whats the rule?

[Jeremy40]

hey guys

watching a local h.s. game last nite. cheerleaders threw mini basketballs into the stands, before the game, to the home crowd. twice a mini bball found its way to the court during play. after second incident the coaches and officials had a discussion midcourt. announcer told the crowd that one more interference would result in a T for the home team. is this correct?

Asolutely, any time the crowd disrupts the safety of the players the home team is indirectly resposible. I once cleared the gym during a Vo Tech game because the home team fans were threatening the visiting team players.

[tharbert]

Nope, but I'd bet it worked to an extent. All the parents scrambled to get the balls from their children and the school kids from the home school wouldn't want to penanlize their own team but...what happens if some kids from the other school are in the home stands with balls in their grubby hands. Now they have a pretty good weapon!

I would have the school administration take care of this without penanlizing either team. I'd still stop the game should any mini-balls still find their way on the court. I had a HS that did this on a couple nights and had no problems and all the smaller kids came out at half time to throw the balls around.

This is nothing more than crowd control. The administration and possibly the policeman if he has nothing better to do can watch for the next errant ball and penalize the fan, not the players. I wouldn't get involved.

[Brad]

Why would you say that this is not correct?

It is the home team's responsibility to control the crowd and assessing a technical, after a warning, is absolutely within the rules.

[tharbert]

As for Supref's response, it would have to get nasty to go to those extremes but it is still the administration's responsibility to handle it. It's no different than kids throwing m&ms or smarties (you can skate a long way on a smartie.) If the administration can't control the crownd, THEY may choose to clear the gym. Now, if it's a real safety issue, we can choose not to allow the game to continue until administrators have it under control to our satisfaction. If they can figure it out, call the game and go home. We may suggest removal of a heckler using foul language or someone we see throwing a ball on the court...

For minibasketball's, rely on game management to do their job.

[tharbert]

I didn't say it wasn't in the rules. And I have come across this. And I would call a T if necessary. The first step is to get the management involved without penalizing a team or possibly giving the other team's fans an advantage. It's like telling a coach if he does something one more time, you're gonna pop him. I am suggesting you don't load the gun until you have to.

You can extend this with "but what if's." I am talking normal game management and nothing more. If you choose to go with the immediate threat, go right ahead. I choose to use the other tools, by rule, at my disposal first.

[Lotto]

From the NCAA rules(especially check out Approved Ruling 8):

Rule 2, Section 9. Officials’ Duties Related to Conduct
The officials shall:
Art. 1. Penalize unsporting conduct by a player, coach, substitute, team attendant or follower.

A.R. 7. Who is responsible for behavior of spectators? RULING: The home management or game committee, insofar as it reasonably can be expected to control the spectators, is responsible. The officials may call fouls on either team when its supporters act in such a way as to interfere with the proper conduct of the game.

A.R. 8. After a foul is called against a home team player, just before the free-thrower releases the ball, he/she is hit by a coin thrown by a spectator.
RULING: Assess an indirect technical foul against the home team, award the visiting team two free throws and put the ball in play at the point of interruption. (See Rule 10-3.7).

[Mark Padgett]

Tell the home howler monkey that the next mini-ball thrown on the court becomes the game ball.

[Mark Dexter]

With NCAA, one can just look back at the ND incident with coins on the court two? years back.

Kept them from March Madness!

[Spaman_29]

Well in my state it has become accustom to let the "fouls" fly after the first made basket by the other team for some schools. I say fouls because all sorts of birds have been coming into the gyms, chickens, doves, pigeons. It has come from the Activites Association that this is an automatic technical to the team, NOT indirectly charged to the head coach, so the coach doesn't have to sit. The fans now know what the penalty is so it happens only once during the game and then you don't see it again. They even have gone so far as to not let any bags, backpacks, containers, and then you have to take your coat off to be searched at some schools.
I do know of one school that specifically put cameras to watch all of the crowd during some of their games, and the monitors were at the enterance so that you could see that you were being watched. Another school banned their students for 3 games as a penalty for the actions of the students.

I will give a delay of game warning, if possible, to help deter the throwing of objects. It would really be hard for me to imagine clearing the stands even as a last resort.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

NCAA rules give specific information that allows for a technical foul to be assesed against the team whose followers are resposible for the bad behavior. But it should be used with great care.

NFHS rules also give the officials to do the same thing, but again this power should be used with great care.

I think that as officials we should go the extra mile (maybe even go two extra miles if we have to) before we levy such a penalty against a team for the stupid actions of its fans.