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Had an interesting situation in one of my Friday night games.
My partner, a 15 year veteran, was questioned by one of the coaches on why he didn't call the 5 second CG violation. His answer, the offensive player (who was dribbling) changed direction, thus earning a new count. He further explained that it was obvious that he had started a new count in that he had swithced his visual count from his left arm to his right.
We discussed the call at halftime and his explanation was that in changing direction the offensive player had created a space. He demonstrated that space by holding his hands up approximately 3 feet apart. I let it the comment go as I had nothing to gain in arguing (He clearly felt that he was the "lead" official as he had experience and I was only starting my 2nd season).
In a nutshell, I disagree with my partner's interpretation. 6 ft is a much larger distance than one thinks, and the rule book is specific. I know that sometimes I wait until a player appears to be actively guarding, and I have not completely got the feel of 6 ft., but it is clear to me that 3 ft. or less doesn't qualify for starting a new count.
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