[M&M Guy]

...sigh...Ok, here goes:

Originally Posted by Old School

I'm not communicating my position very well.

Actually, you are. That's why you get so many negative responses.

Originally Posted by Old School

I don't think that the Fed. of coaches would agree with this ruling either.

There is no Fed. of coaches. There is the National Federation of State High School Associations, otherwise referred to here as NFHS, or the Fed. If that is what you are actually referring to, then you would be entirely wrong because the Fed./NFHS actually included this ruling in this year's changes.

Originally Posted by Old School

Team A receiving the AP multiple times in a row because of a violation on the inbound. IOW's, you punishing good defense.

In your words: Hold the phone! If the defense violates on the throw-in, it is not good defense. The reason for the ruling is you are punishing bad defense. How do you reason the defense kicking the ball is good defense?

Originally Posted by Old School

First, the AP grants you possession. It does not or should not guarantee you a successful throw-in. If there’s a violation of the throw-in, you don’t lose the ball anyway. You are now on to something else, like another spot throw-in. AP is now done. What happens if there’s a violation of the offensive team? Team B gets the ball and the AP stays with Team A because the throw-in was not successful..

This is one of the very statements that gets you in trouble, because it is flat-out wrong. The rules specifically say a violation by the throw-in team does in fact switch the arrow. See 6-4-4

Originally Posted by Old School

The AP should just guarantee you possession, not a successful throw-in.

Now, if that is an opinion, you are entitled to that opinion. If you are stating the rule and its intent, then you would be wrong. The definition of "Alternating Possession" in the rule book is, per 4-2-1: "Alternating possession is the method of putting the ball in play by a throw-in, as outlined in 6-4." In other words, it is a throw-in. If we go to rule 6-4-4, it says, "The direction of the possession arrow is reversed immediately after an alternating-possession throw-in ends. An alternating-possession throw-in ends when the throw-in ends or when the throw-in team violates."

If what you are advocating is a change in philosophy by the Fed., then you have a right to your opinion. We argue opinions on this site all the time, without ever getting personal. However, you communicate that the way we are to handle this situation is wrong, and that makes you wrong, per the rules.

One quality of all successful officials is the ability to communicate. We have to constantly communicate effectively, whether it's to report a foul or violation with our signals, talk to a coach or player during a game, or even communicate with our supervisors and AD's during a season. Please work on your communication skills.