Fact Checkers Needed ...

[BillyMac]

My local board interpreter has asked me to write up a few play situations that I've observed this year where some of our inexperienced officials may have made a few errors. If any Forum members have the time, could you please look these over and check them for errors. I'm not a very good writer, and I'm not an interpreter, nor do I play an interpreter on television:

1) A1 is dribbling the ball, in the front court, near the division line. The official calls a three second violation on A2. The official awards the ball to Team B for a throwin at the point of interruption, which is in the front court, near the division line. Is the official correct?

No. The throwin is at the spot closest to the three second violation, which would be on the frontcourt endline, at one of the lane lines.

2) A1 rebounds, and has possession of the ball, after a missed free throw, and then he excessively swings his elbows. A1 accidently strikes B2 in the head with his elbow. The official charges A1 with a player control foul. Is the official correct?

No. The 2012-13 NFHS Point of Emphasis states that any contact to an opponent’s head caused by an excessively moving elbow will be either an intentional foul, or a flagrant foul, each with its own set of penalties.

3) A1 is dribbling the ball in his frontcourt, near the division line. A1 accidently dribbles the ball off his foot, and the ball rolls into Team A’s backcourt. A2 is the first to touch the ball while standing in the free throw lane in Team A’s backcourt. The official calls a backcourt violation on Team A and awards the ball to Team B for a throwin at the division line. Is the official correct?

No. The throwin is at the spot closest to the backcourt violation, which would be on the old backcourt, new frontcourt, endline, at one of the lane lines.

4) During a charged timeout in the fourth period, the official checks with the table to see how close both teams are to the bonus. While at the table, the official is informed that Team A has only one timeout remaining. The official notifies the head coach of Team A that he has one timeout remaining. Is the official correct?

No. The officials will only notify a team and its coach, whenever that team is granted its final allotted charged time-out.

5) A1 steals the ball from B1 at the division line and drives toward his basket. While A1 is in the act of shooting a layup, B1 pushes A1 in the back using both hands. The ball goes in the basket. The official counts the goal by A1, charges B1 with an intentional foul, awards A1 two free throws with the lane cleared, and awards the ball to Team A for a throwin at the division line. Is the official correct?

No. The throwin is at the spot closest to the intentional foul, which would be on the frontcourt endline, at one of the lane lines.

6) A1 has the ball for a throwin, out of bounds, at the division line, near the table. A1’s throwin pass goes across the court, opposite the table, and first touches A2, who has one foot out of bounds, near the division line. The official calls a throwin violation on A1, and awards the ball to Team B, out of bounds, at the spot of the original throwin, at the division line, near the table. Is the official correct?

No. This is not a throw in violation, it is an out of bounds violation. The throwin is at the spot closest to where the ball went out of bounds, opposite the table, near the division line.

7) The head coach of Team A is charged with an unsporting direct technical foul near the beginning of the third period, and is reminded that he will not be allowed to use the coaching box for the remainder of the game. Later in the game, the head coach of Team A stands to cheer for one of his players who makes an outstanding defensive play. The official charges the head coach of Team A with a direct technical foul for standing while “seatbelted”. This second direct technical foul results in the disqualification and ejection of the Team A head coach, who is directed to leave the vicinity of the playing area immediately, and is prohibited from any further contact with the team during the remainder of the game. Is the official correct?

No. After the head coach loses his coaching box privileges, he still may, by rule, legally stand to spontaneously react to an outstanding play by a team member. He may also legally stand; to request a timeout, or signal his players to request a timeouts; to confer with personnel at the scorer’s table to request a timeout that a correctable error, or a timing, scoring, or alternating possession mistake be prevented, or rectified; to replace or remove a disqualified, or injured, player, or player directed to leave the game; during a charged timeout, or the intermission between quarters, and extra periods; and to acknowledge a replaced player.

8) A1 is dribbling the ball, in the front court, near the division line. The official charges A2 with a team control foul for setting an illegal screen in the free throw lane. The official awards the ball to Team B for a throwin at the point of interruption, which is near the division line. Is the official correct?

No. The throwin is at the spot closest to the illegal screen team control foul, which would be on the frontcourt endline, at one of the lane lines.

9) During pregame warmups, the official notices that A6 is wearing earrings. A6 states that she just had her ears pierced and that she must leave the earrings in her ears. The official directs A1 to remove both earrings. Is the official correct?

No. The official should not ask the player to remove her earrings. The official should state that the player will not be allowed to participate in the game while she is wearing earrings.

10) A1 dives across the boundary line in an attempt to save the ball from going out of bounds. A1 catches the ball with both hands and while in the air, before A1 touches out of bounds, A1 requests a timeout. The official grants the request for a Team A timeout. Is the official correct?

Yes. This play is a legal play according to the NFHS rule set. It may not be legal in other rule sets.

11) A1 is dribbling the ball in his frontcourt. A1 accidently dribbles the ball off his foot, and the ball rolls toward a boundary line. A1 catches up to the ball and tips it in such a way as to direct the ball to stay inbounds; however, A1’s momentum carries him out of bounds. A1 immediately returns to the court, and has one foot in bounds, and the other foot the air, and A1 is the first to touch the ball that is inbounds. A1 drops his second foot inbounds, grabs the ball with both hands, and passes the ball to A2. The official rules that this is a legal play. Is the official correct?

Yes. If a player's momentum carries him off the court, he can be the first player to touch the ball after returning inbounds. That player must not have left the court voluntarily and must immediately return inbounds. That player must have something in and nothing out. It is not necessary to have both feet back inbounds.

