NFHS and Replay - Its Time
 

I submit after the SC, Oklahoma and now Ohio finishes and with video everywhere, its time the Fed gives us the ability to leave no speculation. At least for tournament games.

Ohio D1 girls Story
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs...20367/-1/CINCI

While I agree that some video could be allowed, the devil is in the details, as they say. What kind of video equipment is allowed to be used? A camera from the crowd? Or only a courtside monitor from a TV feed?

When can it be used? Last second shot only? Or also to identify a free throw shooter? To identify participants in a fight? To check if the clock started or stopped properly?

They would have to be very specific and very careful about how it's implemented, I think. But like I said, I agree that we should have access to it if it's available.

Ms. Reynolds,

God will give you a mulligan on that one. :p

Some analysis:

Using my highly scientific approach of repeated stopwatch results, the time difference in slow-motion between red light on and release of the ball is 0.5s.

The same scientific approach tells me that the slow-motion ratio is 0.7s real-time to 2.7s slow-motion. This ratio yields a real-time time difference between release and red light of less than 1/7th of a second.

Amazing... but clearly the shot was not released in time. Oh well.

I will say that I read the whole article before I watched the video. But to me, at full speed it looked like the shot didn't get off. Tough call either way.

Other than the state tournament, there aren't too many high school games that get televised and would have video replay available. So even once they worked out the details, it would still be a moot point for 99% of the games anyway.

Except there will still be speculation when it's too close to call even by replay - ie, the South Carolina 4A Boys Championship.

To me, there's no doubt that a game or two could be impacted every year. The question is whether it's worth the time, effort, and money to make replay available. This is still high school sports, and every other decision in the game is made by humans. And the questions to be asked - do we allow officials to fix timing errors? What if in the example above the replay does in fact show the shot isn't off, but it also shows the clock started a fraction of a second early but that isn't reviewable?

We'll never remove speculation and missed calls from the game. I certainly wouldn't fight it as long as it's well thought out, but if I have to I'd vote for leaving it be.

My question is this: "why did the officials throw the ball away with a 1 point lead? Wouldn't preventative officiating have called a foul on the steal?"

Nope. Fouls are "game interrupters".:rolleyes:

I understand your point, but the fact is, we aren't the ones who have to worry about the details. It's not like you are going to have to add a tripod to your equipment bag.

I am all for any decision that gives me more tools to make accurate decisions in the games I work.

This is the same type of arguement that is being discussed in Major League Baseball. Use it only on home runs? Foul balls? Close plays on the bases? A catch or no catch? How many times a game can you use it?

Or do you make it more like football - only so many uses per game and your out? With penalties (lost TO) for misuse or a not overturned play? Should refs "go to the table for every close call with 2 min to go in the game.....?"

Certainly an interesting discussion.....but, at the HS level? Depending on how implemented games (and our long days) could be extended.....

It doesn't necessarily have to be televised. They might allow the use of a team-owned camcorder that has been used for the entire game from a single location, for example. I'm not saying that's a great idea, just that the NFHS could make its own definition of what a usable replay device would be. That's why I said the devil is in the details.

And the replay would have to have the clock visible somehow - either as an inset or show the entire court with the clock visible...And the replay would have to have sound in order to hear the horn (at least for NFHS)...And the replay would have to be somewhere we could get at it easily - at the table, not up in the stands or anything...And it would have to be the same throughout a state...And - there's just way too many "and"'s to add here. I just don't see it happening for HS games.

this is a very slippery slope for HS games, though in some of your larger districts in Texas, you might not have a problem getting them to shell money out to do it right....

I agree.

AND it could not be mandatory because providing it will cost money.

I totally disagree with replay in any sport. You are never going to be able to take away the human element of sport. Mistakes happen. In my opinion, all replay does is slow the game down to a painfully slow pace, and cause for more opportunities to question officials. The last second shot is more visible, but is that play any more important than a possible misssed rebounding foul 3 minutes earlier that would have put a team in the bonus? Are we going to go back and review that play?

Yes.