Partner told me this today

[Mark Padgett]

Worked some MS spring league games this morning with an experienced guy. He told me that last week he was working with a second year guy. Here's what happened in one of their spring league JV games.

Team A scores and puts on a full court press. B1 inbounds to B2 and team B is having a hard time getting the ball across midcourt. All of a sudden, his partner blows his whistle and calls a three second violation on A1. Yes - A1. He was standing in what was his frontcourt lane but, of course, his team didn't have the ball.

My partner said he went over to the guy and asked him why he made the call. The guy replied that A1 was in the lane for three seconds and that he (the partner) had even yelled at him to get out of the lane twice!

My partner calmly explained the rule about three seconds requiring team control and the guy said, "Are you sure?" My partner said he replied, "Am I sure? You're asking me 'Am I Sure'? What are you - a coach?"

He then announced there was an inadvertent whistle and they resumed play.

He told me that was a new one for him. I told him it would have been a new one for me too.