Notes from a recent ref clinic

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Bad Zebra

I still contend this is a solution in search of a problem. How many of these games have any of us encountered? I have seen it maybe twice in 15 years. Where is it occurring in such great numbers that a major national rule change has to be implemented?

It occurs a few times a year. Perhaps most prominently was the Oregon Girls 5A championship game in 2012. 4-0 at half and 16-7 at the end. It was not because they missed a lot of shots. It was because they didn't take a lot of shots. They are essentially scared of Mercedes Russell (Mercedes Russell Bio - University of Tennessee Official Athletic Site) and decided this was the only chance they had to beat her. It was an absolutely horrible game to watch and I'm sure the players really hated it to. Imagine making it to a state championship final and spending it standing around for 30 minutes. What kind of memories are those? Maybe if they'd won, but that was still a long shot.

Box Score: Oregon & Portland High School Girls Basketball - OregonLive.com