Wrong time on clock, what would you do?
 

Last night I walked into the gym and the JV boys' game was just tied up with 6.1 seconds on the clock. I had the boys' varsity game; the girls' varsity game was up next.

The JV boys' game went into overtime and they put 5:00 on the clock.

At this point, as a varsity official, would you let the JV officials play 5 minutes in overtime or would you do something to help?

How "obvious" is it that you would be helping? If you're already sitting at midcourt and can quietly say "look at teh clock", then I'd likely do so. Otherwise, I'd stay out of it -- experience is the best teacher and the officials won't make the mistake again.

Nightmare On Oregon Street ...
 

Mark Padgett's worst nightmare.

I would say something. While it is true that experience might be the right teacher, this is a rule not a matter of judgment. I would politely go to the scorer's table and inform them that the time is incorrect.

I would not interject myself into another crew's game. Now if I happen to catch the eye of one of the on-court officials I might communicate something. But I am not interfering with the table crew.

Uh-oh, looks like the table crew wasn't properly trained. If I had seen this occur, being only an observer, I would try to get the officials' attention before the OT period started. If I was close enough to the table, I would ask the timer to buzz the horn to get the officials' attention & have one come over to the table, & mention the time that was put on the clock was 5 min. instead of 4 min.

If this JV game is 6:00 quarters, then overtime would be 3 minutes.

Just like in NCAA for OT, the time on the clock would be 5 Min. as if the NCAA played quarters, it would be 10 min. per quarter.

I believe this is subject to state discretion; in Ohio all subvarsity overtime periods are 3 minutes, whether they play 6 or 7 minute quarters. Varsity plays 4 minute OT.

The rest of the story
 

I wasn't sitting at the table when this happened. I couldn't get their attention before they tossed the ball - the gym was kind of loud for a JV game - so I went to the table. I got the girl at the table to hit the horn at the next dead ball and fixed it. I just didn't want to see them mess up this badly.

The guy on the book said, "Why did you stop the clock? He has no damn right to tell you to stop it." This guy was a jerk all night and I found out he is the assigner for the table crews in Las Vegas.

Most JV games here are 8 minute quarters. OT is 4.

I recently heard from another official...
 

... that his Varsity game had been two overtimes and that both were 5 minutes. I could not believe a varsity official would allow this to happen, but it did.

I would have done just as you did. My main reason is that I have an interest in my assigned game starting on time.

Hopefully, you had them set the clock to 4:00 minutes, not say 3:47, despite however much time had been played so far, as long as it was less than a minute. That's what the Case Book 5.7.3 states.

The guy at the scorer's table can stick it. He obviously isn't doing his job properly, if he can't get his crew to put the correct time on the clock. As you know, up here we don't have a scorer/timer association or an assignor for them. We simply get whoever the home school provides.

Yeah, even our head guy - decked out in a UFC sweatshirt - said this guy is known for being a jerk on the table. I have worked games with him on the table before, but I didn't realize he had a reputation like this.

Table Crew Evaluators?
 

Do the table crews get evaluated then if they are assigned?

I don't know, but come on. I don't want to offend, but how hard is their job?

Aside from knowing how much time to put on the clock for an overtime period?

I've done both the book and the clock. I know when I did it I was more diligent than others. There are definitely things can differentiate the good, the bad, and the mediorce.

Don't tell me you have never noticed good table crews and bad table crews.

As I see it, it depends on the experience & age of the table crew.

Like I've mentioned before, unfortunately, for the Sub-V games the scorebook only wants to do running score, player points, fouls, & timeouts. Although they are also supposed to keep track of the AP, they do not. Then again those doing Sub-V games, are still students, not adults, & they don't take their duties/responsibilities seriously. Basically, if I wasn't doing scoreboard/timer the table would be in a bigger mess for those games.

I swear the heat affects our brains...
 

We had almost this exact scenario occur at A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP game two or three years ago. Single overtime, table put 5:00 on the clock, officials tipped off and not a single person noticed including Administrators, Directors, Assoc. Directors and every other possible honcho from the Florida High School Athletic Assn.

Someone from the next crew scheduled to work noticed and pointed it out to the officials working the game with about 2:30 remaining. They continued and it played out with a 5:00 overtime. Needless to say, that was the last state tournament game for that crew. Major embarassment for the state officials as well.

Dude, I worked in the DC area; we had table crews that were a step above me keeping track of everything while officiating. I guess I was trying to say it is different than being on the court.

You want to come out here and work the table? :D

Was the table crew thinking NCAA Overtime rules??

I don't know, but that wouldn't be an excuse.

No telling what they were thinking but they were from the State office. Bottom line, the officials on the floor were responsible.

That's what they get for assuming state officials would know what they were doing.