For Women’s D1 this year one of the points of emphasis is bench decorum. My question is about what this means. I know the rules say that when the ball is live, only the head coach may stand except that in reaction to play, the team standing is OK. (Ya - I know - that is not the official language, but ...) Our seats are in the 3rd row behind the visitor’s bench and tonight the assistant coach was standing often but she was so short maybe nobody noticed. However from 1 to 3 or 4 players almost constantly stood whenever the ball was at our end of the floor and often stood even when the action was at the other end. It drives me crazy! If fans stand in front of me, I can stand and see over them but when the bench stands, I can’t see what is going on at all.

Now the action was fast and furious on the floor with a lot of contact and potential for it to get out of hand. They, from my perspective, did an excellent job in walking the line between letting them play and calling the stuff which was important.

In an environment like that does stuff like bench decorum just go by the wayside unless it is interfering with the game itself? I am assuming that it is a point of emphasis because it was getting out of hand in previous years. In other words, I’m a bit confused about points of emphasis and what they mean in the real world. BTW - the official team was headed by, in my opinioin, one of the best in this section of the D1 women's world, Bryan Enterline who has also officiated in the WNBA for 6 years. IE, I'm not complaining about the officiating - just trying to understand.

(I’m a fan who reads this board to become better educated about what happens on the court and why and I really appreciate the education I’m getting!)

Yes, bench decorum is a point of emphasis this year. Given the fact you mentioned this was a D1 game with at least one great official, you can see some of the problems involved with enforcement. I know as I work a game, especially like one as you mentioned, "the action was fast and furious on the floor with a lot of contact and potential for it to get out of hand", I would find it hard to be watching the bench. That said, we are also taught to be aware of those items, just as you are aware of your partners' locations, game clock, shot clock, etc. We may not be focusing on them, but we should still be aware. But, then again, how are we supposed to be aware of players standing when the action is at the other end of the court?

If there were actual issues with the bench that were not taken care of, you can be sure the crew will receive a call from the supervisor. However, not having been there myself, is there a chance that the players were reacting to a play of some kind? Or, maybe several plays? This could be one of those "gray areas" where if the coach and bench aren't attracting attention to themselves, the officials aren't going looking for trouble.

Obviously you noticed because it affected your view of the game. Maybe, if you moved to a different seat, you wouldn't notice it as much either? ;)

You need to become a fan of a game with shorter players? Dwarf tossing, maybe? :D