NFHS Points of Emphasis

[gsf23]

How to foul at the end of the game is very coachable. Every year that I have coached, about once a week for about 15 minutes I've had my team practice how to foul at the end of a game.

Basically, I tell them to just use poor defensive technique. You use bad technique and you are going to foul. So, instead of keeping the feet active, hands active and not reaching, keep the offensive player in front and the such, I just tell them go ahead and slap at the ball, slow those feet up and if the guy gets by you slap at the ball again. You play defense like that and the result is going to be either a steal or a foul. Your still playing defense and trying to get a steal, but your are just playing technically poor defense.

As far as the verbiage, I don't know how else you can word it other than fouling to stop the clock.

[Dan_ref]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

I guess I really am not understanding why you are so bent about this one, TexasAggie...

Me too.

The committee has laid out exactly how to call the end-of-game foul.

As for the foul on the layup - the reason the committee doesn't need to clarify is because there's little doubt as to how this call should be made.

[rainmaker]

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

I continue to assert that this is totally inconsistent with the intentional foul rule and the POI every year on intentional fouls.

What part of "intentional" in unclear to the committee? If they are going to make this foolish statement (foolish because they want it both ways), they need to change the term "intentional" to something that doesn't mean done deliberately. Fouling to stop the clock means the fouling is done deliberately.

I agree that the use of the word can be be confusing. They did introduce the word "strategic" a couple or so years ago, and that helps me, but it still doesn't clear things up. For me the most difficult part of the whole thing is the foul that's clearly "excessive" and needs the extra penalty of the intentional foul, and can fall easily under the part of the rule that talks about "excessive" contact, but we call it "intentional" even if the poor sap was trying hard NOT to foul. I agree that a different word would be a useful tool.

[Back In The Saddle]

Rather than starting a new thread, I'll bump this one.

Regarding, the POE on concussion: it appears that this is aimed squarely at coaches, or is it? Surely the committee doesn't intend for officials to be contacting parents/guardians about an athlete's apparent concussion nor to carry and distribute this fact sheet they mention?

It appears to me that our responsibility reasonably extends no further than:

1. Remove athlete from play.

and

4. Allow the athlete to return to play only with permission from an appropriate health care professional.

Or do we even get involved that much?

Are we really expected to remove an athlete from play? We're not medical professionals, but it sounds as though we're being asked to take a whack at making a diagnosis. While bleeding and unconsciousness are both pretty black and white, concussion isn't.

So if we notice one of the listed warning signs, assuming we've bothered to memorize them, what is our responsibility? Do we simply alert the coach? Do we remove the player from the game ourselves? What if we bring it to the coach's attention and he/she disagrees? What if we feel strongly that the athlete may be suffering from a concussion? Do we force the issue? What if the opposing coach, out of genuine concern or dubious tactics, makes an issue of this?

And what about this "permission from an appropriate health care professional"? What does that mean? Do we need a note? If so, who can sign it? MD, DO, PA, RN, LPN, paramedic, EMT? What about a dentist? Is verbal permission adequate? If so, to whom is this permission communicated? Are we required to be involved at all? If we are, what if the kid's coach takes him out and we don't even know about it?

Where this is a POE rather than a rule change, does that imply any additional liability for the official?

This POE seems to raise a lot of questions to which we don't have answers.