On the shot clock idea, I don't like it. I've seen scorer's tables that can barely keep up with the AP arrow and the game clock. Adding a shot clock would cause all kinds of problems.

Beige was chosen because it is (or at least was) the most common color sold. This color was chosen so teams didn't have to buy special pre-wrap to be properly equipped. I'm sure the committee was looking out for the not well funded school districts in making this determination. It's really not a huge deal as long as all officials apply the rule correctly.

-Josh

For many that would mean standing with one foot on the division line every time play moves to the opposite end of the court. I'm not against expanding the size of the box but I really don't see a need to.

I think that NCAAM should get rid of the alternating possession throw in. Jump balls can be used to start each half and to resume play after a held ball. Using AP throw-ins in HS girls' games makes a lot of sense, but it isn't necessary at the NCAAM level.

shot clock
 

I live in Washington state, where the girls already have a shot clock, so I think we should add it for the boys and the schools would incur zero additional expense because all the schools already have the infrastructure.

I think I'm remebering correctly...
 

I don't know if they did this in other parts of the country, but in NYC, in the '70s, girls basketball had a 30-second clock. I would think the new clocks would be cheaper.

My Little Wish List!
 

1) The coaches can only request TO's during dead ball situations.
2) The color of a team's headbands must all be the same color - whatever color that maybe.
3) The color of a team's undershirts must all be the same color - whatever color that maybe.
4) Change the PC proviso to end on the release of the try or tap.
5) I, also, like the request to not grant a TO when there is a change of status about to occur. (Yes, it would be a return to yesteryear.)

I did not serve "T" this season to any coach. My biggest problem with coaches this season was with the requesting and granting of TO's during live ball situations. One can only wish and hope!

Josh,
This issue was BY FAR THE biggest issue we had in pre-game of girls varsity games during the course of the season. MANY (decently-funded) schools had ONE COLOR of pre-wrap (the primary color of their ROAD uniform). It was an incredible hassle to make these girls take the head bands (that were really hair restraints, BUT went all the way around the head) off before the game. As the season went on, it got better, BUT, we still had teams during the last quarter of the season with wrong-colored pre-wrap. My point is that if the NFHS is concerned about costs when allowing "the most common color", why not just frickin allow the team's secondary color of pre-wrap?

Not a hassle for me. "Coach, those headbands are illegal." How hard was that?

Not even a hassle to explain the rule: "White, black, beige, or the primary uniform color; everyone must match."

People get their shorts knotted over all this, and I just don't get it. Do you whine so much about moving the players in the lane above the blocks? It's just a rule to enforce, and it's easier than it used to be. Sheesh.

Then is sounds like everyone in the area is not applying the rules consistently. There were a few schools around here that had trouble figuring out the headband rule but once it was a few weeks into the season, it wasn't an issue any longer..."Coach, you are not complaint with the headband rule. Please address that with your team".

-Josh

I'm nearly certain that CMCoach meant to extend the box toward (in fact, to) the end-line, not toward the division line.

The box would then be the same size as the NCAA box.

Really?

We use a shot clock in new York and it causes, well, almost no problems. Sure, you ahve the occasional guy who falls asleep and doesnt start or reset it properly, but nothing major, really.

Problems with the operation of the shot clock are really a non-issue. I would guess the expense would be the major problem.

Expense and the fact that it doesn't allow coaches to make the best use of whatever talent happens to be at the school that year. If a HS team has a better chance of winning by taking the air out of the ball, they should be allowed to try to do so.

Agreed. The stall games are so rare they aren't really a problem.

Hassle is perhaps not the proper term. I would guess that 50 - 80% of the girls games I did this year, we had to go to the head coach (or the player) and have them remove the headband. State situation: easy; explain rule: easy; having to force girls to remove the items/scramble to find the proper headbands put coaches in a foul mood to start the game.

Moving players up a position: easy. It is a rule. It is enforced equally for each game. This situation varies significantly from the headband/hair restraint rule.

Purpose of headband: Stop sweat from getting into eyes -- secondarily, it looks "cool".

Purpose of pre-wrap going around head: keep hair out of face and under control (in reality it SHOULD fit under the category of hair control device, BUT since it goes around the head, it doesn't). Secondarily, it does NOT look "cool" -- it serves a purpose. Since many officials apparently did NOT enforce the rule -- why else would we have the issue in the 18th, 19th and 20th games of the season? -- it creates unnecessary stress between players, coaches and officials before the game starts.

Still don't get it. I don't force them to do anything. I tell them that they can't play until they comply with the rule.

And I don't care what mood they're in.

It is no big deal. Enforce the rule. Watch how fast a roll of beige or black pre-wrap is found. It is a rule and the coaches should know it. If other officials do not enforce the rule, what other rules are they setting aside? I have partners who don't like this rule and want to ignore it, but my assignors have told me to enforce it and I do.

If the NFHS wants to allow the secondary color or any color (as long as they all match) to be legal...fine. But I don't care if the rule is changed or not. BTW...I also have seen "illegal" colors in 80% or more of my games (all varsity) this year. I had one team who wore the "alternate" color during warmups and when I told the captains they were illegal, they said they knew that and would change to white before the game started. They did.

