Murphy's Law in Mass
 

Afriend from Massachusetts sent me this link.
Playoff game, kid gets a T for breaking the plane, itg it's a T I assume for touching the ball during a throw-in. Gets whacked again, apparently for unsporting conduct. Officials let kid play despite technicals, he scores 21 in a 16 point win. State association has some sort of rule where ejection brings automatic suspension, so not only was good for the game where he got called, he's good for the next game unless state group invokes its authority to levy suspension.

Sounds like crawl in a cave stuff to me.

English boys pull away to reach Division 1 North semifinals

If the story is correct, it sounds like the officials mistakenly assessed a team "T" for touching the ball in the thrower's hands instead of correctly charging the "T" to the player.

But....sometimes these stories aren't factual.

What JR said.......

It's possible that the T was for breaking the plane after a previous team warning for delay, in which case it is a team technical and not charged to the individual.

What TimTaylor said...... :)

You never really know with newspaper accounts.

Why would the officials call so many fouls? Don't they understand about "offensive flow?"

...or he contacted the thrower for an intentional foul instead of a technical foul and the writer didn't know the difference.

Since it was only the 1st quarter this seems very plausible.

Seems kinda odd that only the assistant coach is quoted. Thought I was eventually going to read the head coach was tossed.

Update
 

Got more details. The fouls were for 1) unsporting conduct and 2)for touching or dislodging the ball on a throw-in. Apparently the calling official said he didn't want to eject the kid for the second T so he didn't! The state association has a rule that disqualification for two technicals means a suspension, so they rsuspended him for the next playoff game anyway.

This all apparently happened in the first quarter and the kid went on to score a boatload. The opposing coach must be beside himself.

Tournament officials, too.

From whom did you get those details?

Ah, yes, here it is!
 

Found the applicable rule:

10-3-PENALTY-NOTE-EXCEPTION: If the official who charges a single flagrant technical foul or the second technical foul isn't in the mood to disqualify the offending player, then 10-3-PENALTY-NOTE doesn't apply, and the player may continue playing.

Oh my.......

I'm in a particularly gullible mood this morning and don't have my books in the office; I assume this is a joke lol...

Can you get a follow up on this? In my neck of the woods, that official could be toast for any tournament games in the coming years.

If true, that might be correct for most necks of the woods.

The bottom line is that you should just follow the rules in cases like this. Never inject your own personal beliefs. Let the governing body decide what they want to do next. That's their job, not our's.

JMO....

My first year officiating high school ball, I had a boys soph game in which I had this very scenario. Early in the game I give him a T for reaching across and slapping the ball on a throw-in. Later, I have to ring him up for complaining about a no-call.
When I called the state to file the report, they said they weren't concerned about it and wouldn't suspend him since only one T fit what they considered to be a sportsmanship issue.

Granted, it wasn't a playoff game, but still....

This happened in my neck of the woods...I do not know who worked the game, but I will see if I can find out what the deal is.

here you go
 

take your pick

Lynn English's Woumn hit with 1-game suspension - The Boston Globe

Lynn English star suspended - BostonHerald.com

Krause: Don't blame MIAA for English predicament

Bulldogs' Woumn suspended, but Prep still has tall order - SalemNews.com, Salem, MA

apparently this school has some kind of recruiting scandal on top of all this

Head Coach is suspended for the tournament and 1/2 of next season for "recruiting." Apparently not all of the players on the Lynn English team are actually from Lynn. There have been a lot of interesting things going on with this team for the last 2 years. Hell of a basketball team though.

Here's an update on what's going on with the team. Some new issues (including the fact the Ryan Woumn is suspended for the next game due to receiving 2 T's...it looks like the MIAA thinks the refs kicked it) and a recap of the past suspensions.

Lynn English hoop woes mount

Well then, this is what happens when officials insert their own opinions into the rules. I'm not a fan of the MIAA (handshakes), but they did the right thing here.

And what about that official's partners, who conspired in this travesty? Seems that plenty of toast should be in the offing.

I'll give the officials the benefit of the doubt here (until I found out otherwise). I (hope) don't think that they intentionally assessed the incorrect penalty. My hope is that the three of them had a huge brain cramp and kicked the rule. It's not a whole lot better, but it's better than setting aside the rules.

I can understand the state's thinking in this matter...they were going with the "spirit and intent".

I personally think this particular 'T' should be a Team Technical or an Indirect to the player. But I don't write the rules.

Update on this story. Lynn English lost its next game in the tournament by one. Most definitely would have been a different game if Woumn played, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

The only word I have on the officials is that all 3 are supposedly college officials. I wouldn't take that information to the bank, but it raises a question for me. I'm not very familiar with NCAA rules, so I'm wondering if the T for reaching through the plane and making contact with the ball carries a different penalty in NCAA-M or NCAA-W?

I know we have plenty of NCAA officials out there who can set me straight.

;)

Section 6. (Men) CLASS B TECHNICAL INFRACTIONS

j. Reaching through the throw-in boundary-line plane and touching or dislodging the ball while it is in possession of the thrower or being passed to a teammate outside the boundary line as in Rule 7-5.6.b.

Class B is akin to an indirect, correct?
Know your codes, peoples!!

From the local newspaper:

According to English athletic director Gary Molea, the referee -- a college official -- explained that he'd meant to warn Woumn that he was not allowed to interfere with the ball. In college, Molea said, there is a distinction made between a technical for unsportsmanlike conduct, and one for delay of game, whereas in high school there is not.

"But," he said, "the referees got together and he (the official) admitted his mistake, and said he was only trying to warn Woumn. They call it an administrative technical."

My opinion is that he really screwed it up. If he isn't willing to make the effort to properly know the NFHS rules, then he should stick to the NCAA level.

+1 If he only wanted to "warn" the player, he should have done it discreetly. That said, once the player slaps the ball, a "warning" is hard to justify.