[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Ladies and gentlemen, as sports officials, we are educators, and the age level of the players at the start of this string is jr. H.S. age.

Beside being a structural engineer, in real life, I substitute teach mathematics, physics, and general science at the jr. H.S. and H.S. level. The fundamentals of basketball are not rocket science. Why should not a 7th or 8th grade basketball player understand what a one-and-one free throw situation.

My high school basketball coach was also a basketball official. He could never understand how a person could coach a basketball team and not know the rules of the game. Jr. H.S. students are capable of playing chess, Monopoly, and other board or card games whose rules are more complicated that the rudimentary rules of basketball but we, as officials, are willing to give a free pass to coaches who do not do their jobs to teach their players those fundamental rules of the game.

I am sorry, but it is not an official's job to teach a 7th or 8th grader what a one-and-one free throw situation or how to line up for free throws during the game; it is their coach's job to teach them these things. Those players should know that before they ever walk on the court for the first game of the season. Just this last night my partner stepped into the lane to administer the first throw of a one-and-one, it was late in the second quarter of a 7th grade game; it was the sixth game of the season for both teams. The shot was missed and rebounded back to the shooter. Not one single player moved after the shot hit the rim. The shooter caught the ball and then started to walk toward me with the ball. I blew my whistle and called traveling. Her coach was not happy with me. He wanted me to give his team the ball back because they did not understand what one-and-one meant; remember this was the fourth bonus situation of the game. My partner and I told him that we were not going to bail him out because he did not do his job as coach; he did not like being told the truth.

I will address any group of players, coaches, parents, or media, about the rules of the games. We should all be willing to do that from time to time but we should also be willing to make sure that we do it in a manner that befits us as sports officials and not in a manner that belittles our position as sports officials.