As late as the last week of the season, the JV officials did not enforce the rule. One of the first things we check when we go on the floor is headbands, pre-wrap, etc. If the colors are not legal, we inform the coach right off. Some protest [usually "We were told if it matches the trim..."] and usually, but not always, it is the home team that has the problem. I keep it simple. On the road you have 4 choices. At home you have only 3. If it is not taken care of in the first game, it sets a bad example for the 2nd game. And if you wait till there is 2 minutes to go, then it becomes more of a distraction to the coach and last minute instructions for the team before tipoff.

Make "grasping" the ring legal, but "hanging" on the ring a T.

Summary
 

To read them in one place.

We will simply have to agree to disagree on this one. We get into semantics about "force" -- truth is, the girls are there to PLAY, if they want to PLAY, they are FORCED to take off the off-colored shrinkwrap.

To each his own, but I much prefer to enjoy my night of officiating as opposed to making it a 90 minute meeting with an enemy.

Not all of them....But, MOST of them.:D

They do have the option of playing legitamate defense....get the steal, cause a turnover, or trap a player into a 5 count.

Yes, I know. I am saying that to some coaches where the box is doesn't matter. They will still be out on the floor or standing on the division line.

How about the teams just get the correct color? Seems pretty simple.

What do you plan on doing when a team is wearing white uniforms with red and yellow trim...is red the secondary color or is it yellow? :confused::confused::confused:

If it doesn't look cool then why are teams coordinating the color of the wrap with their uniforms? If the way it looked wasn't important then this team which you speak of wouldn't have gone out and bought a bunch of pre-wrap in the secondary color of their uniforms, rather they would have got the standard, and legal, beige color.

"But The Officials Let Me Wear This Last Week" ...
 

Agree, wholeheartedly. Why can't high school coaches instruct their players how to properly wear their uniforms when the uniforms are distributed at the beginning of the season? This ain't rocket science, or brain surgery:

Headbands and wristbands must be white, black, beige, or a single solid color similar to the torso of the jersey. All players must wear the same color headbands and wristbands. Undershirts must be similar in color to the jersey.

I may have mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating. I work Catholic middle school games on the weekends. The assigner told us at the beginning of the season that if he walks into the gym during one of our games, and if he sees an illegal undershirt, sweatband, or headband, that we would not get paid for that game. Guess what? No "fashion police" problems for the entire season, and these are twelve year old kids, coached by volunteer coaches.

How about making it a delay game. Warning if #1, T is #2

OK, this is the place to come and get chewed up and spit out so here goes.
1. Make the ruling on inadvertently giving a throw in to the wrong team correctable. 99% of officials blow it dead anyway and correct it so make it the rule. Should never happen but if it does fix it. Not fair to the teams playing. There would need to be a timeframe for correction but not as long as the current correctable errors.
2. Whatever state rule you use for a running clock (Missouri uses 30) I would handle this way. Once it reaches 30 and we are in the fourth qtr. Do not go back to stopping the clock until the team has it under 20. The insanity of 30, 28, 30, 28 and the corresponding stop, start, stop, start is crazy. It's a blowout, end of story.
3. Make Bobby Knight attend officials conferences around the nation so we can grill him on how many games he should be allowed to coach or comment about in a week because what he is doing is too much. He is tired and old and the ax he is grinding toward officials is tiring. ESPN needs to muzzle him.

There isn't a muzzle big enough for Bobby unfortunately. Indiana tried to muzzle him, but he couldn't keep his trap shut and got fired. They thought that was the ultimate muzzle, but he popped up at Texas Tech. They didn't win enough to need to muzzle him, so he went to ESPN. They'll never find a muzzle big enough for him. He may need the Saddam treatment. :eek:

rule changes
 

I totally agree with picking up with the 10 sec. count after a time out, but don't think it would be possible without a shot clock, there would be too much confusion without the shot clock.

You count to 6, then Team A is granted a TO. Prior to handling the ball to the inbounder, you tell him/her that there are 4 seconds remaining.

FIBA games in my area are split into two methods: those with and those without a shot clock. The procedure I outlined above is the same whether or not a SC is present. I have never had a problem in 3 years.

I disagree with doing this. At most, a coach can only use this 5 times a game. In practice, you generally only see it once.

If you do it, is it only for timeouts, or will you also pick up where you left off if there is a defensive foul in the backcourt? What about a kick, or a defensive tip OOB?

TOs - continue with 10-second count. Ball last touched by B and goes OB - continue with 10-second count. Team B foul or kicked ball, reset to a new 10-second count.

i wouldn't split hairs here, even if they do go over 10 seconds, i prolly won't do much about it unless they do it consistently where it's just making the game drag on...and i'd only call it after giving the team a warning. Like if the player takes 12 seconds, then 13 sec, then 12 sec, i'd go to him and tell him to cut it out but something like 6 sec, 14 sec, 9 sec, 8 sec, 7 sec, i wouldn't really split hairs with him there...and at the end of a close game, i'd bite my whistle unless i have to call it (like it's been 20 sec already), the game should be decided by the players not the refs...

So the official called the violation for the thrower taking too long and the official decided the game? I would say the player should have decided to shoot a little bit sooner; he decided the game by violating.

Ditto above. If the player is taking THAT long to shoot it is likely a missed FT waiting to happen. Blow the whistle. Chances are it won't happen again. It is just like any other violation and you are penalizing the other team by not calling it.