My 6th grade travel team just lost 66-63 and I have a few questions about what just happened.
1st Scenario: Game tied at 63 with 5 seconds left. Opponent calls timeout and takes ball out of bounds under their own basket. They try a long pass to a big at half court and connect, he dribbles a few times and cannot get by our defender, so he passes inside to another of their bigs. We look up and the timer hasn't started the clock - i.e. the clock still reads 5 seconds left. Half the gym (our side) is yelling that the clock hasn't started. Meanwhile their 2nd big hits over our guy to give them a 2 point lead 65-63. Ball falls through the hoop and the clock starts and rolls down to 1 second. Refs are ignoring us and we have to call a timeout to get their attention. The home town timer, to his credit, admits he forgot to start the clock.
It's quite possible that the shot never got up before 5 seconds, but impossible to know.
1. What should the Refs have done?. The refs, for some inexplicable reason, put 2 more seconds on the clock and give us the ball with 3 seconds left under our basket. We never argued (but should we have?) that the play should have been re-run from under their basket with 5 seconds left. Is there any logical justification for them to have given us back 2 more seconds to take the ball out under our basket? i.e. either they scored before the 5 seconds ran off or they didn't. They certainly didn't score in 2 seconds!!
2nd Scenario: in order to get the officials to discuss the clock discrepancy, we had to call timeout. It was our 6th timeout (5 allowed). Refs call a technical and give the other team 2 shots and the ball. They hit one. We argue unsuccessfully that the clock discussion should have been an official timeout to figure what the hell happened with the clock, rather than charge us a TO. Otherwise, the only way we can remedy a clock malfunction, that was home town cooking, is to burn a TO and be penalized. They didn't agree. Who's right?
Rule Interpretation Q: 3 seconds left now and other team takes the ball out at half court after making 1 of 2 FTs. They pass the ball into a big man who jumps from the forecourt, catches the ball in midair, and lands in the backcourt. Isn't that a backcourt violation? i.e. That big man is established in the forecourt and until he lands, he's in the forecourt. So when he catches the ball in mid-air, he's in the forecourt and when he lands he's in the backcourt. Thus, a backcourt violation. The Ref said possession is not established until he actually lands, therefore, his possession began in the backcourt. I had not heard this before. He might be right, but I'm not so sure. Anyone?
1st Scenario: Game tied at 63 with 5 seconds left. Opponent calls timeout and takes ball out of bounds under their own basket. They try a long pass to a big at half court and connect, he dribbles a few times and cannot get by our defender, so he passes inside to another of their bigs. We look up and the timer hasn't started the clock - i.e. the clock still reads 5 seconds left. Half the gym (our side) is yelling that the clock hasn't started. Meanwhile their 2nd big hits over our guy to give them a 2 point lead 65-63. Ball falls through the hoop and the clock starts and rolls down to 1 second. Refs are ignoring us and we have to call a timeout to get their attention. The home town timer, to his credit, admits he forgot to start the clock.
It's quite possible that the shot never got up before 5 seconds, but impossible to know.
1. What should the Refs have done?. The refs, for some inexplicable reason, put 2 more seconds on the clock and give us the ball with 3 seconds left under our basket. We never argued (but should we have?) that the play should have been re-run from under their basket with 5 seconds left. Is there any logical justification for them to have given us back 2 more seconds to take the ball out under our basket? i.e. either they scored before the 5 seconds ran off or they didn't. They certainly didn't score in 2 seconds!!
2nd Scenario: in order to get the officials to discuss the clock discrepancy, we had to call timeout. It was our 6th timeout (5 allowed). Refs call a technical and give the other team 2 shots and the ball. They hit one. We argue unsuccessfully that the clock discussion should have been an official timeout to figure what the hell happened with the clock, rather than charge us a TO. Otherwise, the only way we can remedy a clock malfunction, that was home town cooking, is to burn a TO and be penalized. They didn't agree. Who's right?
Rule Interpretation Q: 3 seconds left now and other team takes the ball out at half court after making 1 of 2 FTs. They pass the ball into a big man who jumps from the forecourt, catches the ball in midair, and lands in the backcourt. Isn't that a backcourt violation? i.e. That big man is established in the forecourt and until he lands, he's in the forecourt. So when he catches the ball in mid-air, he's in the forecourt and when he lands he's in the backcourt. Thus, a backcourt violation. The Ref said possession is not established until he actually lands, therefore, his possession began in the backcourt. I had not heard this before. He might be right, but I'm not so sure. Anyone?