This ain't right. ...Is it?

[mick]

from: Major NFHS Basketball Officials’ Manual Changes
2003-04 and 2004-05

2. When a player fouls out, the non-calling official (2) or the new Trail official (3) shall notify the coach, the player and then signal to start the 30-second timer.

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Rules meeting tonight:
Start off with two folks, an official and a coach, reading a shared "position paper" statement by BOCCC (Basketball Officials and Coaches Communication Committee) that said, in short, Officials and coaches should get along for the kids sake. ...Okay....

Then, later, we hear about the 30 second limit on DQ players and how if any players are ready to enter, they may still enter, but we have to ask them if someone is going to replace the DQ'd player.

Right at the end, we hear about how the calling official after determining the 5th foul, from the scorekeeper, gets replaced by the partner (2-whistle) who then does the notifications.

(ie. You report the foul, I (your partner) have intiated the switch and am now, with ball/on ball at the spot on the endline and observing the players. Scorekeeper says, "That's the 5th on 23."
Now, you have to find me by going back to where I am, from where you just called the foul, and tell me to report to the Coach the "5th foul". I do that, then I wind the timer and go find the player that you just DQ'd, if I can remember the number, cuz I sure as heck didn't see the foul.

Why must we do this? ...To avoid potential confrontation of an Official with a coach or player.

We have

a "let's be nice to each other" statement

a "let's speed up the timing of a DQ replacement";

a "let's forget the position of 'kindness statement'" cuz no one was listening anyway;

a "let's stop the game" and have the other official relay the 'relayed' information so some coach and official don't glare at one another.

This ain't gonna be fun folks. We just reported something that has gone through so many people that it may be a rumor, and the final word was given by someone that never saw nuthin'. The installation of a bad mechanic based upon it's potential for ugliness is just wrong. If a coach is gonna get T'd off, 50' of floor ain't gonna stop it. If that is his 'bent', he can just as easily get mad at the non-calling official, particularly when the non-calling official says, Dunno, din't see it.... You gotta talk to my partner." (Oops! ... let's switch again.)

This is a very useable mechanic in 3-whistle, but for 2-whistle it's wrong. Yes, I understand, that Fed is trying to get the 2 and 3 mechanics as similar as possible, but... shoot this dog, cuz it don't hunt.
mick