Yesterday afternoon, a friend who is an assignor for a classic 5th through 8th grade league called me and asked if I could fill in at the last minute for two games. It seems one of his refs got the flu all of a sudden. Without realizing what I was getting into, I said yes.

The first game turned out to be 5th grade girls. At the end of Q1, the score was 13-0. The final was 45-2. It was the ugliest game I have worked in years. The winning team had 4 girls taller than the tallest girl on the other team. The losing team had no one who could bring the ball up court whether against pressure or not. The losing coach never said one word of instruction to his girls. They committed 10+ fouls in each half just due to sloppyness.

If I had a heart, I would have felt sorry for them.

Had a really weird play in the second game (8th grade boys). With two seconds to go in the first half, A1 is at the line to shoot two. He makes the first. He makes the second and B1 takes the ball out of the bottom of the net and starts dribbling upcourt without taking the ball OOB. Not only that, when he starts dribbling, the clock starts and the horn goes off. The players just think the half is over and start for the bench. I was on the baseline counting five seconds. I inform the scorer that there is a five second inbound violation on team B, that we are putting two seconds back on the clock and it will be team A's ball on the baseline under their own basket.

Both coaches just shrugged and we set it up that way. Team A scored off the inbound play just before the horn. They wound up winning by two. Ouch!

I would have a tough time making the switch between the two levals of play.

Mark,
I had a 5/6 girls set a couple of weeks ago. The visiting team had 23 players on the 5th grade team and the team had never played a game before. It was also the caoch's first game of her life. When the coach told one of the girs to go see the referee and the girl asked the coach what a referee was I knew we were in for a long evening. They never took the ball out of bounds after a made basket. We had to line them up every free throw. We had at least 40,000 held balls. The first game took 1hr 45 minutes. Home won by 40+.

6th grade home had full court press all game. Home won by 38. I just remind myself that to the 10 girls on the floor it is the most important game in the world at the time. And I try to smile and laugh a lot.

What's a classic 5th through 8th grade league? They only broadcast their games in black & white to ESPN classic channel and use Chick Hearn & Johnny Most on play-by-play?

Quote:

called me and asked if I could fill in at the last minute for two games. It seems one of his refs got the flu all of a sudden.

Have you ever gotten the flu gradually? If I had a brain I wouldn't be responding to this post. If we find someone with no <s>balls</s> courage we can all go to Oz together. I thought this was an immediate violation without the count under nfhs rules?

Ahhh yes. I worked a 5/6th grade game tonight. Started at 4:15, I was done by 6:30. Everything went pretty well.

I assume your 6th grade league has no rules limiting pressing. In our CYO league, if a 6th grade team is up by 10 or more, they can't press or trap outside the 3 point line.

I just hope the girls in your games had fun regardless of the final score. :) And you are right, games at this level are for the kids, no matter what the adults say or think.

It's not a 5-second violation -- it's an immediate violation. Rule interp last year or the year before (after much discussion on this and other boards), now in case 9.2.2C.

Your game lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes and everything went pretty well? You are a better man than I!

Stat-Man: What's the penalty if they press and are up by 10 or more? Just wondering.

David M: It was two games. 5th graders played and then a 6th grade game, not combined. :)

The "Official" Penalty is a warning the first time followed by a bench technical for subsequent violations. But it wasn't uncommon to see officials give out multiple warnings instead. ;) I think one game, the opposing team was warned 4 or 5 times and even our coach was asking when they were going to call the T like they were supposed to.

And for what it's worth, here's our point margin rules:
10 points (6th grade) or 20 points (8th grade) - no press
Up by 20 - Must have three starters out of the game*
Up by 30 - All starters must be out of the game*

* unless there are too few subs to do this or other similar scenarios.

Stat Man,
Nope. You can only hope the coach has a bigger conscience than ego. RR

Two words for girls games lower than 7th grade and 7/8 B team games: RUNNING CLOCK!!

I hear you on the running clock thing Texas Aggie, Gig Em!

RE the "no Pressing"
We have had several situations where B1 grabs rebound, starts dribbling up court in back court and tries to pass to B2. Goes off B2 hand/head/body and team from A tries to make the steal. I've gone with interpretation that B gets a free ride until ball gets to front court and either warn or T (depending on house rules) for the pressing. Coaches have been pretty receptive to this.
Just a thought for those of you that have to abide by the no press rule.