Remembering the AP
 

Newbie question for ya…
I currently ref a lot of 5th grade to 8th grade ball. A constant problem that I encounter is the AP not getting set correctly by the table. The table personnel are usually junior high kids or someone’s mom that is just helping out and usually have never done it before. I know that the ultimate responsibility of knowing the status of the AP resides on the ref, but I sometimes forget, especially if there is a long period between jump calls. So, if the table has it wrong and I don’t know what it is, it can be kind of an uncomfortable situation. What I’m looking for is any ideas or “tricks of the trade” on how to keep tabs of the AP myself without having to rely on anyone else. I’ve heard of using a rubber band on the wrist. This requires having a rubber band on one wrist for team A or on the other for team B. When the AP should be switched, move it to the other hand. Or, maybe I just need to hone my memory skills more. Any other suggestions?

Do not use a rubber band or any other device where you have to literally change from one part of your body to another. It looks stupid and makes you look like a rookie. Just like you remember anything else in the game, get in tune to the game and just remember. Start from the tip off and the first thought in your mind should be, "The arrow goes to the......team." You would have to remember this no differently if you had a rubber band. If you forget to switch the rubber band you still for get right? You just have to work harder to remember something that is apart of the game. There are no shortcuts to do this. Maybe try to remember the time on the clock and other factors of an AP situation and that might help you remember better.

Peace

It also would be wrong to wear a rubber band on your wrist when it is prohibited for the athletes. When I officiate - I also make sure my earring is out as well. I do - however - keep my wedding band on. :-)

Another trick is to get into the habit of seeing it change when it should. You know when it is suppost to .... monitor the table is keeping it accuratly.

We just went thru this on a recent thread and one of the better suggestions was to say the color of the team that had the next posession when doing counts. Instead of doing one-one thousand, two- one thousand, three-one thousand, say to yourself, blue one-thousand, blue two-thousand, etc.

I have found that as I gained experience it was easier to keep in my head, but at some levels (meaning inexperienced table personnel) I still rely on switching the extra whistle in the pocket.

I thought that the rubber band trick might not look too good. The "color name during the count" seemed like a good way to help remember. Thanks!

Counting with color
 

I have started using the counting with color approch and it works for me. I also verify everytime that the arrow is moved correctly.

If you get in the habit of looking at the arrow everytime it should switch, you are gaining two valuable skills. One, keeping track of the table, which is always good, even in the top level games, and two, always knowing that the arrow is correct. For situations where there is no arrow, or no adequate arrow arrangement, use the color-count method.

I keep a small roll of Tums in my front pocket and switch it from side to side when the arrow changes. It really comes in handy during the game when I get stomach aches from listening to coaches.

BTW - I used to use a Hickory Farms beefstick, but the female coaches were always drooling, so I stopped. ;)

Mark, as I told you on Saturday, it wasn't drool. It was revulsion at your deformity!

You're just jealous. ;)

Well I know some of my Div I men's mentors still keep a mini-fox 40 in their pocket to keep the AP. If it makes them look "stupid", then I'd like to follow the quote of Forest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does." I think you'd be hard pressed to call these referees "rookies."

So switch my wedding band from hand to hand in order to keep track of the AP? That is what I have so far from this thread.

To add to your post, I agree that if you can switch bands, whistles, memorize, etc., then you can "monitor" the table to see if they are changing the arrow once the throwin is complete. When we get the inexperienced table person, we inform them to put their hand on the switch so that we can "monitor" their awareness that it is a held ball situation. We also inform that we will hold the ball until we get their attention if they are not holding the switch. After the throwin is complete, we make sure they "throw" this switch.

Held ball followed by a time out - we remind them at the start of the T.O. that the throwin is an AP throwin and that we will hold the ball until they recognize it when we come out. It takes a few times but they get the hang of it after a few held ball situations.

Before the game, I also like to ask the scorekeeper if they know how to document the AP throwins in the book.

