I wanna get better at clock management!

[referee99]

I am committed to improving this season in the area of clock awareness (shot and game). Had a great 'playground' for that yesterday. JV girls games; partner didn't even know where the shot clocks were on the walls , Shot Clock Operator was a newbie and making a lot of mistakes.

I was a lot more aware... could tell when problems occurred, but oftentimes didn't have the answer.. (i.e. I knew the shot clock had been erroneously reset, but didn't know the correct value to put up.)

In one instance, I'm lead and there is a try from the opposite wing... airball... I look up to make sure shot clock has not been reset, look back and I've got a full on scrum going on in my PCA! Should I have checked the shot clock?

I would ask for input on improving in this area. Specific things that have worked for others. Tips and techniques.

Also, if I said to you in a pre-game that I was working on clock awareness... how would you pre-game me? Who has responsibility for shot clock awareness, lead or trail?

ps. Why isn't it called the Try Clock??

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by referee99

ps. Why isn't it called the Try Clock??

In most games, it's the "Miss" clock. Er, to be politically correct, that would be the "Ms." clock, I guess.

[dbking]

Here is my technique:

In half court offense:

From T, I step down on shot and sneak a peak at shot clock as I am finding primary rebounding matchups to look for. Pretty easy to see the clock and find match ups. If no rim, you need to know that number to help reset clock to correct number.

From C, same thing as T except in Women's college, I truely have the shot on rim or not. I make sure I know if it hits rim.

From L, I do not worry about shot clock and step out looking for competitive match ups.

In transition

T to L, head over shoulder and do not worry about shot clock

C to C, make sure shot clock is reset on change of possesion and make sure it is properly started.

L to T, same as C to C

Every throw in: check shot clock and register whether correct or not. Check game time as well.

Most mistakes are on starting the clock in my experience. Clock is reset and started immediately before any posession is gained. You need to work with operator to hold the reset button until posession is gained. Many shot clocks have memory and can be reset to the old value. Find out before the game if this is the case.

It will become a habit and you will get used to it. GOOD LUCK!

[Jay R]

Ref 99; below is an article I wrote for my Canadian association. It may be of some help. You may not agree with everything but it will be something to ponder anyway.


SHOT CLOCK MANAGEMENT

By JP Richard

One sign of a good basketball official is his or her awareness of the shot clock during the course of a game. At the college level, officials are expected to notice any shot clock discrepancies and to correct them during a game. Since Canada Basketball is seemingly pushing forward for one set of rules, it is quite possible that most officials will be dealing with a shot clock in the near future. This article may be helpful to these officials as well as any others who want to improve this aspect of game management.

Please note the use of the term “shot clock” in this article as opposed to 24 second clock or 30 second clock for simplicity. The following suggestions will apply to any set of rules that use a shot clock. The goal of this article is not to review the shot clock rules, but rather to focus on the floor official’s responsibilities with respect to any shot clock problems during a game. It goes without saying that all officials need to know the rules that pertain to the shot clock.

Awareness of the shot clock should be discussed during the crew’s pre-game meeting. Discuss inadvertent re-sets and other misapplications of the shot clock by the operator. Before the game begins, the crew chief will talk with the table officials to discuss various matters. This is a good time to review a few points with the shot clock operator especially if you are unfamiliar with that person. Reviewing situations such as when to start the shot clock after a made basket, should it be re-set during a held ball situation and what to do if a double foul occurs. This discussion could save you some grief during the game and it takes only a minute.

The shot clock has to be monitored by the floor officials throughout the game. Normally, the shot clocks are mounted on the wall on both ends of the gym or they are above the baskets on some courts. This means both officials can easily glance at the clock regularly. It is generally easier for the trail official to monitor the shot clock; he is normally facing forward as opposed to the lead official (or centre) who is often looking over his shoulder. Each situation will obviously dictate how often this can be done. If a dribbler is being double teamed in the backcourt, the shot clock is not a priority for the trail; he has to referee the play. On the other hand, when the dribbler is moving the ball with relatively little pressure, it should be easy and second nature for the trail to glance at the shot clock and see if it was properly re-set.

The officials should glance at the shot clock at every whistle. For example, the ball is tipped out-of-bounds and Team A will retain possession. Look at the shot clock to see how much time remains. Then before the throw-in, check one last time to see that the shot clock is still correct. You can make any corrections necessary before inbounding the ball and this also shows the coaches and players that you are on top of such situations. Regularly looking at the clock also means that you will notice any other discrepancies such as an inadvertent re-set or if the clock is not running. It is better if the officials correct these problems immediately than to have the coaches or fans yell at you that something is wrong. Consistently glancing at the shot clock may seem demanding at first, but with experience it will become second nature just like raising your hand when you blow the whistle.

It is much easier to deal with a shot clock mistake during a dead ball. It becomes more complicated when you notice an error during a live ball. You will then have to decide if it is worth blowing the whistle and interrupting the game to correct such a problem. Let’s look at a couple of examples. You notice that the operator is re-setting the shot clock a little quickly after a field goal is scored. It may be a good idea to withhold your whistle and mention something to the operator at the next dead ball. A discreet reminder not to start the clock until the ball has been inbounded. Another example is when the operator forgets to re-set the shot clock during a live ball. The trail official might be near the table and could tell the operator to re-set the clock without interrupting the game. If this type of error occurs too often, blow the whistle (without putting one team at a disadvantage) and go over to the table to correct the situation. The interruption of the game is a sign to the operator that he/she better focus more. We obviously never want to embarrass the table officials so this should be done discreetly.

A further situation may arise when the operator inadvertently re-sets the shot clock during a live ball. A player shoots an air ball or there is a loose ball situation and the shot clock is incorrectly re-set. The play must be stopped at this time and the appropriate correction must be made; this is made easier if the officials have information about how much time needs to be put back on the shot clock. A-4 attempts a field goal with two seconds on the shot clock, the attempt does not touch the ring and A-5 grabs the offensive rebound. The official notices that the shot clock was re-set. Blow the whistle and call the shot clock violation. This type of situation will only be spotted if the officials are cognizant of the shot clock throughout the game.

Finally, the shot clock operators will notice if you are aware of their work. This will motivate them to be focused for forty minutes. We can also encourage the shot clock operators when they do a good job. They will appreciate the positive feedback and respect they deserve. Good table officials make our job much easier.

[derwil]

You guys are dealing with shot clock in JV girls?? In Alabama, we have no shot clock - period.

Where y'all from?

[referee99]

land of temblors and wildfires!

[jeffpea]

i try to keep it simple when being aware of the shot clock. At the start of every possession (after made FG, steal, foul, etc.), I glance at the game clock to see what time the possession started (i.e. 10:45). I repeat that number out loud for memory sake.

I have now accomplished two things: I know if the clocked has started properly, and I now have the facts to determine how much time SHOULD be on the shot clock if it is erroneously reset (i.e. possession began at 10:45, there is now 10:15 on game clock - which means :30 have elapsed....therefore only :05 should be remaining on the shot clock).

The simple act of looking at the game clock on every possession solves any problems that might arise....which only happens about once every 4 or 5 games in my experience.

[doubleringer]

One game I used to play with my partners in lower level games, was on every whistle, we would announce the clock time to each other. It didn't have to be really loud, but we did it to make sure we had knowledge of where the clock should have been when the whistile blew. It helped me train myself to take a peek at the time every time the clock is stopped and also whenever the clock is to be started. It doesn't help a lot with shot clocks, but it was useful to build the habit of knowing the time on every whistle.