IAABO Refresher Exam
 

Sometime after Dec. 01st there was a thread regarding a question on this year's IAABO Refresher Exam. I made a post in the thread that I would get a hold of Roger MacTavish and discuss the quesiton with him. Unfortunately life outside of basketball intervened and I have yet to get in touch with Roger. To make matters worse I cannot remember the question number nor can I remember the thread. And no senile old geezer jokes from you young whippersnappers either, :D. So if somebody can help me, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

MTD, Sr.

I think it had to do with one of the first 75 questions.

Not funny because I was making a serious request.

MTD, Sr.

"That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more! (Popeye) ...
 

I remember your post, and your generous offer, and the fact that I was looking forward to your update, but I can't find your post, even using the Advanced Search function.

So, why don't you start with this question? I thought that one of the guidelines for goaltending was that it had to be a try. I got this one wrong, and, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!":

2008-09 IAABO Refresher Exam
7. A-1, from behind the 3 point line, throws the ball toward his/her basket for a catch and dunk. The ball is on its downward flight outside the cylinder above the ring level and in the judgment of the official has a chance of entering the basket when A-2 catches the ball and dunks it. The official rules this is goaltending and disallows the basket. Is the official correct?
7. Yes Rule 5 Section 2 Art 1; Rule 4 Section 22, Rule 9 Section 12

To me, throwing the ball toward the basket for a catch and dunk is a pass, not a try.

That one was discussed at length at our meeting. Our interpreter just finished a 4 year stint on the rules committee. There were a couple of others as well. Not sure if the national website has them posted yet. They had a couple last year that were argued with the test author including one regarding a kicked ball on an AP arrow throw-in and the disagreement led to some clarification that the throw in was not legally completed so the new throw was on the violation. And the AP arrow does not change.

BillyMac:

That is a good one. I have been lax this year in my preseason reading and was going over the Exam Thursday night while watching Andy go through swim practice and the the answer to the question hit me in the face like a cement block. It is on my list of questions that I will discuss with Roger.

MTD, Sr.

Mark,

One that we discussed at length on the NFHS forum was:

55. A-1’s pass is in flight to A-2 when A-3 and B-3 commit a double personal foul. The official awards the ball back to team A nearest the spot the ball was located when the fouls occurred. Is the official correct?

55. No Rule 4 Section 36 Art 2a; Rule 4 Section 12 Art 2

One member who "spoke IABBO" said that the question denoted the physical location that the ball was over but location could also be where A1 had the ball in PC when the pass was made, which would mean the official in the question was correct.

Any thoughts?

Here's My Thought ...
 

4-4-3: A ball which is in flight retains the same location as when it was last
in contact with a player or the court.

I understand the rule and applying it, I say the answer is wrong. Official should inbound at the location of the ball at the time of the fouls, which is where A1 had it last. Should the question be read differently?

As long as you understand the rule (and you seem to), the only people who should care whether the question should be worded differently are those considering whether to use the question next year.

There is no way the IAABO answer is correct. The question tests two things: what happens when you have a double foul (Answer: Point of interruption [4-36-2a]) and who has control when the ball is being passed between teammates (Answer: team control remains with Team A, [4-12-2]).

The language from the question: "The official awards the ball back to team A nearest the spot the ball was located when the fouls occurred" is nearly verbatim from the rule cited for point of interruption: a throw-in to the team that was in control "at a spot nearest to where the ball was located" when play was interrupted.

If the question sought to test knowledge of "ball location," then the answer key would have cited 4-4-3: a ball in flight retains the location of the player who last touched it.

Poorly Worded Question, And/Or Answer Citation ???
 

Agree. Poorly worded question. Can it be fixed?

55. A-1’s pass is in flight to A-2 when A-3 and B-3 commit a double personal foul. The official awards the ball back to team A nearest the spot the ball was, midway between A-2, and A-3, when the fouls occurred. Is the official correct?

55. No Rule 4 Section 36 Art 2a; Rule 4 Section 12 Art 2; 4-4-3:

How's that. Better?

Sure. Change the answer from "no" to "yes." Everything else is correct. If the test sought to test knowledge of "ball location" then your fix is fine.

I Hate This Exam !!!
 

With my "fix" the correct answer should be no. The official should have awarded the ball to Team A at the spot closest to A-1, not midway between A-2 and A-3, because a ball which is in flight retains the same location as when it was last in contact with a player or the court.

If you're not familiar with IAABO Refresher Exams, they test all kinds (plural) of rule knowledge in one question, and in many cases the answer hinges on only one word, change that one word, and the answer changes. Sometimes the question is about the rule, sometimes it's about a definition in the rule, sometimes it's about the penalty, sometimes it's about where the penalty (throwin) will be enforced. I hate these exams!!!

IAABO had to publish an "errata" to four questions on this year's refresher exam. With that proven record for errors, I am more likely to believe a typographical error than anything else.