in-game signals between officials
 

Thanks Bisonpitcher for the idea.

What hand signals (other than the standard clock start/clock stop) should officials use to communicate with one another?

Concerning last minute of the period/game, is there some signal the timer can use to communicate to the floor officials "last minute"?

IAABO Mechanics ...
 

Official taps his, or her, chest to indicate, "I've got the last second shot".

Not Sure It's In The Manual ...
 

Nonadministering official to partner: Open hand up in the air means, "Don't put the ball into play yet. I'm not sure that we have ten players on the court".

BillyMac, I'm meaning non-standard signals that are not listed in the appendix of the rules book, for clarification.

Six Or Seven ???
 

I don't like to wait until after the sixth foul. I want to know, or I want my partner to know, that we're at six and that we'll be shooting on the next foul. This way either of us, as the noncalling official, will be more likely to identify the shooter and get everyone lined up to shoot free throws.

One I use is to move my pointer finger extended slowly across my throat. This indicates to my partner not to put the ball in play because I'm about to toss a coach.

During play, we'll look at the clock, not you. All we need you to do is pay attention and operate the clock.

Run the Endline
 

My partner today gave a little hand movement, subtle back and forth, so that we were in synch on ability to run the endline after a timeout granted after a made hoop.

So you want you or your partner to know that you are at six fouls before the sixth foul. Most people would just call that five fouls.

So during the game you completely ignore the scorers' table? How's that going for you?

So you disregard 2-1-2?

Yeah because that is exactly what he said...:rolleyes:

I guess you ignore 2-1-12. I don't see anything in the timer's duties which says he is to notify the officials when there is 1 minute left.

It wouldn't surprise me if you said that sometimes you disable the scoreboard horn just so that you can run on the court and notify the referee that the period has ended.

Cobra, what I am meaning is that (at least around here) it's the signal from the timer that gets the floor officials attention if there is an error/discrepancy.

I have never tampered with the Auto Horn button, unless I noticed it is off (which has never happened).

What happens if the visual scoreboard malfunctions & in order to keep time a stopwatch has to be used?

It's the scorers' table that usually alerts the coaches & floor officials of a player's 5th foul & periodically 7/10 team fouls.

Depending on the gym design, it's the scorers' table that alerts the floor officials of shot clock violations (for those that have shot clock).

During varsity games, the PA Announcer usually announces 1 minute remaining in the period/game.

A discrepancy in the score/timeouts/fouls and such? In the list of scorer's duties it says he is to notify the referee of a discrepancy.

Nothing, the timer does it. In the timer's duties it says he shall have a clock to time the game.

Once again scorer's duties and scorer's duties.

What is your point with all of this stuff which the rule book says the timer and scorer shall do? It has nothing to do with the timer notifying the officials that there is 1 minute left.

My point being in "Instructions To and Duties of Scorers and Timers for Basketball Games" under Scorer's Equipment it states:
"Scorebook, pencils, possession arrow and signaling device with sound different from that of the timer. The scorebook must be available for inspection at the table from 10 minutes prior to game time until the referee has approved the final score."

How can the scorer have a different signaling device when none is EVER available?

Concerning having to use stopwatches in lieu of working scoreboards, I've had to do it before 2 years ago during 4A Regionals. In that case we had to have some form of communication to let the floor officials know about shot clock violations & game time left using both hand & audio signals.

I was just asking a question in case the floor officials wanted the table to notify them of 1 minute remaining.

Some floor officials welcome any help the scorers' table gives them, others don't (you seem to be of the latter).

You asked, "Concerning last minute of the period/game, is there some signal the timer can use to communicate to the floor officials "last minute"?"

I don't need you or any other timer to signal to me that there's less than 1 minute on the clock.

The scorer and the timer assist me in the following ways. I expect both to pay attention to officials. I expect the scorer to communicate foul situations to me and nofity me when there's a discrepancy. I expect the timer to start/stop the clock appropriately, keep the correct score on the scoreboard, and sound the horn at the appropriate times.

I do not need you interjecting yourself into the game beyond those responsibilities.

We weren't discussing errors or disrepancies, were we? You asked what signal the timer should use to notify the officials when there's one minute left.

I believe I'll probably notice if the scoreboard stops working. We'll handle that if needed.

No, it's the scorer that notifies us concerning foul situations and the timer hits the horn after a DQ. No signal from you is needed.

No, the shot clock buzzer sounds when that happens. We don't use a shot clock here.

Not mandated by the rules, nor does every game have a PA announcer, nor does it have anything to do with your responsibilities.

You need to focus on the things the rule book requires you to do and stop worrying about these other things. Otherwise, you become a nightmare for the officials working the game.

Concerning the shot clock, I'm meaning the gym is so noisy that the buzzer cannot be heard.

I know it's not required for the PA Announcer to announce last minute in period/game.

As I have stated numerous times before, majority of the games I do are JV/C-Squad where the scorer is a student that seems to be there as a fan. So I have to go above & beyond what's required to ensure the game runs smoothly.

