug. 26: Golf Ball Bounces Out - Listen