Rinky Dink Gym
 

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?

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.:p

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.

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.

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!

That makes it 40' wide, BTW.

......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.

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. :eek: 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.

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.

Dematha high school (Hyattsville Maryland) is one of the most legendary programs in the US (currently ranked nationally) and they play in a cracker box. They have terrible parking and the spectators in the front row often have their feet inbounds. All of this with many large players on the court that will be in D1 programs. It is nothing like what I thought their gym would be. The assigner even tells officials to be early so they can get a parking spot.

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.

I worked in a local gym calling some rec ball. The court is tiny as it is. But there is a low balcony that overhangs one end of the floor. It's low enough that it prevents the thrower from making long passes over the defender. So they've got a broken line a few feet inbounds that serves as the OOB line for throw-ins.

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.

I worked in Southeast/Central-ish Iowa. I was in the Iowa City Area Officials' Association from '02-'05. Worked all over the place in basketball and football.

I sure don't miss 2.5 hour drives one-way to get to games (or working on a theater stage), but I do miss the gyms/stands being consistently, completely packed every Friday night in both sports. Slightly different animal out here in Bay Area, CA.

Never worked Grand View HS in Des Moines, Jeff? They've got restraining lines, too. Partner ended up calling about 4 violations on the offense for having a second player OOB (behind the restraining line) during a spot throwin. Three were on the home team. I grew up with restraining lines, but I hear they have a new gym at my old school now.

This is a difference I've noticed here in western CO, too. Gyms in Iowa were always packed; middle school games were loud and AAU games had tons of fans. Here, not so much.

That's because Iowa is truely God's Country:D . I never made it to Grandview HS. I've had them on the road before but not there. I was actually a little bummed. One of my favorite small locker rooms was redone this year and they threw out the old diner seat I got dressed on. I brought the situation up with the prinicipal, but he assured me that the diner seat was gone for good;) .

During my days as a D1 asst. coach, we played Long Island University (Brooklyn) that has a gym that's not so "rinky dink" as it is odd. Check out the link:

http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/bbut11/g.../Schwartz1.htm

They played in the former Brooklyn Paramount Theatre. The benches/table sit in front of the stage that has hosted Bing Crosby, Mae West, Rudy Valee, and Little Richard. It has an original 1928 Wurlitzer Pipe Organ....how cool is that.

Lakeview HS (in the Chicago Public league) has a main gym w/ a few oddities: a suspended overhead track prevents any shot attempt outside of 15 feet from the corners. One corner doesn't actually exist! The brick walls of an office protrude onto the floor in one corner of the court (approximately 10' x 8' of the corner is nothing but a wall covered w/ padding). Touch the wall/pads and you're out of bounds!!!!

Bowling Alley
 

Catholic Middle School League, Sacred Heart School, New Britain, CT: Gymnasium looks more like a bowling alley than a basketball gymnasium. Long and narrow. Sidelines are two inches from side walls. Hashed restraining lines. Three point line intersects sideline, not allowing a three point shot from the wing or the corner. Scorer's table on one end of court. Two teams on opposite ends of court. Substitutes enter from both endlines. Confusing to remember which side is opposite the table for foul shots and jump balls. It's tough to officiate a game there, but, this gymnasium has a certain "old time" atmosphere to it, kind of like officiating a game with Dr. Naismith as the coach.

Other "gymnasiums" in this league are really all purpose rooms, cafeteria, auditorium, etc. and have a tile floor over concrete. If I do a games at those gymnasiums, I try to remember to take two aspirin before the game, otherwise my knees and ankles hurt for two days afterward.

Also, the old Watkinson Prep High School, Hartford, CT gymnasium. So short in length that they have two division lines. Once the ball came into the front court over the second division line, the further back division line became the division line for a back court call. Thank God they built a new gymnasium.

Definately worth it, though. Hell - I'd walk from downtown D.C. up to Hyatsville for the chance to call a Dematha game.

There is a gym in Wilberforce Ohio that's really old. From the outside, it looks like an Army barracks. Inside, it's very dark. The floor has to be about 110 feet long! Additionally, the floor is not flat. There are small hills and valleys throughout the floor.

They did have good popcorn at the concessions stand, however.

Then and Now
 

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. :confused:

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.

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