2-man frontcourt lines of responsibility

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Lotto

I just got the new NY girls mechanics manual and there has been a change in the lines of responsibility for the frontcourt with regard to the sideline on L's side, opposite T. L is responsible for the sideline only up to FT line extended; T is responsible for the sideline from FT extended up. The rationale is that when the ball is above the FT line extended, it's in T's primary and L should be looking into the paint. If L is keeping an eye on the sideline, then he/she might miss a foul inside.

Has anyone ever used these mechanics? Any thoughts about them?

First things first. You mean NY uses a set of mechanics that are not in line with the NF? I am shocked. Shocked I tell you. How can that happen (Complete and total sarcasm)?

When I first started officiating back in 1996 we used (philosophy I am talking about) a mechanic that was similar. The Lead still had the primary responsibility for the sideline, but the Trail was likely to know or signal when the ball was thrown on a pass or was clearly knocked out of bounds. In those cases the trail would blow their whistle and signal the direction. It was not set in stone, but it was a common mechanic we used because the Lead in many cases was watching post play. So I am familiar with a mechanic in your book that seems to be used, but it was not in writing. The flaw in the mechanic is that the Lead has the best angle as to a foot stepping on the line, but may not be aware of an errant pass flying out of bounds. I guess this is one of the many reasons many use 3 officials.

Peace