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.

WOW ... that really takes it back. I haven't heard a reference to reverse mechanics since I was in officiating kindergarten.

That's not really what I meant. But yes, it was that way when I started officiating back in the stone ages.

I understood, Rich, I was just adding that, when we worked that short bump & run, we also had the reverse mechanic situation.

Are we that old? Well, maybe, but I never wore long sleeves. Now, that's before my time.

Not old, but I just finished year 27. Would've never guessed I'd be at it this long.

Cadillac Position ...
 

I started officiating boys'/girls' H.S. basketball in the 1971-72, women's jr. college and college basketball in the 1974-75 season, and men's jr. college in the 1993-94 season.


Therefore, the short answer (:p) to PG-Ref's question is:

That it was the required mechanic for boys'/girls' H.S. and NCAA Men's (and NCAA Women's since the mid-1980's) since at least the 1971-72 season until the early 2000's (I am not going to climb up into the attic to search for the exact years) when the NFHS changed its throw-in mechanic; there was not need for the NCAA Men's/Women's to change the mechanic because by the time the NFHS made the change the CAA had stopped publishing Two-Person Mechanics manuals for the NCAA Men's/Women's basketball.


The NFHS changed its Front Court Side Line Throw-in mechanic in the early 2000's and it is still the mechanic today:

1) If the Throw-in spot is on the L's Side Line below the Free Throw Line extended the L will administer shall administer by using a bounce pass to pass the ball to the Thrower who is at the Throw-in spot.

2) If the Throw-in spot is above the Free Throw Line extended then the officials will rotate with the old L becoming the new T and the old T will become the new L.


I should further note that in the late 1980's women's college officials (meaning the rank-and-file and not the NCAA and the CAA) adopted an unofficial mechanic for the Throw-in situation in PG-Ref's question:

1) If the Throw-in spot was on the L's Side Line below the Free Throw Line extended the officials would rotate with the old L becoming the new T and the old T becoming the new L.

2) If the Throw-in spot was on the L's Side Line above the Free Throw Line extended the old T would go across the Court and become the new T.

3) If the Throw-in spot was at the Free Throw Line extended: (a) if the L wanted to administer the Throw-in he would immediately move to the Side Line to become the new T; and (b) if the L did not want to administer the Throw-in he would stay on the End Line thereby making the T go across the Court and become the new T.

Of course "bald old geezer" like men, when we were the L, would always stand on the End Line and count the rafter situation (3b), :D! To this day, I still use the unofficial mechanic and have taught it to Mark, Jr.


If anybody has questions about "left-handed mechanics", "Cadillac", "reverse mechanics", and "right-handed" mechanics, you will have to buy my $50 dissertation, :D.

MTD, Sr.