Boy's 9th grade. Good competitive game, well coached disciplined teams playing hard.

While running out on a fast break I was trailing and observed the coach reach down and assist one of his players whom had effectivly tripped himself without contact back to his feet.

It all happened very fast and I know the kid was embarassed. He was well away from the play and I focused back on game action and made no call.

My partner did not see anything as we discussed it later.

Comment on this: Technical?, coach/non-participant touching player thats both in and out of bounds. In the rule book?

P. 147 para 342 in the Officials' Manual: "It it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I got nothing. No rule against being nice. I was very glad to see that this post was about something so innocent. Based on the title of your post, I was expecting to read something more along the lines of Mary K. Latourneau.

Z

I had this play happen this past summer in the YBOA Boys' Nationals. The game is a 9U game on the final day of pool play. The Team A will defeat Team B by one point in overtime and then defeat Team B again by ten points in the 9th/10th place four days later.

During the fourth quarter with Team B up by two points. Team B has the ball and is stalling. Head Coach B doesn't like where B1 is standing. Coach B comes about ten feet out onto the court, grabs B1 by his shoulder and moves him about eight feet closer to B2 who was holding the ball. I was stunned at first and then I whacked him for being out on the court.

MTD, Sr.

I think MTD's situation is straight-forward. You have to T that coach who comes out on the floor.

Ref Daddy's situation isn't as clear. My initial reaction is similar to rainmaker's: if that coach stays out of bounds and helps up his player who falls right along the sideline in front of him, no reason to get involved in that.

But I've started thinking: what if a coach stays completely out of bounds, but helps up a tripped up player just in time for that player to catch a pass? Does that make the "help" different?

Just how is your situation the same?

I see a major difference between a player falling on the floor on a boundary, original post has the player both in and out of bounds, being helped up versus a pissed off coach coming ten feet on to the court to reposition a player.

In your play it's an obvious T on the coach, in this play it is VERY grey.

I think in your situation 7-1-1 may apply.

A player causes the ball to be OOB if that player touches the floor or ANY object other than another PLAYER that is OOB. I'm reading that as floor, benches, chairs, officials (we are considered part of the floor), and BENCH PERSONNEL.

So if coach is touching his player and the coach is OOB when the ball is there then the player is OOB. I like having that option versus trying to judge the coaches intent.

Now if the help clearly occurred BEFORE the player caught the pass, you are stuck. If I see the entire play and it looks like the coach is aware that the pass is coming and aides the player, I'm leaning toward a T, but that's going to require something like the coach yelling, "Hurry, get up," while he's helping up the player.