Very Old Dog, New Tricks ...
 

For those whose association or board has moved to the new held ball signal, open handed stop the clock followed by the held ball signal, how's it going?

After forty years of doing it the "old" way, after three games, I've only done it correctly about half the time.

Once I stuck a single thumb on a single hand up in the air.

Out of habit, two hands seem to want to go up. At least they both have a "stop clock" signal. Then the thumbs come out.

Haven't done alot of games yet but it seems like everyone has adapted to it unless they've not had many held ball situations. Do see a few occasions where they start to go up with both hands then merge to the stop clock.

The only officials I see doing the new signal are recently-certified refs. Anyone with at least a year or two in, nope.

In Oregon, we chose to not make the change after some discussion. It doesn't solve any problem and there simply wasn't sufficient justification to make the change just to change.

I do the new signal, and I took the cadet class back in 2015.

We've pretty much all done this around here for many years and so the NFHS just codified what we already were doing anyway. I find it much more natural and comfortable closing down quickly on a held ball, especially when bodies are down, with one hand in the air than with two hands in the air. Just felt clumsy when I tried it a while back just see what it was like. Those who don't close down quickly on a held ball but rather just stand where they are and put two hands in the air with thumbs up probably wonder what the new mechanic is all about.

What about those of us who close down and use two hands?

Alleviate Conflicting Calls ...
 

Ms. Wynns really doesn't sound very passionate about the change.

The final change approved by the Basketball Rules Committee is a change in the signal when a held ball occurs. Now, when a held ball occurs, the covering official(s) shall stop the clock using Signal #2 (straight arm, open palm extended) while simultaneously sounding the whistle. “This change should help to alleviate conflicting calls by officials when a held ball occurs,” Wynns said. “We currently raise one arm to stop the clock for everything except the jump/held ball.”

Was an easy transition for me, and I like the change for consistency's sake.

Consistency ...
 

One of the two reasons stated by Ms. Wynns.

I think it was a dumb and unnecessarily change and I have not done it very well at all and honestly do not care (Didn't do it on the Referee Magazine cover either).

Peace

Nice Post ...
 

My nomination for Post O' The Week.

Wait? No. Post O' The Month.

https://www.referee.com/wp-content/u...-1-681x511.jpg

I have always done it the current way. I did it incorrectly for many years and now the rules have finally caught up with me.;)

I wonder, but not for a long time, how two officials had the same signal. I also wonder how Jrut apparently got a third arm/thumb:p

He is not showing the entire cover. There are two kids on the floor in this picture and that is the arm of one of them on the floor.

Peace