Wanted some insight on responsibilites, mechanic's, techniques, etc of watching the scoreboard.

I glace to see if the clock running but little else.

Do you verify scores?
Watch team foul count acumulate?
Time outs remaining?

Check scoreboard every time something should happen and make sure it happens. Score, clock running or stopped, accumulated fouls. I prefer keeping time-outs from the table, unless I'm sure I've got a good timer. Don't use the AP arrow on the board -- be sure it's at the table. Remember, anything that's wrong on the scoreboard can be fixed as long as you have definite knowledge of what it should be. If you check at every change, you will have the definite knowledge you need to keep things accurate.

Everything Juulie said is spot on, as usual.

I also check the scoreboard a bit more frequently at the end of periods as a way of anticpating what might occur. For example, a team down 1 with less than a minute to go is going to try to execute differently than a team down 3 or 5 with the same amount of time. Plus, it reminds to look to the coaches for possilbe timeouts.

I guess to address the mechanics point of your question, how you do it is really up to you. I always glance at the board after a made basket as I transition into my new position. Some of our gyms only have a scoreboard at one end, so that can change things, but do it the easiest way you can that doesn't take away from your ability to officiate the players.

Don't scoreboard-watch, but the it is good to know everything on the scoreboard for your own information. For example, you do need to watch the clock to see if it's running (or not) when it's supposed to be. It's nice to know the team foul count so when we get close to the 7th or 10th we will be ready to administer the proper FT's. Knowing the score is good for a variety of reasons. If you know A had 31 points, and there was a foot on the line on a 3-pt. shot, and you see the scoreboard now shows A has 34, you can get it corrected immediately. Also, if B is way ahead, you may need to watch A a little closer for frustration-type fouls. Or, late in the game, when A gets closer, you might want to watch for A fouling to stop the clock (which, of course, brings its own set of problems...). And, of course, being aware of the end of quarters and games can keep you being surprised when the horn does go off.

So, being aware of as much information as possible will help avoid some sticky situations. You would be surprised at how many officials don't even look.

I think the more you are in tuned to the game, the less you have to really watch the scoreboard. The main thing I look at the scoreboard for is to see if the clock is running properly. I really do not pay that close of attention to the score while the ball is live. The scoreboard is primarily for the fans, not an official record. The more and more experience I have, the more and more I realize when we are in the bonus or when something is wrong on the scoreboard. Not all scoreboards have foul totals and points scored by a player on them. Many gyms just have the score, time and a light to indicate when we are in the bonus.

Peace

Maybe it's b/c it's Halloween, maybe there's a full moon, maybe my meds have kicked in, but I agree completely with Rut :D

I will say that I try to keep on eye on the foul count if it's up there. But I couldn't care less if the score is correct on the scoreboard. If the game is close in the last 2 minutes, then I'm verifying the book at every timeout. If it's not close in the last 2 minutes, then I couldn't care less about the score on the board.

I expect at the level you work, it's not usually a problem. At lower level games, you really have to watch closely. The table people are either new, completely indifferent, or busy with other things. If the scoreboard is wrong, it triggers parents and coaches (and sometimes players) to start yelling. Then even if the book was right to begin with, the bookkeeper gets confused. If you see that the scoreboard is wrong, you can get it fixed right away. If this happens a couple of times in the first quarter, or the first half, then when you're down to the wire, you've got the bugs out of the system. Assuming you have the same table people for the whole game.

I'm with you. I'm a scoreboard watcher - also a clock watcher, shot clock watcher, possession arrow watcher, foul count watcher, table watcher, coach watcher, player watcher. Like you, I care that the scoreboard is correct, because if it's not then 1 of the crew will be responsible for fixing or not fixing it.

Wow. Where do find time to be a cheerleader watcher? :D

Maybe it's just because I've started being anal about these things, but I hate being called over to the table because they screwed up on something. A bad table can make the floor officials look bad, even though they might not have anything to do with the mistake at all. It's so much more fun (ok, fun isn't the right word) to stop the clock and correct a shot clock, or tell the table it's two shots, not one-and-one. I think it sends a subtle message to the coaches and players that we're on top of things. I guess we all have our ways of handling it, whether it's scoreboard watching, or moving things around in your pocket to keep track of fouls ( :eek: ). I've worked with people who have no clue about time, number of fouls, who's ahead, etc. We have so much more responsibility than just focusing in on a player's pivot foot.

As with the score on the board, I couldn't care less if the fans start yelling. If the scorer is confused and calls me over, then we sort it out. But usually, a scoreboard error is just b/c the guy on the clock didn't put up a point for a made FT, and it's very simple to correct, even at lower level games.

I thought that's why they make us go out there a half hour before the game starts. What's a pivot foot?

It's like a pivot cheek.

Except with toes.

I guess I should start reffing in Massachusetts, instead of Oregon!!

The level has nothing to do with it. You cannot expect every bit of information is going to be correct all the time as it relates to the scoreboard. If something is wrong, I am not going to stop everything to correct it.