No, you simply base more importance on your position than necessary and interject yourself in the game where it's not needed. That's very apparent from your posts over the past year.

You would be better served following the instructions given to you and work to be the best you can be as a timer. If you want a more active role in the game, then became an official. Until such time as you choose to do that, run the clock appropriately, keep an accurate score, and use the horn when you're supposed to.

One of the things that I have found useful in my area is that a number of timers go above and beyond the call of duty by having an electronic device to communicate the final minute of each period installed upon the wall of the gymnasium. (Some schools have even installed one upon each wall.)

The timer is then able to communicate to my partners and I that we are in the final minute of the period by changing the number before the colon (or "leading digit" as it is sometimes referred to in my area) from a one to a zero.

It may be a complicated process in order to get that digit changed- I'm not sure, as I am only a floor official and not a timer. But the ones who do this successfully are among the most professional and outstanding timers that I have the privilege of working with, and I find it a great help in managing the game.

I can't speak for other areas of the country how this information is communicated, but it works well here, and might be something you should research and discuss with your school's administration and/or your state association.

Hope that helps.

+1 :)

Can't really think of any in game signals needed between the table and officials. :confused:

If the scorer needs to get my attention, then there's a horn for that. If the timer somehow needs to get my attention, he's going to be using that horn as well. I don't know how the table would try and get an official's attention to alert them of a minute left. When I'm going up and down the court, I'm not going to be looking at the table. The scorer is also going to be alerting officials of penalty situations during dead ball situations where the calling official is most likely near the table, so again, no signals needed.

If for some reason the scoreboard malfunctions and the timer has to alert the officials as to the end of the period, I'd just ask game management to find a whistle/horn and stop watch, and tell the timer to use it when time has expired (I've actually had to go that route. Clock stopped working with two minutes left in the game).

Six Of One, A Half Dozen Of The Other ...
 

No. We need to know when the sixth is charged. After that, if needed, we're ready to shoot, and have a shooter.

Tighten It Up ...
 

In our little corner of Connecticut, a common "unofficial" signal is to put out one's fist and rotate it, meaning, "This game is getting a little chippy. Let's tighten it up".

I've had a few partners that do that, and it certainly helps. I've also had the "tap the wrist" non-signal frequently when the clock is winding down.

On non-board/rec league games, sometimes there's a rule that forbids a team to press once a team is up 10 points. This is not part of the officiating norm, so you have to remind yourself to catch it, before a kid makes a steal off an illegal press.

To stay on top of this rule, a partner and I developed a "thumbs up/thumbs down" communication for this situation only. If a team goes up ten points, you make eye contact, and do a quick thumbs up to alert your partner, and he mirrors. That will remind you that the no-press rule is effect. When it's no longer in effect, you do the same with a quick thumbs down.

I've heard rumor that there is a similar divice that does the same thing for the shot clock. I do know that, in my area (all three places I've worked, actually), there's an additional piece of that equipment that somehow magically displays the number of fouls each team has earned. Some of them have a special marker for the bonus that gets triggered at six fouls.

I don't pretend to know how this magic works, but it works here.

'Round these parts it's common for partners to use index+pinkie or thumb+pinkie to indicate an upcoming bonus situation, an extended fist to indicate an upcoming media timeout, the "sliding index finger" to indicate that the upcoming throw-in is not a spot throw-in (usually exchanged at the beginning of a time out), index finger extended upward to indicate we're under 1:00 remaining in the period (quite often this is withheld until we're at about 30 seconds), tapping the chest to indicate either "I've got clock" or, more rarely, "I'm the new lead" (used to sort out confusion over a missed rotation). The only other one that comes to mind is the "two fist twist" used to communicate the need to tighten up the play calling.

Late in the game when the losing team is needing to foul, I will communicate with the other official(s) with a tap on the forearm.

+1 <a href=http://www.thesmilies.com><img src=http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/happy/applause.gif border=0></a>

Peace

The only time I have ever run into a correctable error issue was in a gym that had one clock, restraining lines, no division line, pipes running across the court about 15 feet up and no display of team fouls or bonus light on the scoreboard. The only thing missing was the fan shaped backboards and the George Mikan key.

I have experienced such magic, but often found it to be unreliable. I'm sure the problem is not with the hardware or the software. The knowledgeable folks I've consulted have all responded with strange words like "PEBKAC" and phrases like "ID Ten-T interface".

Perhaps I need to move to where you are? :confused:

While we do get the occasional "ID Ten T" error, they're such a rare event I don't notice them before they get fixed by on-site tech-support.

Does such a tech support call involve a Ruger and a shovel?

Sometimes, but only up in the mountain towns where the fight song requires banjos.

I'm definitely moving there! :D

One signal I remember a partner giving was while reporting a time-out. He used the same signal given to him by the coach requesting a time-out to the table.:eek:

Looking at your location, I'm guessing this is known from personal experience?

No comment.

He's known locally for his pickin' and grinnin' ;)