Five second responsibility
 

In the leads primary is the 5 second count his respondsibility alone? I thought it to be a very good question in my test.
If as center,the play begins in my area and the count, then do not I have the count all the way to the basket?
As the lead,how could I begin a count that would not originate in my primary?
If the closely guarded started in my primary I would be all over it and would expect it to be my count alone.
The exact question was; The lead official is not responsible for 5-second closely guarded counts in his/her primary coverage area?
Can't find it in the book,but believe it would be a shared coverage area. Thanks..........River Ref

KISS.

Unless you have a very specific mandate or use a variation of regular mechanics, then the C and T are the only ones that have a closely guarded count. They keep the count until the count stops even if that count goes to someone else's area. That is pretty standard in 3 Person, but that might not apply everywhere. Just telling you what I know and what is normal.

Peace

NFHS manual says that the official that has primary coverage is responsible for the five second count. 3.3.2 B.

Glad we do not use them anymore then. That would be stupid in my opinion to have the Lead calling a closely guarded call that moves away from them.

Peace

It's no more stupid than having the C or T stay with a count on a play that moves away from them. Though I will say that the situation just doesn't happen very often.

I've had it happen to me as L that I began a 5 second count and the play moved away from me and out of my area. I dropped my count because I'd never seen the L follow a count out of his area. But had I kept my count, it clearly would have been a five second violation.

I talked to several officials I trust in the days following about what I should have done. The majority opinion was that "because nobody does that" is a pretty weak rationale for not making an obvious call. I agree. The next time that happens, I will stay with the play and make the call.

I disagree. Five seconds is not that long and you have a much better angle. The Lead in 3 Person all of a sudden has to make a call that is likely going away from them and likely straight lined on such a call.

Peace

I do believe this is the first time I've ever heard the notion of being straight-lined brought up in a discussion about five seconds/closely guarded.

Agreed, although if you were straight-lined, you might not know whether the defender was within 6 feet. I don't know that it's any more likely for lead to have this problem than C or T, or that it's more difficult to fix.

Yep. As far as I can tell, the argument for the L not having a 5 second count consists mostly of ... "nobody does it". I can see that a 5 second call on a post up on the block would be quite unexpected, and that would get you some grief. I can see that it would be difficult to maintain both a 3 second and a 5 second count on the same player. But nobody seems to be making those arguments (well, I guess "unexpected" is related to "nobody does that").

I was told this a long time ago why the Lead should not have a closely guarded count at least in the mechanics systems I work. That being said the primary reason you have another official on the floor is to help the lead cover the post and not focus on all other things away from the basket and away from looking at bodies near the basket. I just think it would be counterproductive with the current coverage areas.

Peace

So in your mechanics system, does the T ever start a 5 count on a post play in front of the L?

Ray

I am with you...

It makes no sense to have trail who is 30 feet away calling 5 seconds if the play is right in front of lead.

If lead is on ball and officiating on ball who better to call it than the guy watiching the ball and the defender.

Lead just isnt watching the post players all the time...

Of course.

Peace

The lead official is not responsible for 5-second closely guarded counts in his/her primary coverage area?

The original question does not ask about a play going from one PCA to the Lead's PCA. There are no "what ifs." Simply states as is, the answer is False.

NFHS manual says that the official that has primary coverage is responsible for the five second count. 3.3.2 B.

What are the alternatives? The Lead will not call closely guarded infraction in his PCA (ignore and benefit the offense), or Center (or Trail) will have his eyes in the Lead's PCA to make the call (ball watching).

Rut, it's clear that your area is the one using a "very specific mandate" that deviates from the norm, and you're aware of it. So, I have to ask why you would answer a test-based question with how you are taught?

Now, if you're referring to the initial count continuing with that official until it terminates, I was under the impression that it's the normal procedure. It's how I was taught in Iowa, and how it's done in Colorado.

But as this discussion continued, it seems you're talking about all 5 second counts that begin in the L's primary.