NFHS Basketball Questionnaire

[so cal lurker]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

I've been expecting this for years. The jump ball is an anachronistic play which no longer really has anything to do with the game. It's days were numbered once the AP arrow was introduced.

I expect the visiting team will get the first possession and the home team will get the arrow.

I still hate the AP, but can't imagine it going away. And, while it's not particularly important in the grand scheme, I like the fact that the game starts with each team having a chance to get the ball on the jump, and I'd hate to see it go away.

BUT, with the implementation of the AP, it seems to me that the execution of the jump gets worse and worse -- the players don't really practice it because it isn't that important (though in the 8th grade team I helped coach, we did run a play off the opening jump and probably got opening layups in half the games we played because we took the jump seriously) and the referees (sorry guys) often don't seem to manage it well (last night I watched a JV game start with the players not realizing the ball was about to go up -- one jumper jumped late and the other never did, with 8 startled players around them [and these were pretty good JV teams]).

At this point, the only reason I can see to keep the jump is tradition -- so I agree it is a matter of time until it goes away, but I think it will still be a while because of the tradition.