No padding on backboard
 

Arrived at a playoff game tonight in an offsite gym. For playoffs we travel to another area so neither of us have seen this team or gym before.

Can we play? We've called our assignor but can't reach him? The coach says they've played here all season and both coaches want to play.

Both backboards are rectangular but lack the required padding by rule. The book doesn't say what to do so my assumption is the implication is you cannot play on an illegal court?

I'm surprised no one has said anything prior to this, if games have been played here. If it's my call, I'm postponing this game (I don't know if I have that power technically, but I'm not starting the game anyways). Rule book says "...backboards shall be padded with..." I don't think that's optional.

That is a safety issue. My advice is to not play when there is a safety concern. It needs to be corrected prior to starting the contest. As officials we are to enforce the rules and to look out for the safety of the competitors. You would not be in a good position if a kid were to get injured.

What did you do?

NevadaRef:

I concur with you 100%, but I would add one more bit of advice: If the game is not played do not leave without your game fee. We, as officials, are contracted to conduct the game per the rules, and one of the things that we must do is to make sure that the equipment is safe, and by not allowing the game to be played is one of the things that fall within the scope of our game contract. Especially, if this situation, if the court has been like this all season.

MTD, Sr.

We ended up playing - though I will add I do agree in hindsight that we likely should not have.

Neither of us had run into an issue like this before and were not exactly sure what our jurisdiction was in a playoff game. CIF had awarded this school a home playoff game, and they had played here all season. While I think we would have been 100% justified in refusing the coaches' requests to play, we were a bit at a loss for what to do.

Both coaches wanted to play and were adamant none of their players were athletic enough to get anywhere near the rim (this was a game between two small schools), the visiting team had traveled over 2 hours and did not want to potentially have the game rescheduled.

Like I said, I'm confident we made the incorrect decision by rule, so no need to post letting me know that, but that was the end result.

The game went on, the home team won, the backboard was, as the coaches expected, never an issue and everyone went home.

Am I the only one that thinks it's messed up that they couldn't get a hold of the assignor or somebody else with the authority to say "yes, go ahead and play" or "no, we'll reschedule"?

What about holding up the game until someone with the authority to do so called and said one way or the other?

Maybe I'm the only one, but I would not have given it a second thought - we would have played the game. I'm not about to cancel a playoff game that both teams traveled to a neutral site to get to, along with their fans, when the state tourney schedule probably also depends on the outcome of this game - after an entire season of games was played here. Not gonna take that high road.

I agree. Good opportunity to make sure you probably may not work any playoff games ever again.

I think we are a product of the philosophy that the game goes on and we file a UIL incident report after the fact.

Common sense has to prevail
 

Rule is clear, but you also have to apply common sense. The meeting with BOTH coaches agreeing that it isn't an issue for their athletes would be significant in my decision to allow the game to go on. It being a playoff game it seems like athletic directors from schools are also in attendance, did they weigh in on the issue? Obviously it is bizzare that in this day and age there isnt padding on there-- I cant even imagine how that exists. The peach baskets duct taped to the plywood fantail in my church gym even has padding.. I would have felt like I was walking into one of those movies about 1950's Indiana high school basketball.

If both coaches agree to allow players 7 fouls before they are disqualified from the game is that okay, too?

I don't mean to imply that I would want to, or ever would suspend the game. However, I would feel better about things if a "higher up" gave us the thumbs up to play.

Where is the line between common sense and going by the rule book? Is that just one of those things that experience has to teach you?

Do you guys ever check the Hot Moms for padding? ;)

My biggest thing is to cover my ass on things like this. If you have both coaches saying play and someone gets hurt it’s on you in the end because you have to explain why you allowed teams to play with goals that illegal. I call my assignor and if I can’t get ahold of him I get the AD’s on the court to give a yes or a no and explain its on them if anything happens

Neither team had an athletic director in attendance. This was the first question we asked. Unfortunately, this was a game between two small schools, the host school used this off-site location (which was essentially the equivalent of a YMCA type location) as their host site. The head coach, the kids at the scorer's table and a mom taking tickets were the only people identified to us as 'school officials'