Delay to the nth degree

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Are you nuts? We warned them over and over. The coaches yelled at them before every OOB play not to reach over. They yelled at them in their huddles numerous times not to touch the ball after it went through the net. These kids practice twice a week and this league starts at 3rd grade. Most of these kids are in their 5th year of playing. Their behavior in this game is just something I can't explain. This is the 15th year I've worked this league and I've never seen anything like it before. And, if it was our "fault", why didn't the other team have even a single warning the entire game?

Ya' know, sometimes kids just don't listen and/or learn. That doesn't mean it's the fault of the officials and I resent your implication that we were negligent.

Well, even given what you said, I would NEVER call 9 delays in a 7th grade rec game when no advantage was gained. I think you were negligent in game management techniques, not rules enforcement. For the reach through I would back the defender up a couple feet and educate the inbounder that he can go back as far as he wanted. For slight reach throughs - I wouldn't even worry. For the touching the ball after the basket I would simply start the 5 second count after the team secured the ball unless you are telling me they swatted it far away. If they kept swatting it far away and completely went over the line on reach throughs to the point of obstructing the inbounder's view, etc., then you just have a team full of rejects. But if other refs don;t have this problem with them then I would look in the mirror.