On The Line ...
 

Is this the correct NCAA mechanic for the first of two free throws, i.e., the lead standing on the lane line next to the defender?

If so, this explains why we've got a lot of subvarsity high school officials doing this when it's not the proper mechanic under our current IAABO high school mechanics set (after bouncing the ball to the free thrower, the lead backs off four feet behind the lane line and off the court near the endline).

What's the proper mechanic under the NFHS mechanics set?

They do it in the NBA, however, for all other levels, I am not aware of this being a proper mechanic and have see it taught at college camps to specifically not be done as well. For multiple free throws however, I do not see the problem with standing there until the last FT attempted. I would like to see a change made that allows it.

NFHS you're supposed to be in the same position for all free throws.

NCAA-M you're supposed to be just outside the lane line for all but the last.

NCAA-W you're supposed to be in the position you describe for all but the last.

See It On Television ...
 

Which explains why a lot of our younger guys are doing it that way.

All Free Throws ...
 

Thanks. Same as IAABO.

I see your point but no so sure I agree as NBA refs do lots of other things (specific to the NBA) that younger officials do not do.:cool:

Actually this has been done as long as I can remember by some. It used to be the mechanic and changed in an unannounced way. Then you see guys doing it that have been around a lot as well. I do not see many young guys do it anymore. Actually do not see many officials do it period if they work for supervisors at the college level that tell them not to do this (which is most in my experience).

It is probably one of these things guys do because they do not know better, but it is not something talked about that much either. Unless you go to camp or are being evaluated, this is not something I see hardly at all anymore.

Peace

We do it here. I like it. It helps both players and officials keep up with the fact that we're shooting two shots.

I don't do it, but it *should* be the mechanic. NCAAW has it right, IMO.

Agreed. I think NCAA-W has a lot of things right. This mechanic, bouncing across the lane on backcourt throw-ins, two-hand reporting, walk-and-talk, no chop by the administering official...all preferred by me in comparison to NFHS.

I'm not sure what that one is.

I'd add: C has last-second shot.

I'm ambivalent on table-side vs. opposite.

The only NCAAW mechanic I don't like is looking out of the post to cover the corner. Might fit in the NBA / NCAAW, but doesn't work as well in my HS boys games.

Official administering the throw-in doesn't chop with the non-counting arm, is what I was referring to.

I guess another one would be no long switches, but in SC we don't really long switch for high school games, anyway, despite what the NFHS manual says.

Bouncing across the lane looks very lazy to me. And I am so glad we do not do many of those things in Men's basketball. I would not want them in HS either, but that is me. Too much issues with mechanics that really do not do anything to help us officiate IMO. If they did, I might have a different opinion.

Peace

I hear you. It's a hard habit to break too, and I just don't see the advantage in doing it. Like someone else posted, I really like a lot of the other approved mechanics in women's, but this one I could do without.

I disagree - at the high school level, there are enough violations that happen where widening your view seems to make sense.

On a first of two (or three) shots?

This observation is based on officials doing high school level and below:

Officials who stand in that vacated lower lane space during the first of two free throws inevitably follow the flight of the ball to and though the rim.

That habit then far too often carries over to the second free throw even when the official stands in the proper space, much to the detriment of proper observance of those lane space players for whom he's responsible.

This, not merely anecdotal, but based on video evidence.

The NFHS mechanic serves high school level and below best.

Just do it. Just train others to do it.

Down here, we have adopted Women's floor coverage for about 15 years. The L getting out to the corner isn't that big of an issue (unless you are working with a Men's official) but getting the T engaged into the post is fruitless. That call is still being made by the L peripherally or by C expansion.

When discussing this, every T "claims" that they are engaged in post play but not many off ball calls are being made out of that position with regards to post play.