Scorekeeping issues

[Bobby]

Some of the newer books I've seen don't even have a team foul or possession space on them. It's hard to work a game when you can't even do so, so I've had at least one case where the official didn't even keep the official book available for us in one game that I had to get my flash drive, load the modified FIBA scoresheet (I used MS Word to create a FIBA-style scoresheet, except I modified it for 7/10 team fouls in a half and possession arrow boxes), and make copies just to play the game. Hank Nichols would probably be the one to ask how to do a FIBA book.

What I've done to rectify the lack of a team foul counter on the book is adopt FIBA procedure and take the portable scoreboards used for the youth side court games and use it to count fouls (FIBA regulations require a counter on the table to count team fouls). The referees have found it easier to play that way, but when I'm out of town on business, the other scorer doesn't use it, and referees complain when they don't use the counter.