End of game situation

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

Both or all 3 refs should not be in the middle of the fray. One official should always be standing back observing, which would include the time on clock.

I think we are all concur that looking at the clock simply by one of the officials constitutes enabling the clock to have time awarded to it. But in this situation at the end of a reasonably close game with you and your partner both focussing on the "skirmish more than the clock (which I think my assignor would prefer) let the game end?

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

I think we are all concur that looking at the clock simply by one of the officials constitutes enabling the clock to have time awarded to it. But in this situation at the end of a reasonably close game with you and your partner both focussing on the "skirmish more than the clock (which I think my assignor would prefer) let the game end?

All my supervisors say that they want at least one official standing back. If both/all are focusing on that one skirmish then another one could break out undetected, or players could be leaving the bench, etc. But when in Rome....

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

All my supervisors say that they want at least one official standing back. If both/all are focusing on that one skirmish then another one could break out undetected, or players could be leaving the bench, etc. But when in Rome....

We had one official watching the 2 players directly involved, one watching the 4 or so that were close to the play and moving in, and one watching the perimeter (and he was opposite, so he would have seen the benches).

That doesn't leave anyone for the clock (at least not right away).

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

We had one official watching the 2 players directly involved, one watching the 4 or so that were close to the play and moving in, and one watching the perimeter (and he was opposite, so he would have seen the benches).

That doesn't leave anyone for the clock (at least not right away).

Understandable for the first few seconds. But not for the entire 13+ seconds, IMO.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

Understandable for the first few seconds. But not for the entire 13+ seconds, IMO.

The kicker is if this all started with 2 or 3 seconds remaining, and the clock ran out. Of course, Bob's crew would have known it was close and taken a glance.

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

All my supervisors say that they want at least one official standing back. If both/all are focusing on that one skirmish then another one could break out undetected, or players could be leaving the bench, etc. But when in Rome....

Without being flippant let's say you are working with a newbie like me. You go to break up the skirmish having pre-gamed the situation even and I botch it. I panic. I don't look at the clock and don't do my job with 3 or 4 seconds left the horn sounds. Do we end the game?

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

Without being flippant let's say you are working with a newbie like me. You go to break up the skirmish having pre-gamed the situation even and I botch it. I panic. I don't look at the clock and don't do my job with 3 or 4 seconds left the horn sounds. Do we end the game?

If I'm working with a newbie then I will be extra diligent in my clock management. I'm the one who would get the a$$ chewing if we screwed up something like that.

One of the things I'm working on is that it be 2nd nature to glance at the clock every time the whistle blows, regardless what part of the game we are in.

[rfp]

I find "clock-glancing" a difficult thing to get into the habit of doing. If my partner blows his whistle for a foul, I am focused on helping him determine if the ball went in the basket, helping him make sure he has both the shooter and the fouler, making sure there's no extra-curricular activity among the players...then the clock. By the time I do all of these things first, I've often neglected to check the clock. I'm afraid if I move "clock-glancing higher on this priority list, I'll miss something else even more important.

Any suggestions for getting into this good habit?

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by rfp

I find "clock-glancing" a difficult thing to get into the habit of doing. If my partner blows his whistle for a foul, I am focused on helping him determine if the ball went in the basket, helping him make sure he has both the shooter and the fouler, making sure there's no extra-curricular activity among the players...then the clock. By the time I do all of these things first, I've often neglected to check the clock. I'm afraid if I move "clock-glancing higher on this priority list, I'll miss something else even more important.

Any suggestions for getting into this good habit?

I know it's hard and I'm still not nearly as proficient as I should be. But it's only a glance to get a number in your head. But trust me, the first time the clock runs too long and you step with a confident "there should be 2:15 on clock" your stock will rise.

And it's doubly important when working with a shot clock.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by rfp

I'm afraid if I move "clock-glancing" higher on this priority list, I'll miss something else even more important.

Happened to me in a girls varsity game a few years ago. Three point shot near the end of the second period. I'm the trail. Ball bangs onto the rim and bounces high into the air. I figure that there's not going to be any basket interference in a girls game, so I peak at the clock in case there's a rebounding foul. While I'm "clock-glancing", and while my partner is keeping his eyes down looking for rebounding fouls, the ball hits the cable above the basket. Of course everyone sees it hit except me and my partner. I turn to see the ball going in the basket, which is followed by the buzzer sounding. I count the three point goal. My worst call of that year.

Of course I topped that worst call with a "worser" call the following year, a fist violation. But that's a story for another night. Sleep tight.