Playoffs are the big carrot one can use with high school officials. If you can observe officials and give the ones who consistently enforce freedom of movement playoff assignments, the rest will get the message.

On a different note, I can't wait to see how different states will apply the new shot clock guidance by NFHS. In my area, DC has used a non-visible count, but MD had a visible count, even when the shot clock was added for boys basketball for the 2017-18 season. Girls still do not have a 10-second count in MD public school games.

Talking players out of handchecks early in the game is supported by all my college supervisors. But it better be followed up with a whistle if not heeded. At the HS level too often those "warnings" don't get listened to by defenders yet the same officials who give those warnings won't blow the whistle.

Oral Warning ...
 

For me, if I warn, a big if, it's almost always one oral warning per team, per game, and oral warnings seldom, if ever, go past the first period. I've got a whistle, and I know how to use it.

How many of our games are reviewed by the state or association? I doubt there are many games reviewed independently to know if we are doing things correct. Unless you have someone come out and they see you are not doing things a certain way. I think that is a stretch.

Peace

When this rule came in place, I would and still do say "hands, hands, hands" even if the player never touches the ball handler. I say this because at least they know I am watching. I have yet to have a single coach say something to me about doing that or even if they hear me in the first place. But when I do that they often pull their hands back or never touch the ball handler, so it is not something that really has to be called that much. But when they do, I use my judgment and often call fouls on handchecking without much debate from any coaches. It is usually a certain coach or team that seems to not understand the rules that have to take a few fouls to get the message. Most of the time coaches say right after a handchecking foul and sometimes before, "Show your hands."

Peace

That's why I'm going to be performing that duty for my association this season. I'll go to games and I'll also watch whatever I can find online.

But I will not be trying to advise veteran officials things I may have done differently. But I will openly give advice or "things to think about" to newer and younger officials. And I will pass on my favorable impressions to my commissioner.

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Isn't about how long someone has been officiating, it is just the old way of thinking about what the game should be. They may have that idea from when they played, or just like the idea of no blood, no foul.

Back In the Day ...
 

This, along with differences between NFHS, NCAA, and NBA rule sets, is the main purpose of my Most Misunderstood Basketball Rules list.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell ...
 

Even after forty-plus years, when we get to the locker room after a game I always ask my partner, "So did you see anything that could improve my game?".

Chutes and Ladders ...
 

Thank you for your service.

We have an Observation and Mobility Team of about two dozen members. They have all been active on our rule and mechanics training committees, and all are veteran post season experienced officials.

They try to see every official (270 members) on our local board, as partners, or by showing up early and observing junior varsity games. If they have to make more than just a few non-working trips to observe, they don't have to pay annual board dues. Our assistant assignment commissioner is in charge of scheduling these observations.

Those who are observed by members of this Observation and Mobility Team are encouraged to ask team members for constructive criticism at the site.

The Observation and Mobility Team annually meets with our assignment commissioner and assistant commissioner. Determinations are made regarding next year's assignments - all varsity games, all subvarsity games, or an in between "probationary" designation (both varsity games and subvarsity games) for those on their way up the ladder, or on their way down the ladder.

Only the Pope, and Supreme Court justices, are "varsity for life".

But that is not what I am saying. I am not saying allow anything to take place. But in the literature, they said RSBQ is the standard to call these if they are not obvious at least from my state. But again video would help remedy this but that would make too much sense.

Peace

When the rules were changed, the NFHS said RSBQ is no longer the criteria because after years of trying to get people to recognize that RSBQ was actually impacted too many officials were still denying that it was and were not calling the fouls. So, they changed the rules to absolutes based not on RSBQ but observable facts....2 hands = foul, a hand that remains on = foul, multiple touches = foul, etc. RSBQ was no longer to be a factor. Why? Because they have defined those actions to be, by definition, an advantage to the defense even if it doesn't appear to many officials to affect RSBQ.

Some people will still fall back to RSBQ because they don't want to follow the NFHS but the NFHS has clearly indicated they want those fouls called. You don't have to listen to them if your state doesn't want to but that is your state doing its own thing.

Consider this....if putting a hand on the offensive player isn't an advantage to the defender, why would a defender keep doing it as long as you don't call a foul? The do it because it helps then play defense through an illegal advantage gained by the contact.

Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac, 1977) ...
 

Like a lot of things in basketball officiating, it all comes down to what one's state association, local association, interpreters (clinicians, trainers), and assignment commissioners choose to enforce.

When in Rome ...

Even then, there are some grizzled veterans that go their own way.

States come up with their interpretations correct? That is a state interpretation that I am referencing. Not saying something that is not the state and that was specifically used when the rule was put in place and has been used since. I would not be surprised if that was mentioned again since I believe a POE is handchecking. Just like the "hot stove" application, that came from our state office directly. You might not know this, but when they put out the PowerPoint, our state adds or puts in wording to address issues they wish or give interpretations. That did not change here.

Did not fall back into anything, giving you the original interpretation that was provide by the IHSA Administrators. And it did not say those things did not apply, but RSBQ is to be used (and the first time I can remember them even using this for any foul BTW) as a way to judge when these things happen. Still, the rules does not mean you do not have to judge when these things actually happen, because the wording is "placing" which is very specific. The word "touching" is not used because players do touch other players with their hands and arms and are not "placing" their hands on the opponent. Your hands often cannot go anywhere if someone comes into your body. We are not expecting players to put their hands completely behind their back.

I am going to say this again. I do not officiate in a bubble. The NF is not an entirely different place than where I officiate other-level basketball. I do the basic things that I do at the college level when it comes to judgment and philosophies with rules. I call more handchecking fouls than most of my only high school officiating counterparts. And all those things I mentioned I think about when calling a foul.

Peace