Pages 83-85 of the NFHS Basketball Officials' Manual

[chseagle]

I am borrowing a hard copy of the Rulebook, Case book, & officials' manual from an acquintence during the winter break. I've read in Appendix 4 of the Officials' Manual, the duties of Game Management.

How often is this followed to the letter?

What's everyone's thoughts of this passage?

[just another ref]

Perhaps you could give us a brief summary, and answers will be forthcoming.

[chseagle]

Originally Posted by just another ref

Perhaps you could give us a brief summary, and answers will be forthcoming.

Well it includes a section on how to select Table Personnel, How the Table Personnel are supposed to be trained, & how the local game management should handle the courtesy behind having the officals at the game.

Some of the recommendations for game management towards officials includes:
-Having a student representative act as a host to the officials, making sure the officials' needs are taken care.
-Make sure that all schools involved approve of the officiating crew.
-What's expected of the conditions of the facilty.

Some of the recommendations for selecting of Table Personnel includes:
-Everyone at the table be at least 21-22 years of age (based on how I'm reading the entry).
-Table personnel must have some sort of experience with basketball (Coaching, playing, or officiating).
-It's recommended that those selected remain neutral throughout the duration of their duties.

Recommendations for the training of Table Personnel includes:
-Providing a copy of the rule book, case book, & other materials availlable so that there is an understanding of the rules.
-Request/insist that the table personnel attend one of the state-sponsored rules interpretation meetings, & if possible at least one meeting of the local officals' association/group.
-Before the 1st game of the season, have the table personnel work through some intrasquad scrimmage games using real game conditions.
-Observe & evaluate the table personnel on their performance.

I would copy the entire entry word-for-word, but it'd take me about 20-30 minutes to type it all down on here.

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by chseagle

Well it includes a section on how to select Table Personnel, How the Table Personnel are supposed to be trained, & how the local game management should handle the courtesy behind having the officals at the game.

Some of the recommendations for game management towards officials includes:
-Having a student representative act as a host to the officials, making sure the officials' needs are taken care.
-Make sure that all schools involved approve of the officiating crew.
-What's expected of the conditions of the facilty.

Some of the recommendations for selecting of Table Personnel includes:
-Everyone at the table be at least 21-22 years of age (based on how I'm reading the entry).
-Table personnel must have some sort of experience with basketball (Coaching, playing, or officiating).
-It's recommended that those selected remain neutral throughout the duration of their duties.

Recommendations for the training of Table Personnel includes:
-Providing a copy of the rule book, case book, & other materials availlable so that there is an understanding of the rules.
-Request/insist that the table personnel attend one of the state-sponsored rules interpretation meetings, & if possible at least one meeting of the local officals' association/group.
-Before the 1st game of the season, have the table personnel work through some intrasquad scrimmage games using real game conditions.
-Observe & evaluate the table personnel on their performance.

I would copy the entire entry word-for-word, but it'd take me about 20-30 minutes to type it all down on here.

1. You seem to have plenty of time.

2. None of this seems to be anything that is the responsibility of officials.

3. A lot of it sounds like wishful thinking to me.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by chseagle

How often is this followed to the letter?

They're recommendations. There's no requirement that they be followed to the letter.

[chseagle]

Originally Posted by just another ref

1. You seem to have plenty of time.

2. None of this seems to be anything that is the responsibility of officials.

3. A lot of it sounds like wishful thinking to me.

If this isn't the responsibility of the officials, then why is this listed in the officials' manual?

It does sound like a lot of wishful thinking.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by chseagle

If this isn't the responsibility of the officials, then why is this listed in the officials' manual?

Think a little bit.

Do the officials that work games at your school choose a student to act as host while they're at your school?

Do the officials choose the table crew?

Do the officials come to your school prior to the game and provide training for the table crew?

Take another look and tell us if you think those are school issues or officials' issues. It's a grocery list of things that your school AD should consider, things he should take care of before the officials ever arrive at your school.

[chseagle]

Since someone on here mentioned I had the time to type out Appendix 4 of the NFHS Basketball Officials' Manual dealing with the Duties of Game Management, here it is for you.

