WNBA.com: You Make The Call

Think you have what it takes to be a WNBA referee? It is a LOT harder than you think. Yet, with the constant training and ongoing evaluation, they are always working to stay at the top of their game. Now you can see what it's like to be in their shoes. All season long, we will share clips from the official WNBA training manual, the same library that all WNBA officials use to study up and stay sharp.

Step 1: Watch the clip carefully and determine what the call is.
Click here to play.

Step 2: What do you think is the correct call? Vote Now.

The correct answer is:
"When screening a moving player, a player setting a screen must stop soon enough to permit her moving opponent the opportunity to stop or change direction. As this play shows, the screener does not allow her opponent this opportunity, and is responsible for setting an illegal screen. She is correctly whistled for an offensive foul."
--WNBA Supervisor of Officials Dee Kantner

Step 3: How'd you do with that one? Not so easy, is it. Well, here are a few hypothetical situations to get you started and test your WNBA rules knowledge.

1. Tammy Sutton-Brown has set a legal screen on Tan White. In an attempt to determine her position on the Court, White touches Sutton-Brown. Sutton-Brown now slaps away White's hand. Is this legal?

Legal. Sutton-Brown has established position and therefore may defend her position when an opposing player makes contact.
Legal. Since White initiated contact, Sutton-Brown may make a reasonable attempt to free herself from that contact.
Illegal. Sutton-Brown will normally be given a warning to stop this action. If she does it again, an offensive foul has occurred.

2. Sacramento's Ticha Penicheiro is dribbling the ball and passes to Nicole Powell in her frontcourt, but the ball touched an official and goes into the backcourt. In the ensuing scramble for the ball, Penicheiro gets the ball back. What is the ruling?

Backcourt violation by the Monarchs. The ball has broken the plane of the midcourt line while not in player possession.
Play on. Because the ball was touched by an official, it is ruled a tipped ball, thus giving Penicheiro the right to regain possession.
Sacramento gets the ball out of bounds at their own 28' hash mark.

3. Taj McWilliams-Franklin secures the rebound of her FG attempt which made contact with the basket ring. An official erroneously blew his whistle and calls a traveling violation, thinking the ball did not hit the rim. Upon conferring with his partners, he realizes that his whistle was blown in error. What is the interpretation concerning a time out or substitution by either team?

Officials will defer to the possession arrow, granting the ball to the team with the arrow in their favor.
Jump ball between Taj McWilliams-Franklin and the closest defender at the time of the inadvertant whistle.
Connecticut gets the ball on the sideline nearest the point of interruption.

4. The Detroit Shock has been charged with one regular timeout during the second half of play, but the game goes into overtime. How many timeouts are they allowed to call in overtime?

One
Two
Three

5. Dominique Canty attempts to pass the ball to Michelle Snow in the frontcourt, but Betty Lennox deflects the ball, causing it to touch the basket rim. IS the 24-second shot clock reset?

No, because it was deflected by a defender, the clock does not reset.
Yes, the 24-second clock is reset anytime the ball touches the rim from inbounds of the team that has possession.