No "No Long Switches" No More
 

First I heard of this was today when scanning the new issue of Referee magazine, p.30. Apparently, for those following Fed mechanics, we won't be saying "No Long Switches" anymore.

Quote, "With the new mechanic, instead of returning to the endline to administer the throw-in, the lead reports the foul and moves to the new lead or new center position, depending on where the foul was called. The backcourt endline throwin will be administered by the center or trail official."

Not sure I'll be discomforted by this.

Worked a camp with this earlier this year. It's to keep the T from having to run to the reporting area and then awkwardly go back to the backcourt endline.

Works well. No big deal. I'm sure it won't change what we do when we work 2-person -- we haven't long switched here in years, regardless of the book mechanic.

I'm not sure it was ever awkward.

Oh well, use the mechanics that are in effect in your area.

It is, IMO, if you go to the NFHS reporting box, which (IMO) nobody ever did.

IAABO has been doing long switches all along. They'll probably change now, though.

It's always made sense to me for the L to report, the C to move to the new T and the L to move to the new C.

QUOTE=BktBallRef;904450]It's always made sense to me for the L to report, the C to move to the new T and the L to move to the new C.[/QUOTE]

I'm sorry but I am confused. Do you mean, the T reports, the C moves to the new T and the old T moves to the new C?

I ask because I am a newer basketball official and want to understand, this if I run into it in my area.

I'm still studying the issue, but it appears that the customary dictum prevails: "Calling official remains tableside...tableside official replaces calling official."

Therefore, there's really nothing special to learn anew, unless the new L is the tableside official and he already transitioned well into the new frontcourt. That might be a little cumbersome.

Right?

BTW, anybody know of a link to anything that substantiates this apparent NFHS mechanics change? I can't find anything anywhere on their site. Help me out here, if you know. Thanx...

IT depends on whether it's an "offensive" foul (L and C will switch) or a "defensive foul just after a change of posession" (T and C will switch).

Either way, it's the same two people involved, just different labels depending on which way play is going at the time of the foul.

No, I meant what I said.

Foul called by the L and we're now going to other way. The L reports, the C moves to the new T and administers the throw-in while the L moves to the new C. The old T moves to the new L at the other end of the floor.

Simple ??? Yeah, Sure ...
 

Here in 100% IAABO, 95% two person, Connecticut, the entire state, tried "no long switches in the backcourt when there is no change of possession" a few years ago. It seemed simple enough, right? When an offensive player is handling the ball in the backcourt, and a defensive player fouls the offensive player, then the trail just reports the foul, doesn't switch, goes back, and is still the trail. Simple? Right?

Wrong. Some guys used this on rebounding fouls, especially called from the trail, where there wasn't team possession (due to the try). Others used this on garden variety, player control (charging) fouls, typically called from the lead, not sure why, maybe because, with the turnover, the frontcourt just became the backcourt? Or, maybe, because it was convenient (substitute lazy for convenient, if you like)?

I believe that it lasted, no more than, two years. Now we're back to long switches, all the time.

The Only Hitch I Can Perceive
 

The kicker seems to be, however, if C is opposite table. Reporting official apparently isn't going to replace C across the floor.
The "MechaniGram" (with the all-important "R" in a circle so that I'm prohibited from copying it without incurring the wrath of Matt Moore, who is bigger than I am) A on p.30 of most recent issue of Referee magazine shows reporting official then replacing tableside L, with that tableside L replacing the reporting official for the new endline throwin.

The mechanics change now is that the calling official will ALWAYS go tableside and an old lead calling a foul will never go back and be the new trail.

Perhaps my source is very similar as it's another one of the Referee people who was a clinician at one of my camps this summer. However, if he says the NFHS has made a mechanics change, they have.

Probably will be on paper in the preseason guide if this isn't a year where we get new manuals.

Don't Know the WHY, but This Seems to be the WHAT
 

Got a look at new NFHS 2013-15 Officials Manual. Boiling it down to simplest terms, it seems the following is now the mechanic for dead ball switches:

Calling official always reports, then stays tableside.
Tableside official replaces calling official.

EXCEPTIONS: When C or T call a foul opposite table (the OOB after which will be administered opposite table), then C or T, reports the foul, stays opposite, and becomes the new L.

Not sure of the why. But that seems to be the what. According to the Officials Manual.