Quote:
Originally Posted by Camron Rust
Why do people do this? It makes no sense aside from verifying the clock starts. I don't and can't watch the shot and the clock at the same time. Unless you're incredibly lucky, you're not going to have both in a perfect line. You go with the horn, or, if present, the lights on the board. And the trail can do that just fine.
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I think there is some use in this practice. Let me give 2 reasons:
1) We can all keep a mental countdown and know approximately when the horn is set to go off, so it doesn't catch us off guard, and I think when you get down to 5-6 seconds, most official probably do this so they can be especially dialed in to whether a shot is released in time or not. However, with 20 seconds remaining, it is a little more difficult to accurately gauge 20 seconds in your head with other stuff going on. Being able to glance at the clock, without turning away from the play, is useful.
2) If this gym were particularly loud, then it is possible for a horn to not be heard by the covering official. I think it is a lot easier to have to make a decisions about whether or not a basket should count when you don't hear the horn if you have the clock within a glance of watching the release.