Melton07

Bill, I looked for you at the game last night. I figured you would be the one throwing a garbage can onto the floor and pretending it was an accident (Just kidding) !! Once again, the walk call is one of the hardest calls in all of basketball IMO . The players have gotten so good at making moves that even though it looks funny and one thinks that "That had to be a walk" if you will go back and look at it on tape -it's really not a travellng violation. The player I think you are describing has got tremendous moves off the dribble/drive. He has an uncanny way of getting himself open for shots (I think we may have disscussed this too). Did the officials miss one - maybe. I would just have to get a copy of the tape and break it down and see. Defending the post is a tough thing to do. Lots of big strong kids in there 'jockying' for position, each trying to protect his territory under the basket. The play I think you are talking about had both the T and L official on the same side of the court (tableside) and both officials had pretty good looks at the play. Was there some contact (defensive guy hit the floor) ? YES - Did the amount of contact initiated by the offensive player have enough of an effect to put the kid on the floor? Not in the eyes of the officials. Crew did an excellent job of communicating during a couple of situations as you mentioned and overall did a pretty good job.

Devilfanatic, that was one of the best posts that I have read on this forum in a very long time. Very well said !! We are going to make an official out of you yet !!!

Thanks for the compliment Stang - I know you don't always agree with what I have to say but I appreciate the comment.

Just wanted to say that LA put on a great tournament (as usual). Coach Swallows and all of the fine staff from LA always go out of there way to make sure that you have anything that you need. Your kindness and hospitality is greatly appreciated. I wish some of the other schools that host tournaments would follow your lead. Kudos to LA !!

Scuba, the ball never came to 'rest' in #52's hand, I agree it was a funny looking play, but at that point of the game if the official is not 110% sure it was 'palming' let it go. I would not have had a whistle on this play either. Again, foul #5 in a district final game has got to be 110% - if it's not one that the guy sitting in the top row can see clearly, let it go.

Absolutely wonderful job by Coach Brown and the Lady Blue Devils. Coach Brown - you have taken a program that was on the verge of extinction and got them back to being a solid program. Good luck to you in the regionals !

There is a protocol for getting a game tape submitted for 'viewing'. Both coaches know what the procedure is. This goes for any game during the regular season. Sometimes tape will be 'requested' from the school for evaluation of a crew as well. Both teams had an opoortunity to win this game, JC got some breaks when they really needed them and thats what good tournament teams do. My hats off to both teams for laying it out on the line. Its a shame anyone has to loose a hard fought game like that. Its games like this that make high school basketball the purest sport left IMO. Jim and Lamar did an outstanding job of getting a gameplan together in order to give their teams a chance to win. Were there some 'marginal' calls in this game that could have went either way, of course there were. These calls are now magnified by the team that got beat and "BINGO" thats why we got beat. For a game that was played as well as these two teams played, to get on here and take anything away from any of these girls is the real travesty.

Hows that ?

Yes - it would be dealt with swiftly.

Here is the criteria to working in the postseason per the TSSAA You must attend a state sponsored officiating camp once every three years Some associations also have their own criteria such as: Did the official work scrimmages and jamborees in the preseason Does the official have an accomidating schedule (can you call them last minute and give them a game without too much problem or did they have lots of blocked dates) Did they attend the local meetings Did they handle game situations and bench decorum rules Did they hustle and look good on the court (shoes shined, uniform pressed) Did the use the appropriate high school signals and mechanics I'm not going to comment on who got post season assignments and who didn't and for what reasons. The ones who are working why know why they are working and the ones who are not working know why they are not working.

Contrary to popular belif, we (the officials) don't give a rats backside who wins the game. The officials working during the postseason have earned that right through their work during the regular season. To insinuate that we have our 'favorite teams' is just not true. Do we have better working relationships with some coaches over others, sure we do. At your place of employment, I am sure there are some people that you get along with better than others as well. But just because we have a better working relationship with one coach and not such a good one with the other coach, it DOES NOT mean that one team is going to get all the calls. It simply means that we can communicate much easier with one coach over the other. THATS IT !! Insinuating that the officials are cheating is simply not true and as you can probablly tell, the subject gets me pretty fired up. /blink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blink:" border="0" alt="blink.gif" />

Just so I understand, are you acusing the officials of cheating ?

The watching of film is not something that many officials get the opportunity to do. Ideally, the home team would send a copy of the film to each official after the game. The school has the officials address. The officials would then review the film and make notes on areas of improvement and any unusaul plays they may have during the game. Watching film is a great tool for the officials. At this time, there is no program in place that allows the officials to get a copy of the tape. It would cost the schools extra money for additional DVD's to be dubbed and the postage for the film. We discussed this in an earlier thread during the regular season.