Peace

The level has a lot to do with it around here. MS games, some schools have a teacher or a committed parent, most have whoever they can drag in from the hallways, usually untrained, usually unhappy, usually unconcerned. At the varsity level, there's usually someone with some experience and some attention to detail.

If something IS wrong on the scoreboard, I don't stop everything to correct it (unless it has to do with the clock starting or stopping), but I'm sure going to be sure that it gets fixed asap. I DO expect every bit of information to be correct all the time, and I rely on that for my own keeping track. When it's off, I want it fixed.

Juulie,

I can tell you there are varsity games where someone is not qualified to work the table. This varies from game to game. The level is not relevant because the JH School might have someone that knows exactly what to do and I go to a varsity game and no one knows what to do. The ADs pick the person to work the table and many times they do not pick the right person. So level is irrelevant. Some of the biggest goofs I have seen in my career were made by varsity table personnel.

Peace

I see. You're using the word level in a different way from me. I didn't just mean age of players (varsity being the oldest, down to ms being the youngest). I also meant that at the really scrappy varsity games, things might not be very good. ( I did a varsity volleyball match the other day where at game time, there still wasn't any one at the table, and when they finally found someone, we had to give instructions. It was a very low level of play, even though it was varsity.) As I go down in age around here, it also gets less and less dependable. There are a few MS where there's a good table person, but not very many.

Count me in on the watcher side of the board-

The closer the game is, the more I watch as well after made baskets, fouls, etc. Not staring at the thing of course, but to me, it's part of game management. Keeping an eye on the board as one team approaches the bonus can help prevent a correctable error situation, partner communication, yada yada yada.

I was talking about level of the players (varsity--JH). That still does not change my opinion of what could be a problem. I only care about the game time on the clock from my point of view. After that, I have a good sense of how many fouls are called in a game. I know that many times the foul totals are wrong so I do not worry about those numbers on the scoreboard. Of course when the ball is dead I will make note of a few things. I just do not spend a lot of time worrying about it.

Peace

Juulie, you know I'm not picking on you. I'm not commenting on your officiating abilities in any way.

My point was not about where I work, but how the situation is handled. Especially at the MS and JV level, a scorebook/scoreboard discrepency should take about 30 seconds to fix.

Coach: "The score's wrong!! We should have 2 more points!!"

Tweet!!

Official to scorer: "Did you miss a basket?"

Scorer: "I don't think so."

Official: "Gotta go by the official book, Coach. Scoreboard's right. Let's play."

Or, if the scorer says there was a mistake, you just tell the coach it's under control and make the change.

In my experience, that's all it takes. If the coach has his own scorer then you take an extra 2 minutes and compare the books. If you find the discrepency, fix it. If not, play on.

I once did a HS JV game in which the scoreboard, the home book and the visitors' book all showed different scores for the visiting team. We took 2 minutes to compare the books, couldn't find anything wrong and changed the board and the visitors' book to match the home book. It honestly took all of about 2 or 3 minutes.

As always, JMO.

Chuck -- I didn't think you were picking on me. What I meant was that it sounds as though you have better table people than we do.

I also agree that these mistakes don't take long to fix -- if you're paying attention, and address them asap. That's why I keep a close eye on the scorebaord: The problems never get out of hand.

It might be under control Chuck.

It's just not under your control, is it?

I just don't think that's the proper level of attention. I want to avoid a correctable error and make sure that the clock is running when it's supposed to be. Other than that, I'll get it sorted out.

Watching the scoreboard may make your job of officiating easier...

But, IMO (and my assigner's), it doesn't look good.

Having said that...I'll try to pick my times to "glance" or "peek" at the scoreboard...times when I will be less likely to be seen by anyone.

I would prefer not to call it scoreboard watching but game awareness.

Knowing what is going on the game saves you alot. I have been to camps where the evaluator will ask you at at a time out before you can look at the board, what the team foul situation is, who is in bonus, how many time outs left, time on the clock...

If you do a game with a shot clock its even that much more important.

KNowing what's on the board will save you when people run clocks when they are not supposed to. Or stop them when they are not. This is aprticularlt trye when you get towards the last couple of minutes in each quarter.

IT looks a lot better when the coach is yelling about a clock that you can say that at the FT we had 1:14 on clock, we came down the floor in 6 seconds when I had a foul in back court, clock is et at 1:08, then guessing and making it up!

You should watch the scoreboard the entire game. :)

How else are you going to make sure that the foul totals stay even and that the home team always has more points? :rolleyes:

You also have to be aware of what the score is and how much time is left, so that you know when that pivotal call the vociferous coach's team really needs arises. :D

Scoreboard helps when...

I have had two games where the foul count was somthing like Team A 3 team fouls and Team B 5 fouls.

Team A player complains and says ref you gotta call it both ways or on both ends. I tell him to look at the scorboard and that If you want me to even them up the next two fouls are on your team!

In one game the captain grabbed the kid and told him to shut-up!