A light diversion to start the weekend
 

Was talking to a co-worker who grew up in Oklahoma. He mentioned growing up watching girls six-on-six basketball and wondered if I had heard of it before and I confessed I hadn't.

Has anybody every officiated these types of games (the last ones went out in 1993 in Iowa and 1995 in Oklahoma aparrently)?

Six-on-six basketball - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I've never officiated in one of these games but I grew up playing in Iowa when they played 6v6 still. It was a completely different game thats for sure. By the time I graduated they had already phased 6v6 out at the bigger schools, and within a few more years they had done so accross the state. Believe it or not there was quite an uproar when they got rid of 6v6 for good, many people were sad to see the 6v6 game leave.

The existance of the 6v6 game was one of the biggest reasons Iowa is one of the few (maybe even only) state who has two governing bodies over HS athletics, a girls union and a boys association.

Some interesting rules.... offensive players were only allowed 2 dribbles, defenseive to offensive play was initiated by a defender securing the ball and passing it to an offensive player who had to stand in the half court circle who then had to turn and "inbound" the ball to an offensive player... My younger sister actually played both in HS.

This part isn't quite right. All players were limited to two dribbles. The offensive player stood in the circle for a throw in only following a score by the other team; in which case the old lead would throw the ball to the new lead, who would bounce it to the new forward (offensive player) on his way to the other end line.

There were other quirky rules as well; a defender was not allowed to touch the ball while the opponent was holding it unless she was in the lane. It wasn't uncommon for the better players to average 40 points or more since the scoring was limited to 3 players.

I wasn't aware OK had 6 on 6 longer than Iowa, but I do remember there was a little nostalgia when Iowa dropped it.

I do know other states have two organizations, even though I was told when I worked in Iowa that we were the only one.

Never officiated it, but it was still being played when I was in school in Iowa. (It was eliminated after my freshman year of high school).


I don't think this is quite right. IIRC, after a made basket, the officials would pass the ball to a "forward" in the center circle for an "inbound" pass, but I think you could do defensive-to-offensive transitions (after a steal, for example) simply by passing the ball to a "forward" on the other side of the division line.

I can't remember what happened after an offensive violation in the frontcourt... if there was a nearest-spot throw-in for the defense, or if they would just move to the center circle like they would after a made basket.

Found this video on Youtube... not exactly high quality video, but gives you a sense of how things were played:
Old-school 6-on-6 Iowa Girls Basketball Alumni Game - Everly, IA, 2010 - YouTube

Yes yes yes, you guys are correct. I had completely forgotten the rule that prohibited defensive players from touching the ball outside the lane. It was always a trip to see a guard on the perimiter holding the ball at chest level arms extended and watching the defensive player have to move back so she didn't come in contact with the ball. 6v6 was a neat thing to be sure, but there can be no question it greatly inhibited the ability of the players who played it from continuing with the game beyond high school.

My sister was a great athlete, she played D1 softball, and I remember that when she made the change from 6v6 to 5v5 in her Junior year she had to learn how to shoot a basketball from scratch. She was labled a "guard" in 7th grade and because of that she never learned any offensive skills to speak of. Conversly "forwards" at our school had no defensive skills to speak of.

I graduated from a small high school in Iowa in 1992, so I had friends who played, and you're right that the game itself was so different from what was played in college that it was hard for them to advance. Aside from the issues you mention, no one learned how to really handle the ball since they couldn't bounce it more than twice during a dribble.

There were a few other quirks from the IGHSAU that continued long after 6-6 was dead. For a long time, the arrow was switched as soon as the ball was placed at the disposal of the thrower for an AP throw in. The coaching box was only allowed in girls ball, but I believe the girls have dropped it and neither side uses it now.

I what school?

And To Climb The Ladder To Get The Ball Out Of The Peach Basket ...
 

Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. officiated six on six basketball for decades. It was his job got make sure that the laces on the ball were tight. It's true. It's true.

I think my high school girls team played with five players. Maybe that's because that's all that were on the team. Snappy uniforms, too.

Bloom High School

Does Iowa still flip a coin for the first possession instead of having a jumpball?

Seventy-Six Trombones Led The Big Parade ...
 

Anybody know how I go about joining an association in Iowa? I've already packed my bag, and bought my bus ticket.

No, they got rid of that about the time I moved away. That was only for the girls, too.

Too big today, too small tomorrow
 

The modern day parallel is the kid who is the tallest kid in grade school, one of the tallest kids in jr high, and then of average height in high school. Suddenly he's not big enough to be a forward but never learned the to be a small forward or guard because the coaches in his formative years had to use him as a center.

It's the only one with separate organizations by gender. Some other states have multiple organizations based on public/private or geographic (or both) lines.

I'm pretty sure you're wrong, as I believe Washington has different orgs for boys vs girls. I wouldn't bet my own money on it, though.