Bench official thoughts

[Bobby]

As a veteran bench official in a social league among churches, I find it amusing refs have been ignorant when I position the team foul marker on the proper side as it is to be done.

At least ten times this season when I've worked the bench, officials have been ignorant when the team foul marker, built to FIBA size specifications by myself with a few sheets of wood, a few nails, red paint, and hard labour, is placed on the side of the team which has accumulated fouls to result in the team foul penalty.

Once an official was confused when he said the team foul marker should be placed on the side where the penalty free throws take place.

Sometimes it isn't the best thing to please officials when you do it right.

[Stumps]

What happens if both teams are in the penalty? Do you have two markers?

What happens if both teams are in the penalty? Do you have two markers?

:roll:
yeah, its amazing the resoures you have in basketball nowadays

[Bobby]

What happens if both teams are in the penalty? Do you have two markers?

Yes, mate, I made two markers. Each marker was made by me, with help from the cutting room at the local hardware store, prior to the start of our 2004 season.

Sometimes, when I am unavailable because of other committments, the other scorers have ignored the foul markers, preferring to just give hand signals to officials. The major complaint is when the team foul marker is up, the 35 cm tall markers interfere with all table officials, and most officials do not like to use them.

The self-made markers saved money and could, for schools and other social leagues, make for an excellent project with a hammer, a few nails, and some paint (red, black, white). The directional indicator was purchased from a sporting goods store, but I even altered it by replacing the traditional incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs to save money and also prevent the indicator from being hot. Any decent electrician could make the indicators with a three-way toggle switch, two light sockets, a box with arrow cutouts, a red filter, and the letters "POSS", and have one ready with incandescent, fluorescent, or LED bulbs.

[Bobby]

Had another nasty case Monday night. Late in the game, one team was winless and had just one more shot at winning before the end of the regular season after the night. That team had the ball with less than 24 seconds remaining. Just as the other team thought they had a successful block, the grey shirt blows the whistle to call a foul. As soon as I notice the offending player would be charged with #5, I take the red "5" marker and raise it to signify to the official the player was out of the game for his fifth foul. Just as that was happening, he says something I can't say, and while he earns a technical foul.

The team which just bleeped the previous time beat the last undefeated team in the league and now was close to losing to the team which hasn't won a game the whole season.

Ouch. That meant the team which hadn't won was having a shot at four free throws. He nailed them.

Another crazy scorer's incident. At times, when the assistant scorer is not my regular partner at the keypad, the other ones ask me, "Which way does the arrow (on the scoreboard, not the tableside arrow) point?" This happens when the assistant isn't the usual one.

Players are sometimes very tricky. I'll give the substitution signal to them for an "affirmative" signal if they don't ask for the substitution and sometimes they don't even sit in the proper area. At times the assistant scorer and timer (who has control of the signal) forget and I am feveriously signaling the official with the FIBA signal (cross forearms) and sometimes they don't give the substitute the benefit of the doubt.

I would like to ask the other scorers -- when do you give the "substitution" hand signal? Do you give it to the player wishing to substitute if he does not say "substitution"? Do you give it to the official whilst the ball is dead? Or when is the right time to give the signal?

[MAIN_MAN]

Bobby, what church league are you associated with ?

[Trent]

I would like to ask the other scorers -- when do you give the "substitution" hand signal? Do you give it to the player wishing to substitute if he does not say "substitution"? Do you give it to the official whilst the ball is dead? Or when is the right time to give the signal?

If a player approaches the scoretable and doesn't request a sub, I ask him if wants to sub. Insofar as the substitution signal is concerned, I make the signal to the referee at the next dead ball situation when the rules permit it.

[the_referee]

I would like to ask the other scorers -- when do you give the "substitution" hand signal? Do you give it to the player wishing to substitute if he does not say "substitution"? Do you give it to the official whilst the ball is dead? Or when is the right time to give the signal?

If a player approaches the scoretable and doesn't request a sub, I ask him if wants to sub. Insofar as the substitution signal is concerned, I make the signal to the referee at the next dead ball situation when the rules permit it.

Ditto

[the_referee]

A my association we use red flags that we hang off the teams side of the scorebench when they've comitted the five fouls for the quarter we even used them at under 20 nationals.