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Originally Posted by JugglingReferee
I call BS. You mentioned before that you've done 27 seasons. Surely in that time you've figured the Fed out. I think you trust the NFHS too much.
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JugglingReferee: When you call BS, what's the proper signal?
No, I haven't completely figured out the NFHS, especially when it comes to new rules. In thinking about the new rules that have "come down the pike" from the NFHS in the past twenty-seven years, one thing that pops up is that many new rules seem to trickle down from above, usually the NCAA, but occasionally the NBA, often in response to a particular player, or play. Georgetown's Patrick Ewing's gray T-Shirt, and Virginia's Ralph Sampson putting one hand on the backboard, and dunking with the other hand, led to NCAA rules regarding T-Shirt colors, and gaining an advantage by placing a hand on the backboard . The Knick's Trent Tucker's catch, and shoot basket, with 0.1 second left, led to the NBA's 0.3 seconds tip rule. All three of these trickled down to the NFHS in short time. But in some cases I don't understand where new rules come from. Furthermore, I am always confused about why the NFHS doesn't seem to listen to officials, those of us out there in the trenches, when we ask for rule changes. The one that comes to mind is allowing coaches to request time outs from the bench, a rule that has led to many tough situations for officials since it was installed by the NFHS several years ago.
Do I trust the NFHS? I have no choice. I have to. With few exceptions, that's the only set of rules we use here in Connecticut for public school games.
Finally, regarding the new eliminating the first lane space rule. I believe that I'm in agreement with you on this one. I don't think that it's going to effect my game that much. I have occasionally had an offensive player, in the second lane space, above the block, illegally push, and displace, a defender, in the first lane space, below the block, under the basket to gain an advantage to secure a rebound, but it did not happen a lot, and when it did, I called a foul on the offensive player. I've also had the defensive player, in the first lane space, under the block, illegally box out the offensive player, in the second lane space, above the block, by illegally pushing, and displacing, the offensive player back toward the third lane space, but again, but it did not happen a lot, and when it did, I called a foul on the defensive player.
Last year the NFHS Rules Committee stated that they were not going to eliminate the first lane space because data collected from a variety of sources did not support the belief that the players underneath the basket are at a rebounding disadvantage. The committee continued that multiple studies showed players in the first marked lane spaced garnered approximately 75-80 percent of all free throws rebounds, a range the committee found acceptable that was consistent with historical norms, because the team closest to the basket was supposed to get most of the rebounds.
One year later, and they're eliminating the first lane space. In that one year time frame did a new study find results opposite to their previous multiple studies and historical norms? Or did they change it because the NCAA-W and the NCAA-M rules were changed?