Be the Referee: Ball Over Backboard
By
Brent Rice
MHSAA Assistant Director
December 16, 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 – Ball Over Backboard - Listen
A basketball player has the ball in the corner, ready to shoot a 3-pointer, when a lane opens up along the baseline. She starts to drive, only to have that lane closed off.
She puts up a shot that goes over the corner of the backboard and goes in. Two points, right?
Not so fast. Any time the ball passes over the backboard, it’s out of bounds. A shot, a pass, even a rebound that bounces up and over – the play should be whistled dead. The ball is considered out of bounds off the last player to have touched it.
So even though the shot comes from a player in bounds and goes in … wave it off. The ball can’t pass over the backboard. If it does, it’s now the other team’s possession.
Previous editions
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: Golf Ball Bounces Out
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator
August 26, 2025
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 – Golf Ball Bounces Out - Listen
Let’s talk about a very unlikely – but also very fun – possibility on the golf course today.
Golfer 1 is playing their approach shot first, from about 100 yards out. Their shot takes two bounces on the green and rolls straight into the hole for an eagle. What a shot!
Golfer 2 is next and has a shot from about 80 yards out. Again, after a couple of bounces, it’s rolling straight for the hole. It rolls into the cup, but because the first ball is still in there, it hops out and comes to a stop about three feet away.
What’s the ruling?
It’s still an eagle for the first golfer. But the second now has to putt from three feet out. There’s no penalty, but the ball is to be played as it lies. Hopefully the birdie putt is good.