MidTN, There are no 'unwritten rules' regading protocol after you stick a coach. There are actually a couple of coaches in the league (7A) that use this ' us against the world' mentality after a technical foul and it really gets their team motivated. I think we have seen it twice in the tournament already. Some people (fans and coaches) get all excited about a technical foul sometimes, its just another foul. Two free throws and the ball, thats it. After we stick a coach, we do all we can to keep this coach in the game.If he stands to coach, we remind him that he has the seatbelt rule for the rest of the game. Most coaches are former players and most are very competitive. If they 'forget' that they can not stand and they are coaching, I'll politely remind them. If they are in my ear about a block/charge play then thats different. Officials are not out looking to toss coaches out of the game contrary to popular belief. Most coaches and officals in this league have a very good working relationship. There are always going to be the 'personality conflicts' of some officials and coaches, it can not be avoided. Regarding your comments about the consistency of the officiating in the 7A tournament. For the most part I think the officials have done a solid job. I have seen a few calls that I would like to see the officials have a little more patience with their whistle and watch the play all the way through before they blow. Block/charge plays are hard to officiate, getting the best possible position, understanding the rule and not being afraid to make a tough call are the keys to getting them right. It has been my experieince that the officiating becomes magnified in the post season because teams are at the elimination or seeding for the next round (regional) point. Believe it or not, we try to hustle, be in position and call the game right down the line. We are not going to get them all right. But we are going to get 95+ % of them right, thats better than any field goal percentage by any team on any night. On an aside, we are always looking for 'young' officials to get into our officiating program. You seem to have the passion that it takes to be one of the 'bad guys'. Have you ever considered getting into officiating ? Its a very rewarding job (not necessarily financial) and you get to meet some of the finest men and women in the world who share the same passion that you have for the game. Good luck to all the remaining teams in the 7A tournament.

Stang, hope you get feeling better !! I hear that they sell a Blue Devil juice in JC that certainly makes all your ailments go away. /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> I thought the crew last night did a nice job of managing the game. They 'took' fouls that anyone could see and 'passed' on the marginal ones. They communicated well both with each other and the coaches. There were one or two plays where I felt they could have been a little more patient with their whistle, but overall, a solid job !!

Congrats to RBS ! Nice job by the officiating crew as well.

robjim - the 'device you are speaking of is the Precision Timing System The PRECISION TIME SYSTEM has three equally important components: Base Station,which is designed to interface with all existing arena, stadium, coliseum and gymnasium time-keeping equipment. Belt Packs, worn by on-court/on-field officials, to signal at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second) the startings and stoppages of playing time. Ommi-Directional Microphone, worn by officials which are tuned to a specific whistle frequency, instantly stopping the game clock when the whistle is blown - at the speed of light. Time can be started by the floor officials by pressing a button on the Belt Pack or by the game timekeeper at the Base Station. Time will be stopped at the speed of light by the official's whistle or manually by the game timekeeper at the table. Hope this clears up any questions regarding the device. I am a big fan of having this device at the high school level. It is still several years away from happening (not all college conferences use it today) but the officials that I have talked to who use it really enjoy it and it takes away some of the human error element.

I agreed Rutgers got hosed !!! However, I don't know if there is any rule in place that would allow them (officials) to fix the timing issue. They have no timing device to determine the amount of time that expired. They must have definite knowledge that the time expired. I think that a case book play is needed for this situation where the clock stops when it should not and a video monitor is available for the officials. The officials need a timer (on the monitor) that is external from the game clock that continues to run. This would allow them to fix this play. My two cents - Tennessee committed hwy robery !!

Lest we forget the: 'Stat keeping parent/fan award' - This person can tell you exactlly how many points their kid has and how many turnovers your kid has. The fan who yells "walk" on every play that looks funny award - Usually while giving the walk signal followed by a 'touchdown Jesus'.

Fan awards continued: The WWF fan award for the ole boy who wants to ' meet you outside'. The 'table award' for the guy running the clock that shakes his head at you everytime you report a foul.

On behalf of the officials, we would like to present the following 'fan awards' : The guy who yells three seconds all night even though no one is even close to the lane award. And you guys think the ref cant see. The 'over the back' fan (even though there is no contact) award. You know this guy, he usually also complains about the cookies not being hot enough at JC' Kermit Forkum concession stand. The concession stand fan award (for those who make 4 or more trips). This guy also usually needs his kids to help him carry all of his stuff back to his seat(s) - could possibly take up two seats. /roflolk.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflolk:" border="0" alt="roflolk.gif" /> The fan who knows nothing about the rules award (his prize is a rule book). This is the guy that wonders why officials don't line them up in the free throw circle to 'jump it up' after a held ball. The student section with those white boards award (man they can come up with some good stuff) That one guy at LA (sits on the baseline) gets the ' weedeater' award cause he knows how to whack away at your backside ! The most annoying chant award goes to any team that beats LA and yells their little H-O-G E-Y-E just got beat chant - get something original.

I did not say the officiating was perfect Bill, just responding to what the Coach said. Dunn is an outstanding player who is hard to guard, especially if you don't move your feet. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

Here is an intresting thought : How about letting the officials have a vote on the superlatives (all district,etc;)? They have no dog in the hunt, and are an impartial group. Also: I am strongly in favor of having a Sportsmanship award as voted on by the officials. This goes to the player who promotes fairplay and sportsmanship throughout the season. Maybe we could have a 'rotten apple' award too for , well nevermind !!! /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

As quoted from the Cookeville Hearld Citizen "When they(officials) let him (Dunn)attack the basket that way and call little touchy bumps, it makes it really impossible to guard him," said Bees head coach Bobby McWilliams. How about trying to guard him without fouling coach !! Dunn outscored UHS in the first half by himself, how about getting someone that can guard him instead of complaining about the officiating for a change. /blink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blink:" border="0" alt="blink.gif" />

Do you think the schools would be willing to pay an "official" clcok operator ? I have said before that I think it would be a great idea for the clock operator to be part of the officiating crew assigned to the game. We could use JV officials or "new guys" that are trying to get up to the varsity level. They would make maybe $50 per night and at the same time get to watch and learn as the varsity officials work the game. Could be a great learning tool as well as solving your problem with the issue you have with "local" clock keepers. It has been my experience that most clock keepers around the state do a great job. Then you will always have one or two schools where the clock operator becomes too 'involved' in the game.