Coaches don't know the rules?

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by CMHCoachNRef

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this call (LTFT backcourt violation) creates a HUGE game management problem EVERY TIME. 90+% of the varsity high school coaches don't know it -- I don't even want to venture a guess at the percentage for sub-varsity, middle school or lower level coaches. Parents and players -- FORGET ABOUT IT!!!

If average people not understanding something simple was a valid rationale for a rule change then 95% of the rule book would end up being changed.

[MisterV]

I am an 8th grade girls coach. I love to monitor these boards because I don't want to be one of those coaches who doesn't know a rule, then says something stupid. Anyway, I did not know the LTFT rule until I read about it here. I tucked that little tidbit of information away, thinking it would probably never come up, but if it did, I would be ready.

The other day, my team was playing defense when one of my players knocked the ball away from an offensive player. The ball rolled right off of the other girl's leg and bounced into backcourt. The other girl ran back and picked it up. No whistle.

At the next dead ball I asked the ref why wasn't that a last to touch, first to touch situation. He looked at me like I was crazy. I sat back down and thought that either I still was botching this rule, or he had never heard of it.

[CMHCoachNRef]

Originally Posted by MisterV

I am an 8th grade girls coach. I love to monitor these boards because I don't want to be one of those coaches who doesn't know a rule, then says something stupid. Anyway, I did not know the LTFT rule until I read about it here. I tucked that little tidbit of information away, thinking it would probably never come up, but if it did, I would be ready.

The other day, my team was playing defense when one of my players knocked the ball away from an offensive player. The ball rolled right off of the other girl's leg and bounced into backcourt. The other girl ran back and picked it up. No whistle.

At the next dead ball I asked the ref why wasn't that a last to touch, first to touch situation. He looked at me like I was crazy. I sat back down and thought that either I still was botching this rule, or he had never heard of it.

Originally Posted by LDUB

If average people not understanding something simple was a valid rationale for a rule change then 95% of the rule book would end up being changed.

LDUB,
In the case of LTFT we are NOT talking about average people not understanding the rule -- we are talking about COACHES AND OFFICIALS (see MisterV above, for an example).

The "average person" understands the majority of the Rules Book -- three points for a field goal outside the 3-point arc, 2 points for a field goal inside, 1 point for a FT, five individual fouls before disqualification, seven fouls and shoot 1+1, etc.

They do not understand the nuances of many rules (exactly when a closely guarded count starts/stops, when 3-seconds starts/stops countwise, requirements for maintaining a Legal Guarding Position, etc.).

I advocate changing a very limited number of rules that are currently on the books. One of them is the LTFT back court violation. I feel this way for multiple reasons:
1. I don't think that the rule is consistent with the purpose of the division line in the first place,
2. This situation is a call that the vast majority of coaches do not understand (and therefore cannot teach players how to handle it), AND
3. It nearly ALWAYS leads to a poor outcome during a game.

I fully understand WHY the rule is there, and how to implement it, but I disagree with the current implementation for the above reasons.