Lights go out during close play

[LRZ]

The conference statement admits a wrong, but offers no remedy.

[BillyMac]

Apologies to Vicki Lawrence (1972).

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by LRZ

The conference statement admits a wrong, but offers no remedy.

I don't know that there is any remedy. Sun Belt officials now know explicitly what they should do in the future. The officials used poor judgment in the situation, but Little Rock was not prevented from still executing a play and getting off a shot.

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[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by LRZ

The conference statement admits a wrong, but offers no remedy.

What remedy could they offer?


And this isn't like a situation that many have ever encountered, particularly with 5 seconds left in a game. Yes, they should have handled it differently. But, with 5 seconds on the clock, and an event that was completely unexpected, I don't put much blame on the officials. They had to decide to kill it or not kill it in 1-2 seconds. Once they let it play out, I'm not sure they could go back and replay the 5 seconds.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

And this isn't like a situation that many have ever encountered, particularly with 5 seconds left in a game ...

I've had lights go out a few times in forty years, but never with five seconds left in the game (or a period).

I hate the gyms with metal halide lights that need to be warmed-up before reaching optimal lighting.

[crosscountry55]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I've had lights go out a few items in forty years, but never with five seconds left in the game.

Yeah, that’s suspicious. It favored the home team. Imagine that.

Officiating controversy notwithstanding, if I’m the Sun Belt Conference, I’m initiating an investigation.


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[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I've had lights go out a few items in forty years, but never with five seconds left in the game.

Originally Posted by crosscountry55

Yeah, that’s suspicious. It favored the home team. Imagine that.

It amazes me that we have a large number of schools, especially middle schools, especially Catholic middle schools, here in my little corner of Connecticut, that don't have any type of guards or locks on their gymnasium light switches.

They have light switches like we all have in our living rooms.

Anybody can come along and just turn off the lights.

It's often just somebody leaning on the wrong wall, at the wrong time, in the wrong place.

[Camron Rust]

The reality is that this is a situation that is clearly not covered in the rules. This is precisely what rule 2-3 was created for. Even so, to say there is a single right answer to the situation and to criticize the officials for how they handled it is unfair. There is simply nothing in the rules that says how this should be handled and to expect them to know what the league office might want when they had merely seconds to make a decision when others had hours to consider it is.

I think you could justify just about any ruling within the actual rules. And, the lights didn't go completely out. You could still see the entire time, albeit only with red lights.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

And, the lights didn't go completely out. You could still see the entire time, albeit only with red lights.

Cameras are notoriously bad with low lighting. How many times has one used a camera thinking that it was bright enough to take a photo with no flash, when a flash was actually needed?

The first time I worked a game at the Hartford Civic Center (now the XL Center), home of NHL Whalers, University of Connecticut basketball, and home away from home of the NBA Boston Celtics, I was in awe of how (too bright) the court was.

I'm guessing that in real life, it was actually a little brighter on the court than what we've seen on the video replay.

[LRZ]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

Once they let it play out, I'm not sure they could go back and replay the 5 seconds.

Why not? FWIW, one tweet said that the two teams were playing again the next night, so it wouldn't be a matter of inconvenience. If the officials on the second night were not the same crew, the expense of another set of game fees? Because ALR got a shot off with the lights on? Because this would be like an upheld protest and the conference doesn't allow protests?

I'm just speculating, and, BTW, I am not blaming the officials, simply responding to the conference's determination that an error had occurred.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by LRZ

Why not?

Do-overs are seldom legally allowed, and thus, quite rare in high school basketball, they are also probably quite rare in college basketball as well.

Not like when we were kids playing "pitcher's hand" baseball in the sandlot.

Note: "Pitcher's hand" was a rule set that allowed us to play baseball with a lot fewer than eighteen players. Batters could only hit the ball to their pull field, and instead of throwing a ball to first base on a ground ball, the fielders would throw the ball to the pitcher (acting as a first baseman). Lots of do-overs prevented lots of fights, and prevented the kid with the ball, or the bat, or a glove, from quitting and going home.

[LRZ]

If a replay would not be "legally allowed," please cite a rule barring a 5-second replay in these highly unusual circumstances.

I am not saying the five seconds should be replayed, but I am not convinced that it could not be done. I'm completely ignorant about NCAA in general and Sun Belt rules in particular; the closest HS rule I can think of is 5-4-3, if the situation would be treated as a protest: "The NFHS Basketball Rules Committee does not recognize protests."

So my question ("why not") remains, not to be argumentative, but to get a reasonable answer. My last contribution to this thread.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by LRZ

If a replay would not be "legally allowed," please cite a rule barring a 5-second replay in these highly unusual circumstances.

I am not saying the five seconds should be replayed, but I am not convinced that it could not be done. I'm completely ignorant about NCAA in general and Sun Belt rules in particular; the closest HS rule I can think of is 5-4-3, if the situation would be treated as a protest: "The NFHS Basketball Rules Committee does not recognize protests."

So my question ("why not") remains, not to be argumentative, but to get a reasonable answer. My last contribution to this thread.

Yes, it "could be" done -- but, it sets a very bad precedent. Hey -- s*** happens -- that's part of sports. Next time, don't be down by 2 points with 5 seconds to play.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by LRZ

If a replay would not be "legally allowed," please cite a rule barring a 5-second replay in these highly unusual circumstances.

Most legal high school do-overs involve clocks not operating properly, and seconds (usually with a definite knowledge count by the officials), or split seconds, being changed on the game clock. The clock operated properly here. The officials allowed the game to continue and the clock to run.

Like they allowed the game to continue and the clock to run when they missed a travel call or a foul call earlier in the game.

No do-overs allowed in this situation.

If they allowed the do-over, then the other team would be complaining, and probably rightfully so.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by LRZ

If a replay would not be "legally allowed," please cite a rule barring a 5-second replay in these highly unusual circumstances.

I am not saying the five seconds should be replayed, but I am not convinced that it could not be done. I'm completely ignorant about NCAA in general and Sun Belt rules in particular; the closest HS rule I can think of is 5-4-3, if the situation would be treated as a protest: "The NFHS Basketball Rules Committee does not recognize protests."

So my question ("why not") remains, not to be argumentative, but to get a reasonable answer. My last contribution to this thread.

Please cite a rule that would allow it to be replayed.