Player Raising His/Her Hand When They Commit a Foul
 

Was that ever an official rule or is it just something players did? If it was a rule when did it change?

I believe it was. At least I have heard some "old-timers" say that previously.

Peace

There's two things that go when you get old: memory, . . . and I can't remember what the other thing is. :confused: Anyway . . .

Hand up after official's birddog that a foul was committed was still a rule back when I started back in '76, back in the college days. The only trouble we had then was when players would put a hand up and then swipe it down in an unsportsmanlike fashion. Usually good for at least one T late in each game. Not sure if it was a state thing or Fed thing back then. Must've changed sometime after that because it wasn't by rule a requirement later when I then resumed activity in the coaching ranks. Of course, those old days still had real jump balls -- oops, sorry, I know that's a sensitive subject with some. :)

Yes, it was a rule...good and well before my time. I believe it was a technical foul if a player did not raise their hand in a timely matter.

Honestly, I have to wonder what in the hell the rules makers were thinking with that one.

I do remember when players did that and honestly it seemed to squelch any complaining. Maybe that was not the case as the rule went away, but players did seem to accept an official's call more than they do now.

Peace

I can guarantee failing to raise your hand on a personal foul was a technical foul in the 1973-74 season. Not sure before that--raising the hand may have been recommended previously, or maybe failure to raise in defiance could have been T'd--but for that one season at least, it was mandatory.

Went a long way in costing us a conference championship. Bad memory.

I believe it was the next season, when the rule and penalty were scrapped.

Did the officials report the fouls, too, back then?

Yes. The raised hand was supposed to assist the scorekeeper with confirmation of who committed the foul.

Furthermore, as an indication of how things changed since then, there was a lot more "Yep, I did it" kinda attitude common with players back then. Hardly ever did we have to tell a player to raise his/her hand. When the birddog nailed them, they most normally fessed up, the hand was raised and lowered, the foul was reported, and life went on. :)
Usually followed soon by a jump ball. :(

And when it was a rule, and even afterward, the wrong player often raised his hand intentionally to try to take a foul from another player. It still happens occasionally.

In more modern times, I've had players try to take the fall for their teammates by raising their hand, thinking I'll give the foul to them instead of their star big man.

Don't fall for that!

Yep, have had that tried in a couple of my games as well. Attention to detail while reporting is a good thing (official scorer, that is).

It was a dumb practice, IMO. As was the bird-dog. As was, without a doubt, the requirement of the trail official to initiate a rotation across the court in order to put the officials "in the Cadillac."

Some things change for good reasons.

OTOH, I still think the trail going tableside on a foul in 2-person is awful. I think the person counting, chopping, etc. should be opposite. Nobody asked me, though.

I can guarantee that failing to raise your hand on a PF was a technical in the 1993-1994 season in IA. One of my best friends got Td up in a JV game for that offense. He thought the foul was on someone else and was listening to our coach give instructions and not paying attention to the official asking him twice to raise his hand. No third request came...whack!

Really? Seldom does anyone raise their hand that I've seen around here, let alone the wrong player.

Just the same, would any decent scorekeeper pay attention to a raised arm instead of the reporting official?

I'm not talking about confusing the scorekeeper. In a crowd, are you always 100% sure who committed the foul?