4.0 DUTIES OF GAME MANAGEMENT
4.0.1 Relationship of Game Management to Officials:
A. General:
Most officials continue in the work because it is an avocation that provides the opportunity to maintain contact with the game & with those who administer the contests. If responsible & highly respected people are to be kept in the field, they should be accorded the cordial & businesslike treatment they expect in professions & in other vocations. They are requested to render decisions in rather technical matters & in an atmosphere charged with prejudice & emotion. No effort should be spared in providing conditions that will be conducive to efficiency & pleasant associations. Each contest administrator owes this to the official who is a guest & to the school that must depend on the work being of such a nature as to attract men & women who are in the habit of being treated with respect.
B. Reminders:
1. Notify the officials at least one week before each game giving the exact time & place of the game & the location of the officials’ dressing room.
2. Inform each official who they will be working with. Perhaps a ride can be shared.
3. Secure the visiting-school’s approval of the officials several weeks before the game & confirm the approval as soon as possible.
4. If parking facilities are a problem, provide a place for the officials.
5. Designate a capable student manager to act as host to the officials. The host should meet them at the door, escort them to the dressing room(s) & see that they are provided with towels & soap. The host may also accompany the officials to the floor & will take care of their jackets & be responsible for the game ball between halves. The host management should provide personnel to wipe the floor & maintain proper floor conditions as requested by the officials.
6. The official’s check should be handed to the official privately before the game or mailed if payment is by league or association.
7. Provide a clean, private dressing room with shower or nearby shower stall. Before & after a game, & at halftime, the officials room(s) should be “out of bounds” for everyone except the few who have a definite assignment there.
8. Insist that coaches instruct their players to be courteous & respectful to all officials. Players should be instructed to address officials as “Mr., Ms. or Mrs. Referee” or “Mr., Ms. or Mrs. Harvey,” not as “Ref.,” or “Sandra or Al.” A time-out should be requested if questions are to be directed to the officials, & the privilege of asking questions should be delegated to the captain only. Questions should be limited to those dealing with rules interpretation or game procedure. Nothing is ever gained by questioning an official’s judgment, & it may lead to a penalty. A public expression of dissent from an official’s judgment decision merely excites the fans & often results in a penalty.
9. Keep your crowd under control. A continuing program of education & training will work wonders. Police protection should be available & in evidence.
10. Do not permit any type of artificial noisemakers. Bands & other music may only be played during pregame, time-outs, intermission & post-game.
11. Insist that coaches set good examples for your crowd & players. Remain seated on the bench. Do not shout at players or officials. The coach, more than any other person, sets the pattern for the attitude of the fans.
12. Do not permit coaches to argue or visit with the official during a game or during an intermission. Criticizing an official in front of fans or players invites trouble. Avoid the officials’ dressing room(s) unless, just before their departure, you wish to visit briefly. If you have a grievance, stay away. See him, her or them later. That will be soon enough. Better yet, write a letter after three or more days.
13. You either hired or approved the officials. Take your share of the blame if you are not pleased. The chances are about 100 to 1 or less that your team lost the game because of the officiating.
14. Emotions need to be controlled. Modern basketball calls for coaches & players who have poise & coolness under fire. Team directors must demonstrate the same qualities.
C. Facility Conditions:
Gymnasium conditions have a great influence in administration of a game. A slippery floor or one with a layer of accumulated dust is a source of trouble & dissatisfaction. An inadequately lighted court detracts from efficiency & has a depressing effect on everyone. Unclean backboards, basket rings that are not level or basket nets that are either ragged or tight so as to cause delays, are conditions that contribute to an unsatisfactory event. For many school patrons, the athletic contest provides the only opportunity for seeing the school in action. Their impression ought to be one of good organization & businesslike efficiency.
D. Time Management:
Starting a game later than scheduled and having unduly long athletic contests are evidence of faulty administration. They are an imposition on the visiting team, the students, the fans & the officials.
E. Choosing Personnel:
Properly administering a contest is an exacting task. Many coworkers are involved. Each member of this team of student managers & faculty assistants has delegated responsibilities. It is important to conduct practice for this team in the fundamentals of good management. The school that is fortunate enough to have such a team with pride in its work will have a minimum of “athletic headaches” because they provide conditions that keep players & followers in a frame of mind to look for enjoyable occurrences & to be tolerant in passing judgment on decisions & playing strategy.
4.0.2 Selection of Scorer and Timer:
A. Adults:
A high school student or one of last year’s graduates will have the interest & enthusiasm but may lack poise, impartiality and judgment.
B. Experience:
Choose someone who has had some playing, coaching or officiating experience.
C. Faculty:
If faculty men or women are available for these jobs, they usually do the best work, although it is not a guarantee.
D. Reliable:
Choose men or women who can & will be present at every home game. It may be an honor to act as timer or scorer, but it’s not an honor that should be passed around with each game.
E. Good Judgment:
Above all, choose someone with plenty of poise, good judgment, a sense of impartiality & one who you are sure will be able to forget the score & concentrate instead on the job.
4.0.3 Training the Table Officials:
A. Preseason:
Before the opening of the season, provide the table officials with a rules book, case book & other basketball rules material available through the state office. This should be done regardless of the number of years they may have served in this capacity. There are frequent rules changes that affect the tasks of these officials. It might be well to mark or otherwise call attention to those sections of the rules that directly or indirectly refer to their duties. Insist on a careful study of the “Instructions to the Scorer” & “Instructions to the Timer.”
B. Rules Meetings:
Insist that your timer and scorer attend one of the state-sponsored rules interpretation meetings &, if possible, an occasional meeting of a local officials’ group.
C. Practice Games:
Before the first game, arrange for several intrasquad scrimmages conducted under actual game conditions with your timer & scorer at the bench. Plan to set up unusual situations involving timing & scoring. Check carefully on the work done in these scrimmages & make comments and criticisms.
D. Observe & Evaluate:
Observe the work of these officials during games & make suggestions for improvement.
E. Crew Respect:
See that your timer & scorer are accorded the same courtesy & respect as that due the floor officials. Their work is important, & it should be done with dignity & pride in good performance.

