Questions

[Marty Rogers]

Originally posted by Hawks Coach
A final question would be, when shot is made with 7 seconds left, how quickly do you expect the ball to be ready for play? It would be easy to take up the 2 seconds getting the ball and getting OOB to throw it in, and then hold the ball for 5 seconds. How do you personally handle this situation?

I give the player reasonable time to retrieve the ball before I start the 5 second count. Obviously, if the ball goes into the bleachers, or far off the court, they are allowed to get the ball. Even if it bounds a little away from the hoop and the player is moving or reaching for it, I will not start the count until he has the ball securely in his hands. On the other hand, if the ball has gone through, and is just sitting there in clear view, with no one attempting to pick it up, I WILL start my count. In this case, I judge that the ball is at the player's disposal. This is the same (for me) whether there are seven seconds, or seven minutes on the clock.