Late Game Situation
 

Saw this in a televised game officiated by our chapter:

Team A up by 9 in closing seconds. B1 takes a halfcourt shot and is fouled in the act by A1. After the foul the clock continues to run and the horn sounds. The clock shows 0:00. What do you do if (a) you know how much time was left at the time of the foul, and it was 1.5 seconds?; (b) you know how much time was left at the time of the foul, and it was 0.5 seconds?; (c) you don't know how much time was left at the time of the foul?

If you know how much time was on the clock when the foul occurred, you put that much time back on the clock, regardless of whether it's more or less than one second.

If you don't know what was on the clock, then you ask your partners for help. If they don't know, then you ask everyone at the table (timer, shot clock operator, scorer, visiting scorer, computer-stat guy) for help.

If nobody knows the exact amount of time to put back on the clock, but you are sure that the foul occurred before the horn, I think you have to put something on the clock, even if it's just 0.3.

Definite Knowledge ...
 

Scrapper1: This sounds like a common sense, fair, solution, but is it correct, by rule? Where is your "definite knowledge" as required by rule? Easy way to get through this would be to say that because of the shortness of time left in the period, that you, as the official, kept a count in your head after the foul occurred. I could live with that. Barring that, ask anyone else in your crew, including the table, if they kept any mental count after the foul occurred? Barring that, with no definite knowledge by anyone, it looks like, by rule, that the game would be over.

If I call a foul before the horn, but the horn sounds, and no one has definite knowledge of how much time is left, I am not ruling the game over. (assuming the outcome is still in doubt and could be changed by potential free throws)

Nevermind, I see the OP says that a team was up by 9. In that case, the game is over.

Had something like this last week, though the margin was double digits.

Called the foul, heard the horn. Reported the foul, and said, "that's it." No shots. Thanks, crew.

Absolutely fair question. My definite knowledge is that the game is not over. I know that there was time left on the clock when the whistle sounded. So if the game is definitely not over, the issue is not whether to put time back on the clock, but how much.

Even in a 9-point game, if it's obvious that the whistle came first, I think I would adjust the clock.

How much is all that matters to the NFHS. Unless you have definite knowledge of how much time was left (i.e. you saw the clock), you cannot put time back on.

You can double check me on this, but I'm pretty sure the words "how much" do not appear in the rule. I believe what it says is definite knowledge "relative to the time" involved. The definite knowledge in Scrapper's example would be:

anything > 0

With this in mind, you might as well make it .1 on the clock. The effect would be the same.

For what it's worth, what the officials did in the game I saw was shot the free throws despite not putting any time back on the clock. No lineup. I'd say the whistle for the foul came at about 1.5 seconds and the foul itself probably around 2.0. Weird way to end a game, and wrong of course. I'm guessing they might say that they had some definite knowledge but the clock operator couldn't quickly put time back up. But, they went to the shots pretty quickly so I don't know if I'd buy that story!

One thing is certain. In a 9 point game, if you don't put time back up, you don't shoot the free throws.

You definitely should NOT do this!
You should follow the rules and accept that a timing error occurred and that you can't fix it without definite knowledge.

Change the situation to the middle of the 2nd Qtr. A travel is called and the timer fails to stop the clock. A substitution occurs and clock is still running when you look up and see it at 4:23 and counting down. Neither your partner(s) nor the table crew has any info to help. In an NFHS game what time do you have placed on the clock?
The correct answer is 4:23 because that is what you saw even though you know that more time ran off. By rule, you can't guess and restore more time.

You should consult the Case Book plays and the Interp rulings. They say that the official can restore what he saw on the clock.

No. That is not what they mean by relative. Relative means knowledge relating to the amount the time as apposed to definite knowledge relating to the score or something else.

It says he can restore what he saw on the clock, sure. It doesn't say that he can restore only what he saw on the clock. I'm backing up what Scrapper says. He had a count in his head which started with the whistle. "one thou....."
That was definitely some time.

This is not a good comparison.

I would say that one enters dangerous territory when using a non-visual count as definite information to correct timing errors. I wouldn't do it. If I'm going to correct a timing error, I want my count to be visual so that it can be verified on video if questioned about it later.

Definite Knowledge ???
 

Did Scrapper1 actually say that ("count in his head")? If he did, then I also agree with him, but I may have missed him saying that. Without a mental count, or a visual on the clock, from the table, or from the officials, there is no definite knowledge. The NFHS doesn't allow us to guess.

Around here we would put sometime back up. Our high school competitive season has home and homes between conference teams where in case of a split the point spreads matter. If Team A loses by 8 in Nov, but goes on the road and wins by 7 in Jan. They still lose the split when it comes down to records.

Several officials have gotten their knuckles wrapped for not being concerned whether about timing/scoring issues when the game was "in hand" and coaches/AD's filed complaints.

In regards to the OP. I'm putting something back on the clock after discussions with my partners and the table. The kid staring at his clock monitor had to have some info based on when the whistle went. After all consultation something is going back on the clock.

In concept / theory, I agree with Scrapper / JAR. Put something back up.

But, according to the FED (and, I think, NCAAW) rules, if the official doesn't see the clock, or have a count going, then you can't put anything up.

Now, if your state association has said to do something different, then follow that advice, of course.

Sometimes the letter of the rule has to be superseded by some common sense. If I know there's time left, I'm putting time up. Period.

So I'm curious: HS refs, do you make it a habit to look up at the clock on a whistle in the last 10 seconds so that you will have definite knowledge if the operator doesn't stop the clock?

This situation is exactly why it is SO important for the crew to talk during the last minutes of the game anytime they have an opportunity during a deadball. We all know these things - trail has clock, signal each other at 1 min & 20 sec to go, etc. - but there is nothing wrong with getting together to be ready for all of the things that can happen at the end of a good game. You could even make an alternative plan by having lead and trail glancing up if there are two score boards and take time to talk to the table to ensure they are starting/stopping on our signal as you check fouls, TO's left, etc.

All that being said, I don't know that I would add time to the clock in the OP situation if I don't have any reliable knowledge of what to add. If the horn blew several seconds after the whistle (let's say approx. 5 or more) so I know with confidence there was SOME time on the clock I might be convinced by my partners in discussion to add 2 or 3 seconds based on "common sense" but I'm not guessing how much time to add when we start talking about tenths of a second unless I see the clock or was doing a count.

Also, the ultimate decision here lies on the shoulders of the R so I will go with whatever he decides. But when I'm the R, I would go with what I wrote above if I were ever in that situation.

Yes, if I can.

I also count down the last xx seconds in my head, glancing at the clock when the situation permits to "reset" the clock.

Same.

Very well said, I agree 1000000%

To all who are saying you can't put time back on, lets say it's a closer game, 2 or 3 points, and the foul happens with 5ish seconds left. If time is never stopped, and no one notices it, and the horn goes off when you are reporting your foul, what would you do? Would you really not put any time back up there?? And yes, I realize the correct answer here is to never get to this point, because you should look at the clock in this situation, as I'm sure most of us probably do, but if it somehow gets missed, then what?

Yes, I had a count. Next question.

I make it a habit to look at the clock on every whistle....especially if I'm the off official.

Works For Me ...
 

Good answer.