Officiating 101 - Pregame Positioning - 2 person
 

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/E-g_4Of0il8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Ok, where my editors at? Feedback appreciated... This is the revised edition of the video with changes made at the suggestion of this forums awesome members.

Excellent, With Some Questions And/Or Suggestions ...
 

1) IAABO mechanics: Referee observes visitors warming up, and umpire observes home players warming up. It also used to be that way with NFHS mechanics, but we switched to IAABO mechanics several years ago, so I'm unaware of the current NFHS guidelines.

2) In addition to looking for illegal uniforms, the officials should also look for illegal equipment, and jewelry.

3) In addition to asking the coaches about properly equipped players, they should also ask about players wearing legal uniforms, and about players knowing how to wear their uniforms properly. (NFHS 2-4-5: Verify with the head coach, prior to each contest, that his/her team member’s uniforms and equipment are legal and will be worn properly, and that all participants will exhibit proper sporting behavior throughout the contest.)

4) IAABO mechanics: Captains (and coaches) meeting takes place between the jump ball circle and the table, not in the jump ball circle, but I have no knowledge of current NFHS mechanics in regard to this.

These procedures relate to NFHS.

Fed
 

Keep it that way. No sense cluttering things up. If your intention is to cater to a larger audience, that will apply to most, I'm thinkin'.

The problem is not everyone uses NF mechanics to the letter. So things can vary based on local changes or standards. For example no one cares who watches what as the Referee or Umpire. Some people do it the right way, but not one is going to lose sleep doing it another way. Just as long as officials are placed properly.

Peace

Clarification
 

Granted. :) Which is why I said "most", not "all". Maybe "many more" would be okay to say.

We do here, which is why I like what DVBOA is putting out.

Semper Ubi Sub Ubi ...
 

Agree. 100%. When in Rome, speak Latin. Especially if your assigner speaks Latin.

"Officials should arrive on the court 15 minutes prior to game time."

"Gamesite" sounds like they should arrive at the school and walk in.

My area, we have the captains - with coaches - meeting in front of the table, out of the way of players warming up. About a minute total.

In our area, we go to the table at around the 12 minute mark. That enables us to remind coaches we need the book at the table by 10 or make any book corrections before 10. We want to try to avoid book technicals if we can, and technically it is a technical if these errors are corrected after the 10 minute mark (although, I know very few officals would assess a technical here).

Fixed Before Ten ...
 

Good points. From my pregame conference: On court at 15:00. Scorebook at 12:00. Coaches and captains meeting at 5:00.

Reminder from the peanut gallery:

Names/rosters/starters don't have to be in the scorebook prior to ten minutes before tip-off. That info just has to be given to the scorer prior to ten minutes before tip (NFHS 3-2-1/NCAA 3-3-1).

The video designates the visitors' bench as being on the left and the umpire is observing them warming up on the right ... but the team warming up on the right side of the court appears to be wearing white. :confused:

Absolutely. There are too many that actually think they must have the book completely filled out.

We do not have a definitive policy about when to check the book, but most people around here go to the table around 12:00 or a little earlier to make sure that the information is properly submitted. All I care about at that time is do they have the information submitted and then if not filled out I go do the captain's meeting immediately. Then I come back to the table and then make sure the book is taken care of before game time. Then after the book is filled out by the scorer, I go to each coach and get them to "sign off" on the information to make sure that nothing was incorrectly submitted. Once they give me their initials, I sign the book myself with my information.

Peace

Good observation... I may have to make this dang video all over again!:eek:

Just flip it horizontally. Sure, your text might be backwards but at least the descriptions would be right! :D

If you don't check the official book when you go over at 12 minutes or whenever, when do you check it ??

Exactly what is there to check?

The point is that there is nothing in it that we're supposed to check. What we do check is that the scorer has received the rosters and the starters from the coaches. There is no requirement that the book actually be filled out at any time...except for perhaps tipoff. And even then, there is probably no rule that requires it if the scorer wants to transcribe the info on the fly. It wouldn't be a good idea, but it probably isn't illegal.

That said, I do check it to verify that there are no obvious errors. But, ultimately, it is the coach's responsibility to see that what was submitted was correct.

And, if there is ever a problem with the contents of the book. I ask the bookkeeper to check the source of the data to determine if it was submitted incorrectly or if it was copied incorrectly. If it is a copying error, there is no penalty to fix it.

That was actually the very first thing I noticed. I figured they must have changed the NFHS Manual since nobody said anything about that immediately upon seeing the video

If the teams have supplied the correct information to the scorer, and they transcribe it incorrectly, I'm not charging a technical foul for the corrections.

Ever.

I know some areas have the coaches proofread the book and sign off on it, and there is some rules justification for calling the T any time you make a change after 10:00. I think the spirit of the rule is clear, though, in that the intent is not to punish a team for a scorekeeper's clerical error.

Nit Picking, I Hate These Lousy Nits ...
 

"The umpire should move to the midcourt line" (1:40)

The midcourt line has been extinct for a couple of decades. It's the division line.

