Mechanics History Question
 

Anybody recollect what year the NFHS 2 person mechanic was changed to ..."when the ball goes out of bounds on the Lead's sideline above the free throw line extended, the L will move up to become the new T and the T will move down to become the new L"? My archive doesn't seem to go back that far.

I'm aware of this mechanic, but am also aware that we (the guys I work with, anyway) don't use it. 10 years ago?

I want to think it was in the late 90s. Not sure the exact year, but I started in 96.

Peace

Jeff I think it may have been a few years (2 maybe 3???) earlier than that. I remember making the change when I was a JV official sometime between '93-95.

It was not earlier than that in the book. I was officiating when this change was made in the NF mechanics, which at the time my state used. I also remember having to change some training information to illustrate this change. I would not be surprised if that change took place in different jurisdictions before the NF made the change in their mechanics.

Peace

Sounds good to me. Where's MTD, Sr when we need him?!

Wow ... I hadn't realized it was that long ago. I think mid 90's might be right.

Scattered Pictures Of The Smiles We Left Behind ...
 

The oldest book in my library is the 1996-97 NFHS Mechanics manual, and that's (above) the way it was done back then. I believe that it was done that way all the way back to 1979, when I started.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2834/1...a416687b_m.jpg

That is when I started and the "sideline switch" was in place and taught to me then.

I've long known this is the book mechanic, but most places I've lived handled this with a shorter version of a bump-and-run.

I'm not really sure one is better than the other. Shrug.

How does one bump & run in the frontcourt? For example the defense knocks the OOB on the sideline at the 28-ft line (end of the coaching box) and the Lead official is table side. How would you inbound the ball?

I've seen it where the T goes to administer the throw-in on the sideline and the L goes opposite the table and remains on the endline.

Okay. It is not that I do not want to climb up into the attic it is that I am just getting to old to climb up there everyday. Since I am now a retired structural engineer I am going to start scanning my basketball officiating files onto my hard drive so that I by the time next season arrives I will not have to climb up into the attic.

That said, while I will not climb up into the attic to post to this thread. Tomorrow morning, instead of taking my post breakfast nap, :D, I will write up a short dissertation on this subject relying on my fading memory, :rolleyes:.

Enjoy the game tonight everybody.

MTD, Sr.

As I remember, you always worked with the play to your right. In Billy Mac's diagram, the lead would key off of the trail, who would switch back to the left side of the court when play allowed.

Yup. A very short run in a bump and run. T crosses the court to take the throw-in and the L simply switches sides of the court. No more awkward than the book mechanic.