Watched a holiday tourney last week. Two things that made the crowds go crazy! Wish you all could have seen them.

1. Girls game. Home team runs a slow down offense (all teams in this school do.) 2nd quarter guard puts the ball on her hip and holds it for 7 minutes. Vistors never come out of a zone to guard. They held the ball for the last shot and got a back door lay up. I loved the questions? Is that legal? Can they do that?

2. Boys game. 3rd quarter. Loose ball on floor. Home 44 comes sliding in, grabs the ball and slides about 4 - 6 feet -- feet first. Never rolls, twists, or tries to get up. When he stops he passes the ball to another player and gets up and runs down court. Home HC and whole visitors side wants a travel. I love it. They turn to me. That has to be a travel? I chose not to try to explain travelling in that atmosphere to people who had already made up their minds about the call. Some of them might have had sharp objects in their pockets or purses. I just said that from my angle I couldn't see if he had possession or not and the guy was right there to see the play.

7 minutes??

Hmmm, so what did the coach on defense do?? Just sit there and not tell his girls to play?? Whatever floats their boat though... :)

If I was working this game, I think after about 3 minutes I would have ran and got some popcorn. ;)

Where's Mr. Grammar Guy? He doesn't get to take Christmas off! :)

He must be subbing in for Santa. I'll take over here....

Tanner, you should have said, "I woulda done gone and run to get some..." :D

This is not basketball, I'm sorry. Fed needs to go to a shot clock nationwide. I worked a couple games out of state where stalls were used, and it became tired very quickly. Play the game.

No way. This was very smart basketball. A coach took the air out of the ball and stopped a run and gun well conditioned team with great shooters and beat them by 14 points. He got in their heads. He cooled down red hot shooters. He frustrated his opponents to no end. Was it boring? Maybe. But there is an element of drama to waiting to see if the defense will EVER give up a zone and come out and guard to start a five second count or reach in and smack the "pee-waddlin'" out of the girl with ball in frustation. I think it was very smart basketball.

I agree. In NCAA nad NBA, the shot clock is used only beecause of the need for "entertainment."

Maybe It was Boring ?
 

Sorry . No matter how great the drama and tension watching someone hold the ball on their hip for 7 minutes I'm leaving. There is always another cold,dark and smelly gym to be investigated.

PS Maybe this post was an ode to Dean Smith-the only man in America who could hold Michael Jordan to under 20 points a night.

which team was ahead? a senior official once told me you could T up a team for allowing the game to become an actionless game. however, i have never been able to find it in the rulebook.

i had a similar situation happen earlier this year. wasn't 7 minutes, but 4 minutes that they held the ball seemed like a year! that the team that was leading was delaying. the other team just stayed in their zone for 4 minutes. it's hard to stay focused in an actionless game!!!

which team was ahead? <font color = red> a senior official once told me you could T up a team for allowing the game to become an actionless game. however, i have never been able to find it in the rulebook.</font>
[/B][/QUOTE]Unless you can find a rulebook from around 25-30 years ago, you ain't gonna find it in a rule book either, John. It was a "T" under certain circumstances back then, but that rule has been gone a long time. I think that your "senior" official needs to buy a new rule book- and it might be a good idea if he reads it also. :D

Unless you can find a rulebook from around 25-30 years ago, you ain't gonna find it in a rule book either, John. It was a "T" under certain circumstances back then, but that rule has been gone a long time. I think that your "senior" official needs to buy a new rule book- and it might be a good idea if he reads it also. :D [/B][/QUOTE]

Don't exaggerate, it's only been gone for 15 years. I started in 1987 and we had the lack-of-action rule then.

To the first question, this is legal, its been forever since the forced action rule has been in place and it only lasted a couple of years. Why a coach would not presure that person is beyond me but yeah its lega

It was smart basketball under the current rules. Boring for all the players and the fans. Shot clock, shot clock!

Z

An element of solid strategy
 

Spreading the floor as a way to force a defense out of a zone is, IMHO, a fine tactic - and entertaining. It's two teams, two coaches, staring at each other. Who will back down?

Re: An element of solid strategy
 

Back when I was in high school, this was the primary tactic used by the boys' varsity coach. We used it successfully to win the state tournament in 96-97.