End of Game Situation
 

Varsity Boys - Team A (home) down by two, 5 seconds remaining, 4th quarter. A1 misses a shot with around three seconds remaining, A2 gains control after a short scramble and requests timeout. I whistle and get my hand up, and immediately after the final horn sounds. Partners and I got together - none of us saw the clock quickly enough to see what time may have been left at the time of the whistle (it happened so fast, my guess would be no more than 0.3 seconds.). We break our huddle, indicate game is over, and get the he$$ off the court. (Obviously the losing home team, coach and fans appreciated our decision.)

Looking back, I think we got the call right - we had no definite knowledge to put time back on the clock (5-10).

I'm questioning whether it could have been managed better. Obviously I wish I would have immediately checked the clock when I got my hand up for the timeout. I'll learn from that one. Otherwise...

Would any of you have gone to the table to check with the scorer/timer? (I didn't think 5-10 provided that latitude.)

If the horn was that close to the whistle, would any of you have just indicated game over and gotten off the court (instead of conferring with partners)?

You should have just said that your whistle and raised hand were to indicate the end of the game. :D

I would not go the to scorer in this case. If the coach has been reasonable all game and we've been communicating well, I might (and I stress might) get together with the coaches for a discussion and explain our ruling. "Coaches, we have a granted timeout as time expires. My whistle blew a split nanosecond before the horn sounded. By rule, the officials can adjust the time if they have definitive knowledge of the proper time to be put back onto the clock. All three officials looked at the clock after the whistle and it read 0.0. By rule, the game is over. Good luck the rest of your season." OK, after typing all that out, I would not get the coaches together after all. It's too long winded

-Josh

We did not provide an explanation to the coaches... I was considering sending the school's AD an explanation today - just so they know why we did not put time back on the clock. Anyone see pitfalls with going down that road?

If no one is asking then no need to, IMO. Are you part of an association? If so I would send a note to the assigner/supervisor/commissioner as an "FYI" in case the question does come up.

Yes, you could have checked with the table crew to see if they had definite information as to when your whistle sounded.


5.10.1 SITUATION D: There are six seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter
and the ball is out of bounds in the possession of Team A. The throw-in by A1
touches the referee on the court and then goes across the court and out of
bounds. The timer permits two seconds to run off the clock. What recourse does
the coach of either team have in such situation? RULING: Either coach may step
to the scorer’s table and request a 60-second time-out and have the referee come
to the table. The coach is permitted to do this under provisions of the coach’s
rule. The referee shall come to the sideline and confer with one or both coaches
and the timer about the matter; and if the referee has definite knowledge that
there were six seconds on the clock when the ball was awarded to Team A for the
throw-in, it is the responsibility of the referee to have the two seconds put back
on the clock. The timer and scorer and the other official(s) can be used by the
referee to gain definite information. If there is no mistake or if it cannot be
rectified, the requesting team will be charged with a 60-second time-out. (5-11-
3 Exception b; 5-8-4; 10-5-1c)
5.10.1 SITUATION E: Team A

Considering the situation, even if the result of consulting with the table crew would have almost certainly resulted in the same outcome...I would consider it good game management to seek input from the table. If later questioned by coach, AD, assigner, state office, etc. your explanation can include that you "even consulted the table" in your bid to determine how much, if any, to restore.

Just my $0.02