I disagree. Not all schools have the same resources to compete in that way. I do not think we want games to turn into who has more technology. And that is what would happen if you allowed IPads and other devices to be use. This also would not make the game better. If you want to coach, observe what is going on during the game on the floor, not with some video device the other team does not have or cannot use.

Peace

I think the unintended consequence would be the video capabilities of tablet computers. On the 'good' side it could be used just like a camera to record the game. Which would make it prudent to ask the tablet user do somewhere other then the bench.
The 'bad'. After a bang bang call, the coach calls a TO (or not) and proceeds to show you the replay from their angle! Now that would be fun!

I may not have stayed at a Holiday Inn last night, but I did run the clock for Boys Varsity after my girls game. I also made sure I downloaded the rules for the timekeeper as the eagle suggested.

So I walked up and gathered the coaches and referees together for rule number 1:

BEFORE THE GAME:
1. The official timer should ascertain the game starting time and
suggest that the referee and coaches synchronize their watches.

Even if the technology was allowed, this would earn him a quick seat.

You could say that about any resources.

Some schools have funds for nicer weight rooms, better equipment, better staffing (a big plus, ultimately), etc. All of these things can benefit a team. Technological items are merely among the tools one could use to improve one's work. And, by the way, these items are getting more and more affordable every year.

Whether a coach chooses to use a clipboard, pen and scratchpad, or iPad, they're all tools to meet a desired end. They'll never take the place of coaching, but, if used properly, they can indeed help improve performance. If they didn't, football coaches wouldn't have been trading game films, as they have for decades.

There it is. A disrespectful act is just that, regardless of the tools in use.

Plenty of Tea recipes can be stored on an iPad.

And they can use all the technology they want before the game. The rules have always forbidden the use of video during the game, and iPads are far more powerful than a court-side camcorder. The ability to pull up game footage during the game would be unlimited with an iPad.

We're talking about what's available on the bench for both teams during a game.

Not the same as what resources are available for practice, IMO.

Football and basketball coaches already use film. But you cannot use film during the game without violating those rules in football as well. This is not about using film before and after games, but I think a coach using Ipad or some other device where they can talk to others sitting in the stands or is watching video during the game. I do not think that is what the game is about and should not be allowed. Not at the HS level where the ability to do so would be so much of an advantage. Weight rooms are not inherently an advantage as the game of basketball requires more than a weight room to be a good and players and coaches would have to do more to be a good player than lift weights. In the context of a game I would not want this promoted. It is not allowed in college either and they have resources to

Peace

Actually, a good fitness room, when used properly, can be a big advantage to conditioning, when use properly. Still, as been stated by others, this is about what's used during the game.

Once again, all things technological are tools, nothing more, nothing less. A coach's tool could be many things: clipboards, spiral notebooks, dry-erase board, BlackBerry, etc. It seems that some have a fear of certain tools, just because they're electronic or can shoot video.

What are we afraid of here, really? That certain schools have better resources than others? That already goes for many things, during the game. That only the rich schools can afford such tools? Again, these tools are far more affordable than before. That players/coaches can look at video right there on the bench? So what if they can? What's wrong with a little ingenuity to perform better, regardless of the task?

For whatever reason, that's how the committee wants it and has always wanted it. You may as well ask why a shot from 20 feet away is counted as 3 points.

Perhaps they want the players to prepare before the game and perform during the game.

I do not want to get into a huge debate over this, but I can get in great fitness without fancy weights or a fancy room. And considering that basketball is about size and quickness, those rooms mean little or nothing to me working on those things. I also cannot teach size. Ever heard of P90X? That program does not need a machine or fancy weights to accomplish those goals.

No one is afraid of tools. It is just a reality that a rural or inner-city school for example that may not have adequete computers normally now could compete against a private or suburban school that has more resources and use those things. That is a completly different.

Again you really need to stop with the hyperbole. No one said anything about being afraid. I think competition should be equal during the game and not using technology to get a clear advantage. If you can coach you can identify things without a computer. And you certainly should not have others not on the bench giving you information from some other point of the gym which is why many of these devices are outlawed. I do not think that is too much to ask.

Peace

Nailed it.

Just started last week. Damn plyometrics had me sore for days!

Here are some more realities: We're not talking about servers here. There are far more expensive things today that teams must deal with than handheld devices. And, schools must find a way to afford PCs in order to prepare our youth for the 21st century world. Since handheld devices are affordable for all, that argument of the haves and have-nots is simply antequated. I've dealt with very rural schools, and they're certainly not without technology.

That's not hyperbole, Rut. That's truth. People fear change.

The competition would only be unequal if one team was allowed to use a device, and the other team wasn't. Let the coaches decide what devices they want to use to do their jobs. One team almost always has advantages over another, and that's just life. This realm should be no different.