At our meeting Sunday morning we were asked what we thought of something that have made it to the NFHS basketball rules committee. One of them was starting the game with a coin toss rather then a jump ball. Last time I checked basketball was still considered an athletic event right.

What's your thoughts?

Here we go
 

I ref in Iowa, and girls here start the game with a coin toss. I prefer the jump ball. It's an exciting aspect of the game, and taking it away would be a bad thing, IMO.

IAABO_Ref:

Are you in Peter Webb's board?

If my memory serves me correct, the PAC-8 (now the PAC-10) was an early (early 80's) experimenter with the AP Arrow, and I think it experimented with a coin toss to determine which team started with the ball and thereby starting the AP Process. I hope that there are some California oldtimers out there who can comment on this.

MTD, Sr.

There is certainly tradition and somewhat a level of excitment at the opening tip-off. I am glad for the AP procedure (imagine having an actual jump ball every time there is a held ball in a girls FR game?). But some things should remain, if for tradition only. Please don't tell me they are considering this move because (some) referees can't toss up the ball straight and high....

I just read Snaqwells comment about Iowa girls. Might as well put them back in bloomers. What's that all about, is it not ladylike to jump?

I wish I knew. I was taking some time away from officiating when they made that change; and I never really heard the rationale behind it. I'll ask around and get back with you on it.
Any other Iowa refs here who might know? Junker?

Why not just give the visiting team the ball and start the arrow from there?

Concerning the origins of the coin toss to start the game for Iowa girls, I heard an explanation for that once but I'm not sure if it is actually true. I was told that several years ago, I believe in either a district or state tournament game, two girls bumped heads on the opening tip and cracked their heads open. They instituted the coin toss for safety reasons. It's ridiculous of course, since two players are much more likely to crack their heads open diving for a loose ball on the floor than on a jump ball. But that is the explanation I heard. I think that the Iowa Girls Union just likes to make up a few rules variations so that they can justify their own existance. The players would much rather start the game with a jump ball.

I say for freshman girls only we institute the XFL scramble for the ball rule.

It was tried in GA several years ago and removed.

let's go with this:

have 1 player wear a special uniform, they don't actually play in the game but whenever there is a jump ball situation, the coaches have 30 seconds to conference with them on strategy and then they meet at center court for a duel of rock, paper, scissors. Winner gets ball. Yes, this must begin at the Freshman level because you know how hard it is to get kids who can rock, paper, scissors properly these days.

I know this will lengthen the time of a game but since we won't have to actually toss the ball for the tip off, schools can lower our pay because we will now need a 4th official who is speciallized in the art of r/p/s.

So football isn't an athletic event? :p

Mark:

Can I add futbol to your question? :-)

MTD, Sr.

New saying. Instead of "going to the arrow" on a held ball, we'd be "going to the coin." Hmmmm, just doesn't sound right!

I think many of you are missing the point. The center jump is irrelevant when we have the AP arrow. Who cares who gets the opening tap? At levels lower than HS, we have so many jump ball calls that it's hard to track.

If the tipoff should matter, then they should get rid of AP entirely and go back to jumping everything. The way it stands now it's just a quaint anachronism, except possibly in an OT period, where initial possession could actually make a difference.

I like the quaintness. Let's keep it.