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Originally Posted by reddevil19
Sorry for the title. Couldn't think of anything better to use as an attention grabber  From a JV Boys game earlier tonight/yesterday evening, with team A visitors and team B home. I am scorekeeper for A...
...At this point, the Varsity Ref tells the game refs that they need to get A25 for leaving the bench.
This is where I see a problem. As it was, A25 didn't "leave the bench" in the first place. A25 was waiting to sub at the table when the jump-ball was called. At the moment I saw that he looked like he might wander onto the court, I stood up and reached across the table and physically pulled him back onto the "X" and told him to kneel there until everything had stopped, so that nobody would think he left the bench. |
You noted that in a subsequent post that you were not the official book for the game...
"I did not seek to insert myself into the discussion because I didn't feel it was my place as visiting/non-official scorer." So, as far as answering the questions the two game officials asked you regarding V#25, I think you were correct to report what you saw happen
when asked about it. I would even appreciate a table member's help de-escalating events by preventing a player from doing something wrong or stupid.
However, I have a couple questions for you as a
non-member of the officiating crew sitting at the table. You stated you physically refrained A25 from leaving the X and entering the fray (see boldface in your OP above) and
"told him to kneel there until everything had stopped, so that nobody would think he left the bench." Later you said
"During one of the 'lulls' while the game officials were at midcourt, I gave our coach the heads up to be prepared in the event they started discussing #25. I felt that it would be best to have the coach bring it up, and have him appeal to the officials to ask the table for help, if they did not ask first themselves."
My questions are: 1) If the substitute player waiting to enter the game had been from the home team, i.e., not the team you are associated with, would you have given him, and later his coach, the same consideration and help you did the player from your team? and 2) Would you have been as ready to "help" the officials with the substitute's actions/location if the the sub had been from the home team?
I ask these questions because when I officiate a game I expect the table crew to be unbiased members of the officiating crew. Can I expect a completely honest answer from an unbiased guy sitting at the table? Now I'm not asking these questions to challenge your honesty or integrity or imply you were trying to "pull one over" on the officials...in fact you sound like your actions in this instance were honest and correct. I'm just trying to identify another element of potential confusion for the officials. I wouldn't ask a member of one team for clarifying information and expect a credible or totally honest answer, but if I see you're at the table, in the heat of the moment I may have forgotten or been confused as to who my "table teammates" are. In other words, as a biased observer, should you have ever been asked what you saw? And did you tell the officials you restrained A25 from leaving the X from your position at the table and then later advised the Visiting coach of that information? And no, the Varsity official should not have "helped" beyond the procedural assistance.