Rinky Dink Gym

[LSS]

I just got back from my 8th grade boys game. This gym is only about 60' x30' with 10 sec. line at 30' but once crossed half court goes back to the top of the key in the bc. Only one foot between the end line and wall. The kids and coaches were all good, but Geeez... things happen fast. Does anyone else have any nightmare gyms?

[blindzebra]

I've been in those type of gyms...the worst, if you wore anything above a size 7 shoe you couldn't shoot a 3 from the corner.

Did rec ball at a fitness center where you had about 4 inches between the OOB line and the wall...to make matters worse, one side was glass and the thigh and buns machines were right outside, quite a distraction.

[Texas Aggie]

My first year, I had a game in the Auxiliary gym of a Dallas ISD high school. It was actually a jr. high tournament being played there. Most DISD high school main gyms are, well, terrible, but this one was easily the worst I've been in. Its small, similar to what you described, and no seating. Luckily, there is somewhat ample room on the sidelines and baselines -- about 6-8 feet or so to the walls. Not ideal, or even decent, but workable. Every so-called fan was SRO. Fortunately, we didn't have any problems with that.

The main problem was they didn't have a scoreboard. Nor did they have a horn. I gave the girl doing the hand timing thing a whistle and told her to blow it when the time ran down. She did (I guess), but couldn't blow loud enough for anyone to hear. I had to look at her constantly when I thought we were getting close.

[LSS]

exactly... there's 6" between the 3 point line and out of bounds. Everything is packed in so close I could hardly see anything. Baseline inbounds passes were the worst. There's just no room to play.

[bigdogrunnin]

There is a HIGH SCHOOL in Louisiana (don't remember the name, sorry), that actually has POSTS INSIDE the playing boundaries. You have to avoid the posts while calling and playing the game. Private school, using a converted facility, but JEEZ, can you imagine the screens you can set??

We do have one private school nearby that I work on occasion that is really short (75') and narrow (40') and the stands are all the way to the sideline boundary. They even have a stage at one end of the floor where the preacher stands on Sunday. And instead of wood, they have those hard, interlocking plastic tiles that KILL your feet and legs! Dislike the facility, but the coaches are really great!

[sj]

......those hard, interlocking plastic tiles that KILL your feet and legs!


My understanding is that the guy who invented these things is in the Gulag in Siberia right where he belongs. His cell mate is the guy who invented those hard rubbered floors back in the 1970s.

[All_Heart]

I've officiated in a gym that was really short in width and in length. You could only shoot a 3 pointer at the top of the key because around free throw line extended the 3 point line stopped at the OOB line! You could not shoot a very high arching shot because it would hit the ceiling. It was awful because you had to "watch the ball" at the top of the shot, which means less eyes on the rebounding. This was a mens league which also meant more physical play because of less room. Needless to say I didn't go back there.

[j51969]

Alot of gym's I've had in the past that were that small had use of a restraining line. Certainly helpful when inbounding on sideline with peoples feet on the court.

[HawkeyeCubP]

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

The main problem was they didn't have a scoreboard. Nor did they have a horn. I gave the girl doing the hand timing thing a whistle and told her to blow it when the time ran down. She did (I guess), but couldn't blow loud enough for anyone to hear. I had to look at her constantly when I thought we were getting close.

Wow.

Originally Posted by bigdogrunnin

There is a HIGH SCHOOL in Louisiana (don't remember the name, sorry), that actually has POSTS INSIDE the playing boundaries. You have to avoid the posts while calling and playing the game. Private school, using a converted facility, but JEEZ, can you imagine the screens you can set?

There was one in Iowa, not too long ago, that had ceiling supports in the court as well.

My least favorite was (in Iowa again) working on a stage. Short court? Yes. Restraining lines? 3 of them. 8 feet off of one sideline the stage dropped down (about 4 feet) to the theater front row? Yes. To be fair, this was their "old" gym, and they had built a new one in the early '80's - but still used this for the nearby middle school.

[Junker]

Originally Posted by HawkeyeCubP

Wow.

There was one in Iowa, not too long ago, that had ceiling supports in the court as well.

My least favorite was (in Iowa again) working on a stage. Short court? Yes. Restraining lines? 3 of them. 8 feet off of one sideline the stage dropped down (about 4 feet) to the theater front row? Yes. To be fair, this was their "old" gym, and they had built a new one in the early '80's - but still used this for the nearby middle school.

What part of Iowa did you work? I work in Central Iowa for the most part. I had to work with restraining lines once last season (I went up north to help a buddy out). Luckily my partner explained the rules to me. I had never used them before.

[Jimgolf]

Originally Posted by LSS

exactly... there's 6" between the 3 point line and out of bounds. Everything is packed in so close I could hardly see anything. Baseline inbounds passes were the worst. There's just no room to play.

That makes it 40' wide, BTW.

[Stat-Man]

My first encounter with a rinky-dink gym was when I was in 6th grade. We had a home-and-home scrimmage series with a local Montesorri academy. The first scrimmage was at our gym and my friend and I wondered why Montesorri had cheerleaders for a scrimmage.

A week later coach had the reserves go to their place for the second scrimmage. The gym was so small that the free throw arcs and center circle all intersected. (I don't recall alternate lines either). They had no scoreboard, so the timekeeper used a weird football clock and a bicycle horn. And the score as posted in cardboad numbers behind the table.

Fast forward to this past weekend. Our CYO team played a team with a relatively new gym facility which was nice. Except that for some reason the scoreboard's horn did not work at all. So the timer had to use a whistle for 0:00. Timeouts were pretty much untimed and the referees had to take care of that.

[Mountaineer]

While it's getting better here - come on to WV and I'll show you some BAD gyms!