end of game miscue
 

2-man, Soph boys game tied 48-48 with 3 seconds left. V1 has a throw in from corner baseline. Because of a single clock in opposite corner, we pregame that lead will have final shot (since he can see clock) and he is also administering the free throw.

Ball goes into the key where V2 with inside position attempts a shot. I am trail, and here is where I goof. I do the normal trail thing and watch for contact high. everything is clean up high and the shot misses, but next thing I know the shooter is sprawled out under the basket.

With pregame instructions and lead out of position for the throw-in, I should have been ten feet deeper and wider where I could see the angle. As it was, I was straightlined by the defender and could not call a foul, or say for sure that there wasn't one.

Visitors lose by five in overtime, and I'll be thinking about this one for quite a while. It bugs me that me being out of position may have determined the outcome.

I don't really have a huge problem with the way you handled that. However, the one clock scenario intriques me. Why is a sight line to the clock necessary since the period ends on the horn? If you had it clean up top and the whole world isnt complaining I think your no-call is a good one. My only question mechanically speaking is why do you care about a visual unless you sense something is wrong. Otherwise you have one guy on the ball and one guy on the clock and who has got the other eight guys? Just a thought.

Deciding who has coverage on the last shot is just something a lot of guys do around here- I've never really thought about why. You make a good point. I think it is a good idea to have someone keeping an eye on the clock at the end, in case it doesn't start or something.

But, in this case the problem was also that lead was stuck in the corner for the throw-in, so I needed to take coverage in the paint either way.

I

Is the L not allowed to bounce the ball to the thrower in your association?

And yes, it is important to make sure the clock starts but that doesn't really have anything to do with the shot/horn.

Both replies are right on the money. Lead should have bounced the ball to get back a little, and I am going to change the way I pre-game end of game situations.

Thanks for letting me vent a little. This forum is great!

Good points, but just yesterday we had an awkward situation with something just like this and I'd like thoughts on it.

Around here when we have just a single clock, it also seems common to have the official facing it keep an eye on it (for final shots). I'm doing just lower level games, but I've heard V guys talk about it too.

Well, yesterday I was L and facing the clock. Just as we agreed in pregame, we caught each other's eye and I signaled I had the clock. Well, wouldn't you know the ball got forced down -- and away from clock side -- and my eyes instinctively followed the action. Turns out the horn was delayed and we played an extra couple of seconds.

Luckily the ball was fumbled and no shots took place, but I'm at a loss for how that should be handled. We had a freshman kid at the clock and I don't think it would have been appropriate to lay it on him to tell us if a shot would have gone off (especially if he wasn't watching the numbers hit 0:00, which you can bet he wasn't). But how/when can you divert your gaze -- especially if it's significantly away from the action, the direction of which you can't necessarily predict.

(As an aside, a quarter later, I had the same situation and this time I kept a closer eye on the clock and wouldn't you know it, as I glanced up at the scoreboard, I just barely caught an offensive blocking foul as A1 rushed the ball up the court -- and this occurred as the ball was moving toward the clock.)

Is this something that gets easier with experience or ... ? (Granted, it's not going to happen at the V level, but that leaves a whole lot of places it still can happen for an awful lot of us.)

Keep a mental count. You see the clock when it's at, say, 5.0. If you don't hear the horn well after you get to zero, take another look at the clock.