False double, false multiple, double TF, bench personnel TF.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

For those that do not know, my dear, smart (I know, she married me, go figure), and beautiful wife have been co-vice president the athletic boosters club for the last six years and this past Friday night we were selling tee-shirts, sweat shirts, help the girls' basketball team with the 50/50 raffle, etc. during the boys' JV/VAR doubleheader with the school's arch rival and league opponent: The high school that is literally just 1.5 miles down the street.


The Set-up::

Late in the second quarter with both teams in the double bonus. The Visitor's Superintendent of Schools (who is a H.S. basketball official) is sitting in the stands with his wife and their children a few rows above the Visitor's Bench. While my lovely better half is working I am standing with our AD (Home Team) on my right and the Visitor's AD on my left at the Table Side Corner of the "end zone" near the Visitor's Bench watching the game.

V1 has the ball in his team's front court table side and L and T are Table Side and the C is Opposite the Table (obviously); the game officials are assigned by the league and I have never seen any of them before until tonight (It is not unusual for our league to assign officials from 50, 75, or even 100 miles away; we had a varsity football crew from Columbus for one home game this year and Columbus is 150 miles away.)


The Play:

V1 attempts a two-point FG. During rebounding action V2 commits a Common Foul against H2 and the foul is called by the L. As the L moves along the Sideline in front of the Home Bench to report the foul, V2 starts backing out of the paint toward the C's area while H2 is stalking toward him "running" his mouth. H2 catches up to V2 and chest bumps him two times before the T can get to the two players. By this time players from both teams have started to pull H2 and V2 out of the area and the C steps in and gives the TF sign in a very demonstrative manner. The fun really begins because H6 then leaves the Home Bench, runs onto the court under Team H's basket and starts yelling at V2.

I will now stop and let everybody decide how to handle this situation. Because of the weather, I have not had a chance to get to the H.S. to look at the game tape, but I will let everybody know how it was handled in a day or two after everybody has had a chance to post his or her two cents.

MTD, Sr.