27 is the Magic Trail Number

I had the opportunity to be observed by a close friend, colleague and NCAA DII / DIII referee (Barry Schultz) and his post-game commentary provided some real insight on how to improve my game with a few “tiny” steps. His feedback was …

Pick a spot inside the 28 foot mark to start as the Trail

when in a three person crew and moving from the backcourt to frontcourt.

And that spot would be 27. Not 28. Certainly not 30 feet from the endline. His advice was clear. On 90% of the possessions down the floor, our trail crew members didn’t get within the 28 foot mark.

Now, we are not talking about hovering around the division line as a habit which is sometimes noticed with some of our inexperienced (or aging) population of officials. But rather just not paying careful attention to an aggressive starting position as the Trail when you first transition down the court.

As Trail, find the 27 mark every time down!

Most courts still have the old 28 foot stripe or the new coaching box lines in place to guide you. Being on the 27 makes you step down just a bit more and become involved in the active play.

Keeping the three person “triangle” extremely tight provides many advantages to you as the Trail.

• You are in a better position to see rebounding action and above the basket play.
• Eye contact is easier when you are more engaged in plays.
• During live-ball rotations you are just 3 steps away from moving into proper position as the Center official.
• You get better (90 degree) looks at most drives toward the lane versus being straight-lined.
• You look more engaged, active and athletic by getting closer to the front-court matchups.
• It’s easy to angle back (toward the division line) to maintain your 90 degree view of a play — or — move toward the division line if the play dictates.

Being on the “27” is not meant to be an anchor point. The Trail official should MOVE to IMPROVE as the matchups dictate. Being mobile while moving off the sideline (working the ARC) is key too.

And getting to the 27 works well in a TWO PERSON crew too! While the Trail has more area to cover in this crew being aggressive puts you in a similar advantageous position like a three-person crew.

During the first transition down-court in your next game say to yourself — 27 — and your body will magically position itself inside the hash mark to set you up for success. Well, let’s hope so.

About the Author

Billy Martin

New Jersey (NJSIAA) State Basketball Rules Interpreter
IAABO South Jersey Board 196 Basketball Rules Interpreter
ACCSOA Soccer Cadet Supervisor
ECSU (NCAA) Softball Umpire Development Staff

Billy has over 40 years officiating / umpiring experience with basketball, soccer and fast-pitch softball in the Southern New Jersey area. As an IAABO member, rules interpreter, cadet instructor and supervisor of officials – has been refereeing basketball for 40 years and recently started officiating scholastic soccer for the Atlantic – Cape – Cumberland County Officials Association (ACCSOA).

Additionally he is an NCAA umpire for the Eastern Collegiate Softball Umpires Association (ECSU) as well as a scholastic umpire for West (NJ) Chapter 5.

In the business world, Billy has more than 30 years of sales and marketing experience, most recently with Salesforce (NYSE:CRM), the industry leader in Customer Relationship Management and marketing tools and now with Medidata / Dassault Systemes (medidata.com)

Billy holds a Master’s Degree in Education (MEd) specializing in Sports Medicine and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) in Technology Management.

He is also the co-author of four Amazon best-selling basketball officiating guides called, “Beyond the Rules” and the “GameTracker Journal.” Billy is also the co-founder of “60 Seconds on Officiating” a destination site for over 100,000 officials in 80 countries worldwide (ref60.com).

Billy resides in Wildwood, NJ and loves boating, fishing, and just about any activity that will leave sand between his toes.

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