That's always been the NBA mechanic.

I am still not clear on the Mechanics for signaling the shot being taken, but I do know only the Trail marks it as successful.

Oops, I stand corrected. Thanks! 😀

Courtesy of Mr. Wunderlich...

Live From Las Vegas ...
 

I only have a passing interest in "real" NBA games, and no interest in summer NBA games, but I did watch several minutes of summer NBA on ESPN last night just to see this old mechanic. It's true. What goes around comes around.

My interest is only that justacoach's son is working the games in Vegas and another buddy will be working later this week.

I don't recall seeing any in HS (early 80s) on the main court, but was in a number of gyms (SF Bay Area) that had fan boards on the side courts in the gym. And in junior high played in a few gyms with fan shaped boards (including one that had never repainted the court to remove the key shaped key and had those weird dual mid-court lines because the court was too short . . .)

Glass Backboards ...
 

The old high school in my town is now an elementary school, with a large gymnasium that is used for recreation games, travel games, etc.

It has rectangular wooden framed backboards with half glass (from the rim up) and half wood (from the rim down) backboards. I have been told that, back in the 1950's, these were the first glass backboards in the state of Connecticut. The entrance to the gymnasium is right under one of these backboards and the old timers in town tell me that visiting fans used to just stand under the backboard and stare for a few minutes as they entered the gymnasium.

When I first started officiating, one of our high schools had an unused analog clock scoreboard on the wall. It eventually was taken down. I hope that they kept in in storage and didn't just send it to the landfill.

https://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.k...=0&w=343&h=166

Division Lines (Plural) ...
 

I officiated a few high school varsity game on one of those courts at a private prep school. Smallest gymnasium that I've ever officiated a high school varsity game in. Team benches were against a side wall, and if players just sat on the bench naturally, their feet would be on the playing court.

I was quite pleased when school finally built a new gymnasium. Unfortunately, the new gymnasium has a lot of windows. During afternoon games (common in Connecticut for private prep schools), the sun, as it moves across the sky, will occasionally shine brightly on the floor of the court producing a lot of glare that makes it very difficult to officiate. It makes me want to wear my polarized sunglasses, that I wear while kayaking, to cut down on the glare.

https://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.6...=0&w=300&h=300

The IHSA(Illinois association) has a lot of games up on YouTube and I noticed that in the late 1970's and early 1980's future NFL official Larry Nemmers officiated in the Illinois State Tournament.

Comments on the video:

• My dad was a sophomore in high school when this was filmed.
• Amazing bit of technology for the time to give the announcers instant replay and text overlay on the video feed.
• Now I know why my dad was such a proponent of the Diamond + 1 defense, but hated when we fouled. He also held no truck with the 3PT shot. I see why.
• Great sportsmanship by both teams when a foul was called.
• While I am not a BB official, some of those early traveling calls might have been fouls on the defense; such as the one on the first quarter on that baseline putback. The officials on this game are likely long in the grave; I'm not questioning their quality.
• My gym had fan backboards on all hoops until at least 2001, so they aren't dead yet. I had a fan backboard on the hoop in our driveway growing up...playing rec league on quality glass rectangular backboards was kinda weird.
• Those old-school pea whistles are hard to hear on the video.
• Those shorts are short. Those socks are NICE.
• I wouldn't have called that foul on the long-distance pass at 19:15.
• I'm surprised there wasn't more long hair...but granted, this was early 70's.
• Considering that long range jumpers are the least likely to score...these kids have some quite respectable range.
• In general, this game seems to be about the same quality as modern HS basketball. Which, frankly, surprises me: my dad's assessment of HS basketball during "his days" made me think that Naismith had only recently discovered the peach basket, and jumping was still considered unsportsmanlike.

Of course that sportsmanship - raising the hand - was mandated.