Honest Home Timekeeper
 

...discussion we had in meeting last night.

Frosh. officials (3 whistle) had a situation they explanied to the group last night.

10 seconds left in the game. Home team (A) down by 3. Team A had a throw-in. A1 throws the ball in to A2. A2 shoots (after about 3 seconds...official had closely guarded count) and misses. Rebound aciton another 3 passes. A3 takes a 3pt. shot...ball goes in at the buzzer.

Tie game...right?

Well, official timekeeper "comes running on the court" and says she forgot to start the clock at the appropriate time.

Officials get together and determine that surely it seemed to take more than 10 seconds for all that action. (Nobody ever did look at the clock)

Officials waved off the basket...Visiting team won.

Comments?

"Surely seemed" is not definite knowledge.

Surely you would have T'd up the timer for running onto the court first.

:p

Agreed, but if the timer know her delay was more than the amount of time prior to the buzzer the shot was relaesed, that is definitie knowledge.

Hmmmmmm........
 

Laudible honesty on part of "table official", the likes of which might be rare.
But . . .
. . . "surely it seemed to take more than 10 seconds" doesn't really fit the requisite "definitive information relative to the time involved" (5-10-1) expectation, does it?
Unless you deem it correct that the officials were relying on "other official information" (5-10-2). Then maybe . . .

No, but Nevada would have.

Bainsey only would have T'd the Timer if the Timer had said, "I forgot to start the clock on time, you can't count the basket. ;)

"Surely it seemed" is the key wording there. I wouldn't touch this one unless I have DEFINITIVE knowledge that the time was not started correctly. If everything that you said happened in that situation was correct, this is how I have it playing out:

Throw-in
A2 catches (clock starts with 10 seconds)
Closely guarded count (7 seconds left with official's knowledge)
Shot and then rebounding action (2-3 seconds; ~5 seconds left with no actual knowledge)
3 passes (3-4 seconds; ~1 seconds left with no actual knowledge)
A3 shoots
Ball goes in at buzzer

Now of course I am guessing on the timing it takes on the rebounding action and the three passes. However, without actual knowledge of the clock's situation, I can certainly see how all of that action COULD have taken place within 10 seconds of gameplay.

Bottom line, you have to have clock presence at those times. A quick peek after a rebound has been gathered is always a good tactic if you can sneak one. Obviously don't let your quick sneak peek take away from action you might have going on in front of you, but with three whistles on the floor you should have someone with at least knowledge of the clock's status after that rebound.

However, in this sitch, I am going into OT regardless as to what the honest timekeeper says. Unless I or one of my partners can figure out whether or not the clock was in fact started late (and by how much).

Someone should know the clock hadn't started before the first shot.....

The Land That Time Forgot ???
 

Wow. Freshman game? Three person crew? Here in the Land of Steady Habits, we don't have three officials for 95% of our varsity games.

Anymore freshmen games are faster, sloppier versions of varsity games. 2-man frosh/jv hardly exists for boys ball except at small division schools.