The rule means that a coach's tuchus is supposed to be in contact with the bench. Squatting in front of the bench is not in compliance with the rule. When the "seat belt" rule was adopted back in 1970-71 (this was prior to adopting the "coaching box" rule) a well known H.S. coach in Western Pennsylvania loved to spend the entire game squatting in front of the bench, and he was told by the PIAA that the NBCUSC (National Basketball Committee of the United States and Canada, the forerunner of the NCAA and NFHS Rules Committees) interepreted the rule as to read that the coach must be seated not squatting in front of the bench.

I will remind him once, maybe twice but if I have to give him the second T I want to be in front of him and not do it from the end line or from across the court.

MTD, Sr.

Mark:

Do you mean Depends as in registered trademark, :D.

MTD, Sr.

Pennsylvania? If some there had their way, there'd still be no coaching box. And 1971? Back then you were too busy working with a pea whistle, counting lack of action, and making sure to get in the Cadillac position. And I was 2 years old.

Much ado about nothing. Worrying about whether a coach's tuchis is touching the bench or not is about 13 on my top ten list of important things to do.

Dammit, Snaqwells. You knew better. You knew better, and you still read his post. 39 lashes!

Kind of like slowing down to look at a bad accident on the highway - you know you shouldn't, but you just can't help yourself.

Saw It On the History Channel ???
 

How do you even know about these?

Neither are really that old, especially the Cadillac.

Seatbelted, Not Glued ...
 

Newbies please note. Even after being "seatbnelted", a coach may still stand in a few situations:

The head coach may stand within the coaching box to request a time-out or signal players to request a time-out, to confer with personnel at the scorer’s table to request a time-out for a correctable error, or a timing, scoring or alternating-possession mistake be prevented or rectified, to replace or remove a disqualified/injured player or player directed to leave the game, during a charged time-out, or the intermission between quarters and extra periods, to spontaneously react to an outstanding play by a team member or to acknowledge a replaced player, but must immediately return to his seat.

Filed under the LETTER of the Law if not the SPIRIT of the Law:
Had a coach who had been seatbelted and warned. His player went in , drew the foul, made the bucket and the FT would have put them ahead. As the foul is being reported, the coach is jumping up while he was holding the seat against his butt!! I kid you not. He stayed "seated" and was spontaneously reacting to a good play. Probably a little much holding the seat at the same time. I tried it when I got home, have to be very limber!!

That's even more funny because it wasn't necessary.

A little bit of a post-jack. This was back during my high school playing career, about 6 years ago. My coach received a technical and, after being informed of the seat-belt rule (he hadn't coached high school in decades), he spent the rest of the game moving up and down the bench on our, the players, laps. As a side note, no one enjoyed being pulled that game.

How would you guys handle that situation, a coach following the letter of the law (mostly) but not really the intent?

Why is it so hard for people to enforce the rules?

All of those who look the other way on this are doing a disservice to their fellow officials.

Just call this like any other infraction.

This is wholly inappropriate conduct, but I'm not sure I have any tools to address it. The rule says he must be seated. One option would be an unsporting T, I suppose, but it would be a stretch.

One thing's for certain, it would certainly warrant a report to the governing authorities and my assigner (if applicable.)

I seem to remember an interpreation (perhaps from our state interpreter) that the coach has "a" seat. The coach gets to pick which one, but once they're done so, they are not permitted to move to the other end of the bench to a different seat....that is being out of their seat.

I haven't seen that. I do know that if a coach starts in a seat outside the box, he is stuck there the rest of the game and cannot use the box. The concept may be the same for a coach who has lost the privelege.