Use of Cell Phone at Courtside.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Mark, Jr., and I had an unusual thing happen in our boys' H.S. jr. varsity game tonight (Tuesday, December 17, 2013). Team A is the Home Team and Team B is the Visiting Team.

The Second Quarter ends with the B-(JV)HC complaining that A1 had traveled just before the horns sounds to end the period. B-HC's complaining is such that he receives an UTF (from me, ).

Team B has the AP Arrow to start the Third Quarter. B-(JV)HC is informed that he has lost the Coaching Box for the remainder that game and that the Third Quarter will start with the assessing of the penalty for the TF.

At this point Team B's VAR-HC (who had been sitting on the Bench) makes his presence known and states that Team A has to shoot the FTs right now because the TF is part of the 2nd QT because the teams had not yet left the floor at the time of the TF, . I informed him that he was an Assistant Coach for this game and we (the Game Officials) would only converse with the JV Head Coach.

I then proceeded to inform the Scorer of what I had and how we would proceed. While I was doing this Mark, Jr., informed A-(JV)HC how the 3rd QT would start and both Teams left the court.

The unusual thing that happened was that while I was talking with the Scorer with regard to the Second Half Team Fouls and the AP Arrow, B-(VAR)HC stood behind the Scorer's Table, pulled out his cell phone and proceeded to make a telephone call. I really didn't pay much attention to him and what he was doing because my conversation with the Scorer was more important than his ordering pizza for all of the Game Officials for after the game, . Mark and I then proceeded to the Officials' Dressing Room.

When we left the Dressing Room for the start of the Second Half, Team B's VAR-HC was waiting for us at the entrance to the gym with the Home AD. He just wanted to tell me that he had spoken with OhioHSAA Asst. Comm. XYZ, a friend of his for more that thirty hears, and XYZ had told him that we were correct.

I too, know XYZ from his days as a H.S. AD and basketball coach at various schools in NW Ohio. XYZ is a nice guy and is one of the Asst. Comm. who oversee boys' and girls' basketball. But he is not one of the State Basketball Rules Interpreters and is not the first person at the OhioHSAA one would go to for a rules interpretation.

None-the-less, if I had known he was calling XYZ when he was standing behind the Scorer's Table, I think I would have "whacked" him, .

MTD, Sr.