The Official Forum - View Single Post - Two Person Mehanics Far Side line coverage

Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. · #13 (**permalink**) Mon Nov 22, 2004, 03:16pm

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Originally posted by Rich Fronheiser

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Originally posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

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Originally posted by Rich Fronheiser

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Originally posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

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Originally posted by IAABO_Ref
IAABO now has the trail covering the far side line free throw line and above in the front court. Does the NFHS manual have the same machinic?

There is no such animal as IAABO mechanics. IAABO is a basketball officials association whose main goal is the education of basketball officials.

If you look at your IAABO High School Handbook, you will see that the officials' manual that is contained it, is the NFHS Officials' Manual. Having said that, I am not sure what you mean by the Trail covering the far sideline. Could you please give us some examples? Thanks.

MTD, Sr.

It's a Wisconsin thing, I think -- not sure if RefMag is the cause of it, but RefMag is published in the Milwaukee area.

MTD -- the mechanic is that the trail (in 2-whistle) whistles and calls all the OOB call in his primary -- any ball that goes OOB above the free throw line extended on the opposite side of the court gets whistled and called by the trail official.

This mechanic is terrible, IMO.

(1) What if the ball goes out near the FT line? Will both officials call it? Or look at each other? Or, or, or....

(2) What if the ball is slowly, slowly rolling towards the OOB line between the FTLE and the division line? How can the trail tell if it is really out of bounds or not?

(3) Don't officials have peripheral vision? This mechanic seems to stress that an official wouldn't see a ball going out of bounds if it isn't in his primary -- but you have to have AWARENESS of where the ball is. If you don't know who's responsible, blow the whistle, stop the clock, and look to your trail partner for help. Gee, that's what we've always done.

I live in Wisconsin, but my regular partner and I are not from here so this mechanic is not used and seems quite foreign to me.

YMMV.

But this is one place I'm thrilled the NFHS manual sees it my way

--Rich

Rich:

I understand the type of situations you describe. We know that the T has to move out into the middle of the court and even move into the backcourt to cover the ball when it is in the corner of the front court above the free throw line extended opposite the Scorer's Table. These situations usually involved trapping defenses.

When these situations occur, the L still has primary responsiblity for his sideline. But if the ball does go out-of-bounds, the official that has the best angle to make the call is the T. In these situations the T, depending upon how close he is to the play, should probably hold his whistle to give the L a chance to stop play. If the L does not stop play then the T must sound his whistle and make the call. When I am the L in these situations, if I see the ball go out-of-bounds, I will sound my whistle, but I will almost always, give the call up to the T, because he should have the best look as who caused the ball to go out-of-bounds.

MTD, Sr.

I think we're saying the same thing.

However, the RefMag recommendation (and what is being taught as gospel by some officials around my neck of the woods) is that the lead has NO whistle in this situation and the trail makes the call all by himself.

Maybe in 10 years I'll see this as a great mechanic, I don't know. I'm still thinking back to the 80s when we had to cross over on the court during a live ball to get in the "cadillac." And someone (who knows why) thought this was a great idea.

A better idea? Go to three-whistle for everything and we don't have to have this discussion.

Rich:

Until the powers to be come to there senses and go three-whistle for everything, I too would not want to completely eliminate the L from sounding his whistle in these situations. Of course if the T is out in the center of the court covering a trapping situation in the far corner, I would think that the L has his hands full covering the other players, with most of them somewhere in the paint area.

"Cadillac," ah I remember it well. Don't your fondly remember all of those times when you and your partner were in what I called "left handed" (not "cadillac" mechanics) and as the T you start your move to get back to "Cadillac" and you get to the center of the court when the defense makes a steal and starts a 4 on 0 fast break and you are the only defender? Weren't those the days?

MTD, Sr.