Basketball On The Internet.

AUSTRALIA's NBL officiating last year led the way worldwide when the edict went out to cut back the mauling and contact which had detracted from the spectacular action of our men's league.

No, it wasn't initially well received and it took a while for the eight teams AND Team #9 (the referees) to get it right, but it was interesting to see FIBA, the WNBA and the NCAA all follow suit, making moves along similar lines.

So why not be innovative again and turn Team #9 into an actual team.

Stay with me here. I'm suggesting that each three-man officiating crew in fact become a four-man crew with the referees supervisor as game night "coach".

Or better yet, Mal Cooper, Ray Hunt and Bill Mildenhall each "coach" a Team #9 on game night, with other reputable potential officiating "coaches" such as Scott Butler also co-opted if there are more than three games scheduled on an evening.

For tip-off, the three-man crew heads out onto the floor with their coach and sub seated in a designated area.

Now Team #9 becomes the same as the two competing teams it is responsible for officiating - in that it is immediately accountable.

When one of the refs has made a a few blues, at a dead-ball, he can get subbed out.

One of the refs has a case of "look at me, I'm going to call everything and be the star of the show" blues and "SUB", out he/she goes and the sub comes in.

Team #9's Coach makes the subs whenever he thinks it necessary. Maybe one of the refs just needs a rest. Imagine if he can get it in-game?

Ridiculous? Maybe.

Off the wall? Probably.

Innovative? Definitely.

While the first (and best) argument against the idea is the fact we struggle for sufficient numbers of referees up to the level of the play as it is, the counter is this would allow faster development of new faces.

Rookie ref starts the game with experienced duo, gets the second quarter off to assess and watch with his/her Coach, then back into the fray.

Game going to the wire? Let's have the three freshest refs calling the clutch.

This week I saw a referee tell 36ers captain Adam Gibson that he didn't get the foul call in his favour after he pump-faked, got his defender in the air, then took his jumpshot with that defender careening into him.

The ref told him he didn't get the blatant call because: "You initiated the contact."

Wow. Really?

That's Basic Basketball 101, surely?

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't "you initiated the contact" apply in situations such as when a player drives and jumps into a defender, muffs the shot then cries for a contact call?

But since when is faking your opponent into fouling you been equated with offensive flopping?

Every short-to-mid sized player knows if he/she blocks the shot of a "big", that "Big" will come looking for them at the earliest next possible opportunity.

It's called human nature.

So you know if you pump fake that sucker, in their overwhelming desire to humiliate you back, they will join the parachute club and you can easily draw a defensive foul.

That's called BEING SMART.

It's called UNDERSTANDING THE GAME.

It's called taking advantage of an opponent not as clever as you.

It is NOT called "you're not getting the call, even though the guy fouled the bejesus out of you, because I know you outsmarted him and therefore initiated the contact".

So when the umpire in question made his boneheaded decision and followed up by justifying it, the Ref Coach could have subbed him out at the next available time and told him the difference between what is deemed illegally initiating contact - for which there should be no reward or a flopping tech - and creating legitimate contact by outwitting your opponent.

The latter is legal. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, hell, Andrew Gaze made a living out of it. And more power to them.

SUB!

Get that boy out and bring him uptospeed.

Not only would having a referee sub help newcomers integrate more successfully, it might add a few years onto the reffing lives of those now approaching veteran status.

During the playoffs, the NBL has a fourth ref on standby at the game in case of injury or accident involving an official.

Yes, there are less games on during playoffs and therefore more of the best officials available.

But having a referee sub for each game and a bona fide coach from within the officiating ranks to properly scrutinise games AS THEY HAPPEN - not have a casual post-game chat about how the ref's shirt was untucked there during the third quarter - surely is worthy of some consideration.

That said, it is, of course, not my call.