Same here. I had that come up in an NYC borough championship game in '11-12. I only mention the level of the contest because the league printed flyers with the rosters and the scorekeeper used the flyer to put names/numbers in the book. Unfortunately, the league left a player off of the flyer. We were alerted and the R ruled no T since the kid couldn't have gotten into the gym if he hadn't been on the roster lsited on the league's web site.

A pregame count didn't catch it because the team in question only had nine players and there were 12 in the book.

Good catch as well. Revisions are on the way...

Ok, just want to make sure I understand what some of you are thinking. You're telling me you go over to the scorers table and ask the scorer if a team has submitted a roster with starters from each team and that's it. The roster shows 2 no. 33's or a no. 7 or 6 players noted at starters (for example). Are you telling me you are going to be ok with issuing a technical when any of these players come onto the floor because you haven't checked the book, but have only checked to confirm that the scorer has recieved a roster !!! :eek::eek::eek:

I look to verify two things.

1. There are no duplicate numbers.
2. There are at least as many names in the book as players warming up for each team.

If the information isn't in the book yet, but has only been supplied, there's not much to verify. If, after that, we have to change something in the book, whether I call a T or not will depend on whether the the wrong information in the book matches what was supplied by the team.

If the source information was wrong, then I'm perfectly ok with calling the T.

I understand what you're saying, but in my opinion that "T" is avoidable, and I prefer to keep it that way.

You check the information they have submitted. You do not wait to check the scorebook. Around here or in my experience most of the time that information is submitted in another scorer's book that will be used by someone associated by the team. The home book if not a tournament is usually already listed the information. It is really not that hard to figure out where the information is coming from, at least in my experience.

Peace

What T? What else are you looking for?

Maybe I misunderstood what some of you are saying. What I'm now reading is that you're not checking the official book, but am checking the rosters given to the scorekeepers. Is this correct, and if so why not wait and do your checking after the information is entered in the official book, so you can avoid a delay if there is an error in transferring the information ?

You are making this really too complicated. All the rule requires is that the information submitted by correct and done before the 10 minute mark. That is it. Of course you want the official book to be correct, but if we know that the information was properly submitted before 10 minutes, then we will not penalize someone for a clerical error.

Yes the official book has to be accurate, but if someone claims that someone was not in the book or that a number was not accurate, we can review to see if that was on the team or the copying of that information.

Peace

Because a lot of times, the information is supplied at 12:00, but not entered until 9:00. I'm not going to hover over the scorer to ensure they transcribe correctly. Besides, what's the point in checking the book after it's entered at 8:00?

Illegal Numbers ...
 

3. Illegal numbers.

For some reason this was a point of emphasis in the Catholic middle school league that I officiated in this past winter. Sure enough, I discovered a number six before the season was over. I had the same team twice. Both times the coach didn't want to give up his right to stand, so he had one player play the first half, and then, after informing the officials, and the scorekeeper (I also informed the opposing coach, even though, surprisingly, it's not required by rule), he had the "first half" player switch jerseys with the illegally numbered jersey player at halftime so that the previously illegally numbered player could now legally play in the second half, now with a legal number, with no penalty, other than one player, a different one each half, having to sit on the bench for that half. Man? There had to be an easier, better way to explain this?

Rid ® ...
 

Don't encourage me. It's a nit. It really didn't have to be picked. Everyone doesn't have obsessive compulsive disorder, just a few of us, and we should often just be ignored.

I guess I see what you are saying, but I see no advantage to doing it that way instead of waiting to check the official book. I do see an advantage to making sure the official book is correct, and avoiding a potential delay if there is a clerical error which could have been corrected before the start of play. Granted, if a number is transferred wrong, it wouldn't have mattered when it was done as we only count player numbers instead of comparing each players number to what is in the book. To each their own, I guess.

All officials want to do is make sure the information has been submitted. You can always comply with the rule without a T after it is in the book.

If you do not see the purpose that is fine, but that is why it is done that way by many. There is no penalty if the information was properly given. And it could matter if a number is wrong if the official scorer tells you they gave you the wrong number was put in the book. At least you can go back and review in a dispute of the information. But there are other issues than numbers and names. That is why I ask the coach to verify the information so that they can catch any problem.

The bottom line, we do not want to give an unwarranted T.

Peace

On that, we're in agreement. Book T's aren't good. Especially avoidable ones. I'll admit that I don't have the coaches sign the book, but many officials I work with do. I may have to consider doing that this upcoming season.

I probably saved myself 5 technical fouls this year by doing that in every game. Either I saved a coach from making a silly change or they told me a kid was not listed that was playing. Mostly coaches would cross off someone, but that was their thing, not something I required of course.

Peace

I'm confused. How detailed are you checking the book? What T are you going to catch that I'm going to miss?

The only advantage is the fact that there's really no reason to look in the book if it's completed after the 10:00 mark.

I'm not going to catch any "T"'s that you'd miss, but I would prevent a potential game stoppage if there was an error on transferring information. For example, a submitted roster has 12 players but the official book only writes down 11 players. 12th player comes into the game, horn sounds because this player isn't in the book and we have to deal with making the correction. I would have matched the official book to the players on the floor and this stoppage would not have occured. I'll admit these situations would be rare, and honestly don't think it's a big deal. I will still say however, that I don't see any advantage to not checking the official book instead of the submitted rosters.