[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

From 7th grade and above I tell the Captain of each team the following things:

1) They are in complete charge of their teams including teammates and all bench personnel (from their Head Coach to the last person on the bench, this includes all teammates, substitutes, coaches, managers, statisticicans, doctors, nurses, chiropractors, massuses, preists, nuns, rabbis, agents, psychics, etc.).

2) I am an old man with bad knees and ankles and if I, as the Lead, call a foul, report the foul, and then become the new Lead and have the ball and I am ready to administer the free throws, there had better be two non-shooters in the first blocks, and a shooter on the free throw line waiting for me, not me waiting for them.

I think that the real problem with the game today is that their too much coaching during dead ball situations. Everytime the whistle sounds, coaches think that they are allowed to have a mini-timeout, which delays the game. Officials sound their whistles, signal a foul or violation, report the what their call is, and then have to wait while a coach or both coaches have a mini-timeout with their team.

I tell coaches that until a team timeout is granted the players belong to the officials on the court. The officials on the court need the full attention of the players. If they have information that is so important that it impinges upon the ability of the officials to conduct the game in a timely manner, they should request at team timeout.

How many of us have stepped into the lane to administer free throws and the players are too busy giving instructions to each other that you wonder if the free throw hears you tell him/her how many free throws. At least twice a game one of the players in the low blocks will ask me how many free throws after the shooter has the ball, because they were talking to teammates or their coach when I was giving that information, I refuse to answer their question and tell them to ask their coach or teammate.

I am sorry, I just got off on a Dennis Miller rant.