I'd probably do what willie did...except after awhile I'd yell to my partner, "Hey, Willie, have you got anyone touching the ball yet!" Maybe that would get someone to grab it, thus ending the half.
BTW,I too am impressed the clock official didn't start the clock improperly.

Otherwise, I like the "consent" rule Bob Jenkins quoted.

Dude

re:
 

Couldn't you just blow the ball dead and end the half? Only a tap could score, and that really only could've happened if one of the players tapped in the missed FT.

Re: re:
 

It is interesting that you suggest this, because it was apparent to me that both coaches had effectively instructed their players during the TO that only a tap could score. Oddly, I believe this directly lead to their strange apathy.

The only other thought on this was that somehow the group, independently but in unison, somehow construed my process of administering the FT as a 1st of 2 shots. Unlikely though, I am brief and to the point, "One throw, play it when it hits."

Just plain strange karma :)

Might have been the longest .1 second in basketball history!:D

Is being a jurk anything like being a jerk? I don't think it's being a jerk to stand there waiting for the players to catch on. If it's a 5th grade game, I'd probably say, "the ball is live players - get to it!" In a varsity game, I don't think it's being a jerk to expect the players to resume play on their own.

Z

Did anyone make it a point to complement the clock operator for being able to stop the clock with .1 left in the half? :D

It is a double-edged sword... This timer's meticulous attention to detail and anal retentativeness would not allow him to even consider "just starting the clock" or holding off "killing the clock" for .1 of a second longer. I know this to be true from previous encounters, and "normally" that is a highly appreciated quality, just not in this particular circumstance.

OY! :D

I know some very meticulous timers who have amazingly slow fingers at the most appropriate of times. Those are the qualities I admire most - attention to detail while seeing the big picture.

Very "tongue in cheek",Coach. You should have added that you"admired" them some of the time only.Not when you're the visiting team and it's the home timer displaying that trait.

Actually I am more serious than you think. We have some guys that will get everything right in a tight match-up, allowing the players to decide the game on the court. In a 20 point blowout, if it's even close, the quarter/half/game has ended, with a generous 1 second lag time.

In the ugly games, everyone wants to get out of there.

Out-a-here
 

Instead of kicking OOB. Kick it so it hits a player and start the clock.

That's easy!
 

4-2-2
The ball becomes dead:
e. When any loose ball:
2. Is on the ground motionless and no player attempts to secure possession.

Applies to kicked balls,too,doesn't it,Tony?:D

Re: That's easy!
 

Tony,

I can't find the rule reference you have cited. Rule 4-2-2 refers to Alternate Possession and Arrow.

Son, you may want to folow this link. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...9352?vi=glance