Lag Time

[johnnyrao]

I worked the consolation game of a varsity tournament last night. Team A is down by 1 and has the ball with about 8 seconds left. After inbounding A1 hits a jumper from the foul line for the go ahead bucket. The crowd erupts and it is very loud. I was trail and, anticipating a TO by Team B, I glanced at the B bench (they were the farther bench from us). The coach was signalling wildly for a TO. The trail couldn't see it because he had his back to B's bench and he certainly couldn't hear it because of the crowd. I blew the whistle and looked at the clock. This gym has portable baskets with the clock on top of the backboard so I looked immediately to the far basket. I saw 1.0 seconds. The clock then ran down to 0:00. We got together an discussed it. The C said he looked at the clock when my whistle blew and it said 0.8. The T said he thought he saw 1.4 but was not completely sure. I know that when I saw the TO sign the clock was at 1.0. By the time my whistle blew it was probably at 0.8 so the C was also right. Anyway, we put 1.0 on the clock and continued. Team B through it out of bounds and Team A won by 1 so it did not affect the game outcome. But, should we have just ended the game due to lag time principles? If the only "definite knowledge" was 1.0 seconds then shouldn't the second that ticked off after my whistle be allowed? Or were we correct in putting 1.0 back on the clock?

[BktBallRef]

You were incorrect in putting the 1 second back on the clock. If the clock read 1.0 when you blew your whistle, the timer gets 1 second reaction the time to stop the clock. THe game was over.

[blindzebra]

Originally posted by BktBallRef
You were incorrect in putting the 1 second back on the clock. If the clock read 1.0 when you blew your whistle, the timer gets 1 second reaction the time to stop the clock. THe game was over.

That is not correct if you whistle THEN look at the clock.

5.10.1 SITUATION B: A1 travels. Immediately after the official sounds the whistle and signals the clock to stop, he/she glances at the clock and notices there are three seconds remaining in the quarter. However, the timer does not stop the clock and time expires. RULING: The referee will direct that three seconds be put back on the clock since he/she had definite knowledge of the amount of time involved.

COMMENT: Timing mistakes which may be corrected are limited to those which result from the timer's neglect to stop or start the clock as specified by the rules. The rules do not permit the referee to correct situations resulting in normal reaction time of the timer which results in a “lag” in stopping the clock. By interpretation, “lag or reaction” time is limited to one second when the official's signal is heard and/or seen clearly. One second or the “reaction” time is interpreted to have elapsed from the time the signal was made until the official glanced at the clock. The additional three seconds which subsequently ran off the clock is considered a timing mistake.

If the official is looking at the clock at the whistle the timer is allowed the second.

If there is a whistle and then a look, you can correct it to the time that was on the clock, because lag time was the interval between whistle and look.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally posted by blindzebra

That is not correct if you whistle THEN look at the clock.

5.10.1 SITUATION B: A1 travels. Immediately after the official sounds the whistle and signals the clock to stop, he/she glances at the clock and notices there are three seconds remaining in the quarter. However, the timer does not stop the clock and time expires. RULING: The referee will direct that three seconds be put back on the clock since he/she had definite knowledge of the amount of time involved.

COMMENT: Timing mistakes which may be corrected are limited to those which result from the timer's neglect to stop or start the clock as specified by the rules. The rules do not permit the referee to correct situations resulting in normal reaction time of the timer which results in a “lag” in stopping the clock. By interpretation, “lag or reaction” time is limited to one second when the official's signal is heard and/or seen clearly. One second or the “reaction” time is interpreted to have elapsed from the time the signal was made until the official glanced at the clock. The additional three seconds which subsequently ran off the clock is considered a timing mistake.

If the official is looking at the clock at the whistle the timer is allowed the second.

If there is a whistle and then a look, you can correct it to the time that was on the clock, because lag time was the interval between whistle and look.

There's conflicting information given in johnnyrao's initial post:

He said:
1) "I blew the whistle and looked at the clock."
2) "I know that when I saw the TO sign, the clock was at 1.0"

You need definite info on which one it actually was before you can answer this one.

[blindzebra]

Originally posted by Jurassic Referee

There's conflicting information given in johnnyrao's initial post:

He said:
1) "I blew the whistle and looked at the clock."
2) "I know that when I saw the TO sign, the clock was at 1.0"

You need definite info on which one it actually was before you can answer this one.

I was basing it on BBR's post, because it is not correct.

What the clock says when you blew the whistle may or may not determine what lag time is allowed, depending on when the official looked at the clock.

So to throw a blanket 1 second out there is incorrect.

[Edited by blindzebra on Nov 30th, 2005 at 08:23 PM]

[ChuckElias]

Once again, I lobby for a rule change that will allow us to put back the exact time we have knowledge of when the clock shows tenths of a second.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally posted by ChuckElias
Once again, I lobby for a rule change that will allow us to put back the exact time we have knowledge of when the clock shows tenths of a second.

Once again you're denied.

Shut up.

[BktBallRef]

I didn't throw a 1 second blanket out there, BZ. I understood him to say the clock was at 1 second when the TO was requested. If he wants to clarify, we can give him a more exact ruling. As he wrote it, I believe he missed it.