NFHS - Two Hand Reporting

[BktBallRef]

Using one hand forces you to slow down, signal each number individually. That's important when you may have a 14 y/o kid keeping score. It's worked in high school AND college for years.

[Mark Padgett]

Also, if it's really loud in the gym, it helps the scorer know that the foul in on number 14 and not number 5.

[APG]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Also, if it's really loud in the gym, it helps the scorer know that the foul in on number 14 and not number 5.

I don't know a scorer who would read four fingers on the left hand and one finger on the right hand as the number five. This ain't addition.

The reason, IMO, why it's not explicitly allowed in NFHS is since the talent of officials encompasses all levels of officials, they keep it simple for everyone. There would be too many officials who mix up how to properly report with two hands. Also, the same thing with scorers who would somehow mix this up.

[JugglingReferee]

The two-handed system doesn't distinguish between 52 and 7, par example.

It's expected that the score keeper at an NBA is a professional with ample basketball knowledge and is able to discern whom the foul was called upon.

[APG]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

The two-handed system doesn't distinguish between 52 and 7, par example.

It's expected that the score keeper at an NBA is a professional with ample basketball knowledge and is able to discern whom the foul was called upon.

Except 7 is not even a legal number under NF, so that's an afterthought.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by AllPurposeGamer

Except 7 is not even a legal number under NF, so that's an afterthought.

My point was that even in the NBA and their professional scorekeepers, two-handed reporting has it's difficulties. That these issues wouldn't exist in Fed wasn't my point. (Other issues would exist as noted.)

[Stat-Man]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

My point was that even in the NBA and their professional scorekeepers, two-handed reporting has it's difficulties. That these issues wouldn't exist in Fed wasn't my point. (Other issues would exist as noted.)

I used to work a basketball tournament with modified pro rules and one year, a team had both #55 and #99 on their roster. For each one, the official would flash both hands and fingers so fast I had no idea who they were calling the foul on. If it was noisy, that just added to the challenge of figuring out which player got the foul.

At the risk of a hijack, are officials supposed to have their hands in front of the body when indicating the number or off to the side? When some officials indicate numbers with their hands in front of the body, the fingers sometimes blend in with the stripes.