12) A1 is dribbling the ball, in the front court, near the division line. A2, in an attempt to get open, runs around two screens set by A3, and A4, on the blocks, and in doing so intentionally runs out of bounds, and leaves the court. The official calls a violation on A2 for intentionally leaving the court for an unauthorized reason. The official awards the ball to Team B for a throwin at the point of interruption, which is near the division line. Is the official correct?

No. The throwin is at the spot closest to the violation, which would be where the player ran out of bounds, intentionally leaving the court.

13) After the fifteen second warning horn sounds during a charged timeout, substitute A6 reports to the table and is seated on the “X”. Immediately after the official administers the throwin to A1, who makes the throwin pass to A2, who then take a few dribbles, the timer inadvertently sounds the horn to allow substitute A6 into the game. Many of the players seem to be confused by the horn, and A2 is about to violate by illegally dribbling the ball again after holding it upon hearing the horn, so the official decides to sound his whistle to get everything straightened out before any violation occurs. After getting everything straightened out, the head coach of Team A requests that substitute A6 be allowed to enter the game. The official does not allow substitute A6 to enter the game because he reported to the table after the fifteen second warning horn. Is the official correct?

No. After the official sounds his whistle to get everything straightened out, there is now no rule that does not allow the substitute at the table from entering the game: the ball is dead, the clock is stopped, the substitute is eligible to enter the game (sit a tick, not disqualified, etc.), the substitute is at the table, seated on the “X”, and an administering official is not about to make the ball live. The official should beckon the substitute into the game.

[Freddy]

I hereby accept this challenge/opportunity/thing to do and will get to it when I get back to work on Sunday. That's when I have time to actually do stuff like that. Ironic, eh?
Will PM you, unless this becomes a ravingly popular thread here on the board.
Will be in touch.

[Sharpshooternes]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

3) A1 is dribbling the ball in his frontcourt, near the division line. A1 accidently dribbles the ball off his foot, and the ball rolls into Team A’s backcourt. A2 is the first to touch the ball while standing in the free throw lane in Team A’s backcourt. The official calls a backcourt violation on Team A and awards the ball to Team B for a throwin at the division line. Is the official correct?

No. The throwin is at the spot closest to the backcourt violation, which would be on the old backcourt, new frontcourt, endline, at one of the lane lines.

Shoot. Have been doing this wrong all along. I always gave the ball at the division line. Should be interesting next time I call it and the opposing team gets the ball under their own basket.
Otherwise, I think all of your scenarios are ruled appropriately.

[Bad Zebra]

Originally Posted by Sharpshooternes

Shoot. Have been doing this wrong all along. I always gave the ball at the division line. Should be interesting next time I call it and the opposing team gets the ball under their own basket.

Pretty common error. I've seen 20+ year vets kick this. Makes one wonder if it was different in the past.

BTW, Billy...all cases and subsequent rulings looked correct to me on first glance.

[rsl]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

1) A1 is dribbling the ball, in the front court, near the division line. The official calls a three second violation on A2. The official awards the ball to Team B for a throwin at the point of interruption, which is in the front court, near the division line. Is the official correct?

Should you say point of interruption? The phrase has a different meaning that applies to double fouls, inadvertent whistles, and other unusual stoppages. Does it apply when play is stopped for a legitimate violation? Same with (8) and (12).

[Bad Zebra]

Originally Posted by rsl

Should you say point of interruption? The phrase has a different meaning that applies to double fouls, inadvertent whistles, and other unusual stoppages. Does it apply when play is stopped for a legitimate violation? Same with (8) and (12).

Yes...it's incorrect. Thats the whole point of using it as an example.

[rsl]

OK, but the answer would still be "no" even if you used a correct phrase like "the ball location when the violation occurred".

By using the wrong phrase in the question, you may be unintentionally promoting incorrect use of the phrase elsewhere.

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by rsl

OK, but the answer would still be "no" even if you used a correct phrase like "the ball location when the violation occurred".

By using the wrong phrase in the question, you may be unintentionally promoting incorrect use of the phrase elsewhere.

It's a true or false question. Without some wrong phrases, they would all be true.

[rsl]

Then in the answer, point out the incorrect use of the phrase.

Sorry, this is a pet peeve of mine, and I hear officials use "point of interruption" incorrectly all the time. If the incorrect phrase is part of the question, correct it in the answer.

Just my 2 cents.

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by rsl

Then in the answer, point out the incorrect use of the phrase.

The answer doesn't include the part that made the play incorrect. Isn't that sorta the same thing?

[Multiple Sports]

BM -

Did you think of using the rule reference for each of these questions.....Rule 4, Section 14.......etc....


This may help the newbie's get in the book....


Later bro...

[Rich]

Billy, thanks for this. If you don't mind, I'd like to use this concept at an association meeting.

[maven]

As an assessment, it focuses all the errors on one issue: correct placement of the throw-in. How about awarding just one FT after the intentional foul on a made basket? Or failing to call a BC violation because B interrupted A's dribble initially but prior to events sufficient for the violation?

Too many questions devoted to fixing the same problem. Even if that's the most common issue in your area, take advantage of having folks' eyeballs to educate them on other aspects of the rules, basic to advanced. How many officials can clearly articulate the criteria for BI, for example?

[Maineac]

PM sent.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

My local board interpreter has asked me to write up a few play situations that I've observed this year where some of our inexperienced officials may have made a few errors.

Billy, excellent job on a great idea. I'm going to see if we can do something locally along these lines.