I had the pleasure of being able to watch a ton of basketball this past weekend (read as wife and daughters hit the mall and let dad stay home).

I could not help but notice that there sure seems to be an excessive amount of "team huddling" prior to an administered FT. I did see a delay warning issued in three seperate games. In each of those games it appeared that the warning had no impact as the act was repeated time and again without any followup penalty.

I tried to focus on this aspect during my viewing and many times noticed the officials would be waiting for the huddle to break for what seemed like an excessive amount of time. So much so, that it seemed to bog down the games. I normally try to be pro-active in maintaining the flow.

Discussion Starter
Short of placing the ball on the FT line and having the count begin (which strikes me as unprofessional) how could I manage this better?

Curious, have you ever whacked a team for delay when you are ready to administer the FT? If so, what is the procedure?

I've never had to. I've even gone so far as to stop the players from leaving the blocks to slap hands with the shooter if I've got the ball and am ready. It's not an issue around here; but I wouldn't hesitate on the T with this one, especially since there's always a warning first.

Adam

FED Rules: You can only use that procedure during the RPP.

If it's not RPP, it's a team warning for delay the first time they huddle (and dely the game) and a T for every time thereafter.

Since you said that you were watching at home, it may have been NCAA rules. No formal delay process (warning / T) here. It's left up to the discretion of the officials.

Yep it was all NCAA.

In FED what is the sequence of events if the T is called? Do we shoot the original FT?

In NF Rules you simply give a formal warning which you report to the table. Then you give a technical for any other action after the warning if you have given a warning. I would just do everything in your power to not have to do that. A T should be saved for the most egregious situations.

I agree. I have never had to give a warning for delay (yet) when shooting free throws. I just tell them to line up, hold their spots if shooting two etc. As my grandma used to say. " Don't look for trouble. Trouble will find you soon enough."

As soon as you see them huddle tell them they're getting charged a timeout if they don't break the huddle.

Never had to T for this, because they only do it once.