Well I know many D1 officials that have advocated never to do this. One is a mentor of mine, the others were at a pretty high profile camp of I attended last year. I would say the same thing if I saw them do it. Just because you work D1 does not mean everything you do is smart or looks good. And considering I have seen some of this countries best officials in person never do this, I think it is stupid to be changing a whistle from one pocket to another all game long.

Peace

That's allowed only if you switch the whole finger from hand to hand.

I knew there was something wrong with getting married. :D

Peace

Ah yes, the Ron Jeremy method of keeping track of the arrow.

Ron don't need no damn whistle.

Alternating Possession
 

When the alternating possession arrow started in 1985, the members of our local board knew that it would take some time for table crews to adjust to the new rule, so we were all asked to keep an extra whistle in our pocket to help keep track of the arrow. I personally thought that this would be a good idea until the schools got used to the new rule. Well, they're still "getting used to it". 99% of the time the crew at the table has the correct score, time, number of fouls, and bonus light on the scoreboard, yet after more than twenty-years, they only get the arrow at the table switched correctly about 90% of the time, so we're still being advised by our interpreter to keep that extra whistle in our pocket. We all do it, from our rookies to our best tournament officials. Why can't the crew at the table get this right almost all the time. Why should officials have to keep track of the arrow? We don't keep track of fouls. We trust the table crew to inform us when we're in the bonus or double bonus, or when a player fouls out. We don't keep track of time outs. We trust the table crew to inform us when a coach has used his last time out. Why is the alternating possession arrow so difficult, more than twenty years after its introduction?

The only people that seem to be having a lot of problems are people that are knew or younger students who are more concerned with answering their Blackberry rather than paying attention to the game. If you use that logic that the table is still not getting the arrow right, we might as well get rid of the scorebook because I do not see many of that being done correctly either.

Peace

I was watching a big dawg work one night and he was doing this. I was sitting on the first row across from the table. As he came out to start the 2nd half, I asked him how he liked switching the whistle and how did he make sure he knew what each pocket meant. He assured me that it was easy. I, then, asked him whose ball is it to start the 2nd half. He said "blue". I asked him to look at the table and it indicated "white". I thought that he would go over and have them switch the arrow but the ONLY thing he did was switch his whistle.

Every time (for years) I see him I ask him who has the next jump ball.

Or is it Jon Diebler?

Jon Diebler has been re-incarnated as a Ron Jeremy beefstick?:confused:

I have been working on this for years and the only way is to just in my head mentally say whose ball it is.

I usually just use a tube of chap stick it comes in handy throughout the game, you just have to remember which pocket to put it back in....haha... I usually wait until a non discreet time to switch pockets, but it has worked for me for years without any problems and has helped with not having chapped lips......

If you can remember, that is probably your best option if you are concerned with how you look. If you need some assistance like myself, just try to pick something that is as discreet as you can make it. If you are worried about looking silly, you should remember you are going to look even sillier when a situation occurs if you don't have the right information.

At the high school level the timekeepers generally doing a great job, that is what they are getting paid for. I just found out, in our area they are making $27/hour, and they don't have to sweat.

P.S. No rubberbands

Two different partners I have worked with recently offered this advise: When you're inbounding the ball on an AP, look directly at the table and do not hand the ball to the player until you see the time keeper put his/her hand on the switch. Inbound the ball as normal and then when you chop the clock to start, look up to make sure the arrow has changed as well as checking the clock has started.

It's a smart habit that I'm trying to pick up for myself!

Yes - and you can buy those at your local Diebler Farms shop. They're usually located in a mall between The Sharper Diebler and Diebler Shack.

There's also one located near here right next to Dieblers R Us. :p

I once worked with a vet who had a lanyard (looked like a Smitty) with a tiny, clear plastic sleeve on it. I asked him about it and he said he slid it (the tiny sleeve) up and down the lanyard to keep track of posession. I don't know if he bought it or created it himself, but I thought that was pretty clever. No way anyone else in the gym would know he had it...just moved it when he put the whistle in his mouth to inbound the ball. Has anyone else ever seen this?