I distinctly recall this being called as often as possible during those 1-3/4 hour grade school games back in '76 when $5.00 was the generous going rate at the time.
Three of those games on a Friday night when there happened to be other things to do with classmates out on the town back at campus was pure punishment. But formative, in the long run, I guess. :)

Both feet at one time. Then changed to one.

This thread has been a walk down memory lane.

MTD, Sr.

How 'bout:
The neutral zone marks, commonly called the blocks, along the sides of the FT lane, which used to separate the first two rebounders on each side prior to the rule change which eliminated the first lane space on each side nearest the endline.

Arm up
 

Player committing a foul required to put hand up. Straight up!

Hackers (Before There Were Hackers) ...
 

I remember doing this in high school because I had to do it a lot. I remember one game in which I later discovered that I had nineteen points. I had fouled out with a few minutes to play. I was never a big scorer but this was the closest I ever came to twenty points.

I believe that it was sophomore or junior year that I alternated quarters with a teammate. I would always start, he would always finish the game. It was the only way our coach could insure that at least one of us would be available at the end of the game.

I actually used a similar tactic as a coach. During a league championship season I had two power forwards who were practically interchangeable, one a veteran, one a rookie. Both were great rebounders, and fierce defenders who could do a little scoring. I usually started the veteran, after thirty-two minutes it seemed that one always fouled out and the other always had three or four fouls.

I remember this. This was the Rule when I played and for a number of years after I started officiating. The Rule was slightly modified after I started officiating to state the the Player was to raise only one arm and not two because some Players were raising two arms to so displeasure with the call and if a Player raised two arms it was a TF for UC..

MTD, Sr.

Still Relevant ...
 

Still relevant. That separates the first rebounder from where the lead official stands between two free throws in a lot of high school subvarsity games.

I already know, I'm a baaaaad boy! (with apologies to Lou Costello).

http://www.myvirtualofficialsassociation.com/?p=1104

Note: 2018-2019 IAABO Manual Revisions: Free Throw Coverage - Lead Official: Take a position that allows the official to observe the players in the first lane space on the nearer lane line and in the three spaces on the farther lane line.
(Replaces: Free Throw Coverage - Lead Official: Back out of the free throw lane taking a position approximately four feet from nearer free throw lane line and off the court near the end line.)

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4823/...7a83ff0c_m.jpg

I have often wondered why the blocks are still in the court diagram, and thus why new paint jobs continue to include them. They are completely meaningless because they no longer separate anything. The lower part of the modern 1st space could just as well be a 2” hash mark like every other space mark.

I guess the reason this hasn’t changed is one of pure nostalgia. There must be something romantic about “the blocks” on a basketball court. But they serve no modern purpose.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Stupid NFHS ...
 

The NFHS 2018-19 Basketball Court Diagram actually doesn't show a neutral block and instead shows a two inch wide hashmark (with no hashmark three feet below that). However, the description that accompanies the diagram still states: All lines shall be two inches wide (neutral zones excluded).

Lack of Sufficient Action Rule.
 

Regarding the Hash Marks 28 feet from each End Line and the Lack of Sufficient Action Rule.

Situation #1:

Team A is behind in the score and has Control of the Ball in its Midcourt Area (between the Hash Marks and the Division Line). Team B is not required to come into the Midcourt Area and play defense. (NOTE: Notice that I did not use the term Closely Guarded because even though the CG Rule was adopted while the LSA Rule was still a Rule, CG is not a requirement for the Defense.)

If Team A Holds (A1 Holds or Dribbles the Ball or Team A Passes the Ball between Players in the MCA) for ten seconds while Team B does not play defense in Team A's MCA The Train (Two-Person or Three-Person Crew) shall Warn Team A by moving off of the Side Line into the Team A's MCA, point toward Team A's Basket and announce to Team A to "play".

As long has Team B does not come out to play defense in the MCA Team A has ten seconds (later the Rule was changed five seconds) to advance the Ball from its MCA to its Front Court Area (between the Hash Marks and the End Line). If Team A does not it shall be charged with a TF charged to Team A.


Situation #2:

The score is tied or Team B is behind in the score and Team A has Control of the Ball in its MCA. Team A is not required to advance the Ball from its MCA into its FCA but if Team B remains in Team A's FCA for ten seconds the Trail shall Warn Team B by moving off of the Side Line into Team A's MCA, point toward Team B's Basket and announce to Team B to "play".

As long has Team A Holds the Ball in its MCA the defense has ten seconds (later five seconds) to move into Team A's MCA and play defense. If Team B does not it shall be charged with a TF.


A Team only receives one LSA Warning per game and it does not matter if the Warning was given while the Team was on Offense or Defense. The Warning applies to all subsequent infractions of the LSA Rule whether the Infraction occurs while the Team is on Offense or Defense.

I gave numerous Warnings in my career but I do not ever having a Team fail to heed the Warning and receive a TF.

MTD, Sr.

Clarification ...
 

Thanks for the clarification Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

I hope that it wasn't too cold in your attic.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Bill:

I never went up into the attic. I wrote it all from memory because I do not have access to my attic at the moment, and there is a very faint voice in the back of my head (actually there are a lot of voices in my head, :p) that is telling me that the Warning is one per either Quarter or Half, not the Game.

MTD, Sr.

Xanax ...
 

Yeah, I have those voices in my head too, that's why my psychiatrist gives me huge doses of Xanax.

Now, where are my car keys.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.cart...on1773_low.jpg

We used to administer jump balls at both ends of the court at the free throw lines for held balls. That's why part of the definition of when a jump ball ends includes touching the basket or backboard.

4-28-2 The jump ball begins when the ball leaves the official’s hand(s) and ends when the touched ball contacts a non-jumper, an official, the floor, a basket or backboard.

They could probably remove those words now as it is pretty unlikely that a jump ball tip is going to hit the ring or backboard from midcourt.