Mechanics and clock situations (Video)

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by AremRed

If the arena already has PTS then that's just dumb not to use it. The officials don't even have to do anything different -- they can count and chop clock as normal and not even have to press their button. The clock can be started by a guy at the table as normal and the PTS packs used only to stop the clock.

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

I would be surprised too, because Carver Arena, where the state games are played, is home to a D1 university, many of whom use PTS. I believe that officials must be especially aware of starting and stopping the clock properly when there is no PTS, and not rely too much on the system when it is there (use good mechanics, so the operator knows to step in when the system fails).

I need to state this. PTS is not the end all be all of solving clock problems. You still can have clock problems and you see they have them with the PTS. In the NCAA Tournament, there was a clock malfunction that helped cause a debate of if a player could be substituted for during that malfunction. My understanding the NCAA Tournament uses PTS in all their games. So assuming that would solve that issue is kind of silly when many big arenas use that system and we still see clock issues.

Secondly, it is likely not used because no official uses that system at all during the season and you might not want the first time to be the State Finals, which if not used properly or malfunctions, that would be an issue as well.

Originally Posted by AremRed

My comment on NBA videos was not meant seriously, merely to highlight the use of non-approved mechanics at a high school game. If the Lead stopped the clock with a fist (the correct thing to do in HS and college), we would not have a blarge, since it was the Lead's premature preliminary signal that led to the double foul.

I disagree. The officials did not see the other official. Stopping the clock might have helped, but if you never recognize that your partner has a whistle then it does not matter. Even the Center held for some time but he clearly did not see his partner at all.

And for the record, I rarely know many officials that use the exact and proper mechanic in these situations. It is a great goal, but it is not often what happens in real life.

Peace