[chseagle]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

Think a little bit.

Do the officials that work games at your school choose a student to act as host while they're at your school?

Do the officials choose the table crew?

Do the officials come to your school prior to the game and provide training for the table crew?

Take another look and tell us if you think those are school issues or officials' issues. It's a grocery list of things that your school AD should consider, things he should take care of before the officials ever arrive at your school.

Very true, considering I haven't seen any of the ideas listed being done.

[truerookie]

Originally Posted by chseagle

Very true, considering I haven't seen any of the ideas listed being done.

There you have it. You are ahead of your peers (some).

I would like to suggest you bring this up to your game managemenst the next time you perform your duties

[chseagle]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

Think a little bit.

1: Do the officials that work games at your school choose a student to act as host while they're at your school?

2: Do the officials choose the table crew?

3: Do the officials come to your school prior to the game and provide training for the table crew?

Take another look and tell us if you think those are school issues or officials' issues. It's a grocery list of things that your school AD should consider, things he should take care of before the officials ever arrive at your school.

1: According to the passage: "Designate a capable student manager to act as host to the officials. The host should meet them at the door, escort them to the dressing room(s) & see that they are provided with towels & soap. The host may also accompany the officials to the floor & will take care of their jackets & be responsible for the game ball between halves. The host management should provide personnel to wipe the floor & maintain proper floor conditions as requested by the officials." --The way it is written this is a responsibility of the host school's AD or Designated personnel to do this. I have not seen this done. For the jackets, the officials just hand their jackets to the table before game, & at halftime take jackets back to their designated locker room.

2: The scoreboard operator/timer is normally designated depending on who's available with the training before the officials arrive. Since we now have shot clock for both boys' & girls' games, that person is normally designated before the officials arrive (even if they have no previous training). The scorebook(s) is normally whomever the coach chooses.

3: Before the game starts, the officials do approach the table & ask everyone if they have any questions. They also clarify the start/stop clock signals.

I was just curious as to why this passage was written in the Officials' Manual, as like you stated, this is more the responsibility of the school's AD or designated personnel.

[chseagle]

Originally Posted by truerookie

There you have it. You are ahead of your peers (some).

I would like to suggest you bring this up to your game managemenst the next time you perform your duties

Actually when I went in & discussed the basketball season with the AD, before the season, I did mention to him that the person doing Varsity Scoreboard/Timer was a bit out of date concerning the rules/regulations they were following.

The Varsity timer still has a slight issue with sounding the buzzer at the correct time during time-outs & intermissions, but that is being worked out.

[amusedofficial]

Originally Posted by chseagle

11. Insist that coaches set good examples for your crowd & players. Remain seated on the bench. Do not shout at players or officials. The coach, more than any other person, sets the pattern for the attitude of the fans.
12. Do not permit coaches to argue or visit with the official during a game or during an intermission.

Nothing like a bit of humor over a holiday weekend.

[truerookie]

Originally Posted by chseagle

Actually when I went in & discussed the basketball season with the AD, before the season, I did mention to him that the person doing Varsity Scoreboard/Timer was a bit out of date concerning the rules/regulations they were following.

The Varsity timer still has a slight issue with sounding the buzzer at the correct time during time-outs & intermissions, but that is being worked out.

You are what we call a trail blazer.

[Freddy]

chseagle, here's what you can do . . .
Whereas we "floor officials" have own discussion board and local, state, and national associations, all with the intended purpose of enhancing the quality of the service we provide to the sport (so do coaches and athletic directors), you could and should initiate the same sort of thing at your school, in your school's conference, and in your state, and on the internet. With all the resources available from your state association and the NFHS, I'm sure you won't be lacking for ideas and areas of improvement.
See, when we show up to officiate a game, we pretty much find ourselves consigned to work with whatever the host school has for us at the table on that day. Sometimes the table officials are great, sometimes we have to do some before-the-game training, sometimes we have to make the best of the situation beset upon us by even the best that a school administration can put in those seats. But I think it's pretty safe to say that we're glad they're offering of their time and talents to contribute to the sport.
I don't think anyone on this board would argue with an effort, starting with you, to strive for the most prepared, contemporarily educated table personnel at each and every game. Meet with your athletic director. Start a regular schedule of meetings with the timers and scorers of all the schools in your conference in order to accomplish the kind of quality table service you desire. Start your own table officials' discussion board. What works for us referees can work for you, too.
Start small and aim big. Maybe the thing could catch on and lead to a groundswell of attention to those areas of responsibility you cite are somewhat neglected. Heck, I can see a whole National Association of Basketball Table Personnel (NABTP) in the offing!
As to what we might contribute to the cause, please understand that we are, in a manner of speaking, only the end-users of the service you're involved in. Not that we're not grateful for it; we are. And though guidelines for table personnel are found in our Officials' Manual, our responsibility for their adeptness is minimal. We don't really have control over the depth of knowledge or expertise of those to whom we report fouls and on whom we depend to start and stop the clock on time. But you do!
Speaking for myself, anything you can do to enhance and improve the service you and others behind the table contribute to the sport, I'd say -- go for it!
No better time to start than 2010!