The JV team members are NOT opponents during the Varsity game. They are spectators. They should not be sitting in the team bench area. If they are in the bleachers behind the bench, then they can yell all they want.

Neither game management nor the officials should do anything about this. It is part of basketball.

However, the players on the court, and the coaches and team members sitting on the benches are not permitted to distract the FT shooter. That is a violation and will be penalized with a substitute FT.

A couple of the JV Players were questionable, the few that were questionable were sitting in the location where team gear was being kept (water bottles & medical). All were sitting right behind the bench, & a couple of times it looked as if the cheerleaders or the JV Girls' Coach was trying to get them to cheer while the free throw was being attempted.

The WIAA has a program called "Just Play Fair!" that emphasizes sportsmanship & on the Sportsmanship/Crowd Management Evaluation Form, 1 of the points on the form is: Yelling or waving arms during opponent's free-throw attempt under Unacceptable Behavior.

I know from watching College & NBA Games, that fans are waving foam fingers, banging thundersticks, & other things to distract the player.

I didn't think however it was legal for anyone to yell anything specific during the free throw attempts. Only yell, clap hands, & stomp feet.

If the WIAA has specific regulations above and beyond the NFHS rules, then that would be followed in your state. However, the NFHS rules do not forbid any of the behavior which you have described.

Perhaps someone who currently officiates in the State of Washington will come along shortly, see this post, and clarify how this should be handled up there.

The scorekeeper, timer and shot-clock operator should refrain from yelling during FTs.

I was doing a BJV game a couple of years ago where one of the HCs was a notorious bad boy coach. Probably will retire with the career record for T's in his conference.

I was T on a free throw (before the mechanics change-so I was AWAY from the benches). It was the first half. Just as the shooter was in his shooting motion, the coach open palm slaps the floor and yells real loud, "BOX OUT".

I whacked him for unsporting behavior. I could've gone the disconcertion route, except the FT was made. But, this guy had already been warned that he needed to calm down and it was clear that he waited for the shooter to just about release the ball to do what he did.

V officials and my partner and I had a lively discussion about whether it was unsporting behavior. I won the vote 3-2.

Bob, I was meaning spectators.

The other night the people in the stands (the JV Girls) yelling during the home free throws were just yelling out random things to try to get the shooter's concentration off (nothing yelled was related to basketball).

I know if the buzzer sounds during a free throw attempt, the shot is retried & the person that asked for the buzzer gets a stern warning.

I've never yelled during free throw attempts even as a spectator. I'll only stomp my feet or clap but have never yelled or whistled.

The person that asked for the buzzer? What person might that be?

Normally it was one of the scorebooks, this happened when I was still wet behind the ears & was still learning the ins & outs of scoreboard/timer duties & responsibilities. (There were a couple of times, I pressed the horn by accident when was trying to place finger elsewhere on scoreboard controls :( )

They were asking for the horn to sound cause of not reporting the foul in the book like they should have in a timely matter.

Anymore I tell them to get the information from the other book, or they'll have to wait for the next dead ball. Sometimes I'll be nice & relay what was reported for them to record.

In other words, I learned quickly when the horn should & should not go off.

The announcer shouldn't yell during FTs either! I had to toss the announcer the other night because he had the audacity to yell "miss it!" over the loudspeaker as the V team was shooting a free throw. He was a substitute announcer and the AD was not happy with him!

Was the Home HC whacked for unsportsmanlike conduct?

Definitely. It was my first T of the year. That's why the AD (and the coach) was not happy with him. I doubt he ever does the announcing at that school ever again...

Why on earth would you whack the head coach for the announcer's behavior?

Why whack the head coach for a spectator making rude/lewd comments? Why tell a coach they'll have to forfeit the game due to a rude/lewd spectator?

I've seen both happen before. The coach technically isn't in control of the spectators yet they get reprimanded for it.

I guess this is kind of a rhetorical question.

There has to be some NFHS rule/regulation involved concerning the conduct of spectators, cheerleaders, band, dance/drill, and others not on the bench that if not followed that a coach can get penalized for it.

As I see/understand it, the announcer was showing unsportsmanlike behavior which could of resulted in the bench personnel, or the spectators in following his/her example.

Isn't the coach, overall, responsible for setting an example to not only his players, but also of the spectators of what good sportsmanship is?

Game Management has responsibility as well, don't get me wrong.

"The home management or game committee is responsible for spectator behavior, insofar as it can reasonably be expected to control the spectators. The officials may call fouls on either team if its supporters act in such a way as to interfere with the proper conduct of the game. Discretion must be used in calling such fouls, however, lest a team be unjustly penalized. When team supporters become unruly or interfere with the orderly progress of the game, the officials shall stop the game until the host management resolves the situation and the game can proceed in an orderly manner. In the absence of a designated school representative, the home coach shall serve as the host management."

If the official is going to impose a technical foul due to the behavior of spectators, it will be a team technical and not assessed to the head coach. But it's almost always better not to go there. Let game management deal with the issue.

The official is within his rights to have an announcer removed, but there is no rule that allows the official to whack the head coach for the announcer's behavior.

Did the announcer try making up excuses, such as he thought the microphone was off? How many games had he announced at previously?

Was the announcer doing it the whole game or did the announcer get busted after his 1st time?

If this was a continual happening throughout the game, why didn't game management walk over to him & tell him to stop or he'll be replaced/have to leave? Or the HC walk close to his vacinity & ask/tell him to stop it?

There seems to be some missing variables in this situation.