Team A inbounded the ball to start the fourth quarter. A player from team B tipped the ball away and let the chaos begin. Players were diving on the floor, and the ball was pinballing all over the place. After what I would guess was at least five or six seconds, A1 gets control of the ball in his own backcourt and starts to dribble toward the frontcourt. I finally get a chance to look at the clock, and I notice that it has not yet started. Just as I was deciding to blow the whistle, the clock starts to move. I decided just to let it go. Those eight or ten seconds seem so much less important with 20 minutes on the clock than with 1:00 on the clock. With nothing to count, I did not have specific knowledge, although I didn't even get as far as considering that at the time.

Ultimately, my question is more general. If the clock does not properly start (especially at the beginning of a period or when there is a lot of time left in a period), how long should one wait before blowing the whistle to get the timer's attention? Immediately? Three seconds? Five seconds? Can I get pro-rated pay for the extra time that I had to work?

As soon as there's a reasonable opportunity -- generally when one team has the ball and there's no significant pressure from the other team.

Rick,
...And if you have that timer again, remind that timer that the clock starts when a jumper touches, not when one of the other players has control. :)

Not having been there, I still had positive knowledge of five seconds that were spent. ...And I'm sticking to it. :cool:
mick