January 2005

My observations continue to show high school officials using the mechanics they see on TV instead of those required by NJSIAA. This appears to be a national problem. College officials don’t have to get their hands up when they call a violation because the timers are pros, and some conferences even give officials devices that stop the clock when they blow the whistle. They also have more room to stand in the first space next to the defensive player on the first of multiple foul shots because that player can stand on the block (men) or in the second space (women). Thus there is less danger of getting an elbow in the face if the player thinks a rebound is in play. Using the spread arms signal to show there is no 5 second count is another affectation I see a lot of.

Another problem is the administration of throw-ins. We often take the ball out on the wrong side of the lane just to be lazy. In addition, the ball MUST BE HANDED to a thrower-in when the team is under its own basket, not bounced to him/her. More control is required in these situations because the defense is normally playing tightly and a fumble of a pass from the official could cause chaos.

As the tournaments approach how about the members of Board 168 showing the world the right way to do things?

On another issue I submit that if you know you have blown a call you are far better off correcting the situation than trying to BS your way through it. In one such case a player muffed a pass and it hit his foot. The official blew his whistle, hesitated, and then gave the ball to the other team with no signal. Across the court the coach shouted for an explanation. A weak "kick" signal was given in reply. The coach yelled that the contact was not intentional, but the official went ahead. The fans and the coach continued to question every call that official made for the rest of the game.

While it would have been far better to avoid the situation altogether by thinking for a split second before blowing his whistle, the official could have saved his credibility by admitting the whistle was inadvertent and giving the ball back to team that had possession. His body language told the world that he knew he was wrong. Fess up.

I see lots of officials who are looking at the ball all the time. Trail officials are calling travels at the end line in the far corner and leads are calling them at the top of the key while players are camped in the lane for 8 or 9 seconds. .When both officials are watching the ball, the other 8 players are unsupervised. This is a recipe for disaster. Concentrate on your primary coverage area and trust your partner to take care of his/.hers.

I participated in a nation-wide conference call among IAABO interpreters on January 23. It was reassuring to know that others are seeing some of the same issues we do in NJ. Pregame shenanigans are becoming a problem in some areas, including South Jersey. Big entrances which interfere with the opponent’s warm-up drills and long team rituals in the center circle after introductions seem to be causing some problems. It would probably be a good idea to find out what is planned for these things ahead of time and try to change them if you think they might cause trouble. Some areas are imposing arbitrary rules.

• There are some random rules points which merit reemphasis .These include:
• During foul shots lane spaces left empty by one team can be filled by the other team provided there are no more than 4 defenders and 2 offensive players and first lane spaces are properly filled.
• If you go brain dead and let the offensive players stand in the first lane spaces, you can just fix it if you have not yet given the shooter the ball; you need to call a double violation if the shooter has the ball or the try is in flight; and it is too late to do anything once the try is over (good or missed)
• The rule book is specific about the second half starting 10 minutes after the first half ends. Have the timer blow the horn after 9 minutes and treat the last minute like a time out.
• Subs are required to report to the scorer before the first horn during a time out or period intermission or they cannot enter. Worse yet, some kids never report. They just come out on the court after a time out. Be alert!
• There is no provision in the rules for a simultaneous foul and violation. The officials must determine which occurred first. If the first thing that happened caused the ball to be dead, the second event might be ignored.
• Once a time out is granted it is irrevocable. Also, once you communicate the length of a TO, to the timer, it is fixed. If a coach wants to change a 30 to a 60 he cannot. He can have both, however.
• A player substituted for must remain out of the game until the next opportunity to enter AFTER THE CLOCK STARTS (not after the ball becomes alive). Be alert around time outs and foul shots.
• There is no penalty for players sitting down during a 30 second TO. They should be reminded they are required to stand. Repeated lack of compliance can always be penalized with a technical.
• There seems to be a lot of scrambles, on the floor, for loose balls. Sliding because of one’s initial momentum is not traveling, but rolling over to avoid an opponent is. Jumping on top of an opponent during a scramble is a foul. No time out can be granted unless one team has sole possession of the ball. Get close and show your stripes to preclude any rough stuff .by excited players. "Good hustle, relax now", goes a long way to keeping things under control

Now that our web site is operational we can get updates on strange plays out rapidly. We have put a few things out under "tips". I encourage you to get your questions and experiences to me so that we can share the learning’s (anonymously) with our members to help them.

Bill Kenney

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