What did you guys notice about the officiating across the state last night? Did HS officials tend to call more like the college game has been called this season or was there no difference? I know that Brossart shot 40 free throws in their game which seems like an awful lot to me.

What I witnessed last night was not the game of basketball, let them play or give them all a flag so we don't touch. And don't plan on getting home in a hurry this year. The freshman game had close to 30 fouls in the first half , and lasted 47 minutes!

Get ready. It is going to be like that all over the state.

Get ready. It is going to be like that all over the state.

 

It will be very, very interesting to see how this plays out over the course of the entire season. When tournament time rolls around, will it still be picky, ticky-tack stuff being called, or will it return to the ways of recent years? That seems to be the $1,000,000 question. At Diddle (and at Rupp for the boys), it often seemed as though the officials really wanted to stay on schedule and have the games run like clockwork.

It will be very, very interesting to see how this plays out over the course of the entire season. When tournament time rolls around, will it still be picky, ticky-tack stuff being called, or will it return to the ways of recent years? That seems to be the $1,000,000 question. At Diddle (and at Rupp for the boys), it often seemed as though the officials really wanted to stay on schedule and have the games run like clockwork.

Like you, it will be interesting to see if all of this maintains as the season wears on. As we all know, at tournament time, there are basically no rules in the paint/lane.

It will be very, very interesting to see how this plays out over the course of the entire season. When tournament time rolls around, will it still be picky, ticky-tack stuff being called, or will it return to the ways of recent years? That seems to be the $1,000,000 question. At Diddle (and at Rupp for the boys), it often seemed as though the officials really wanted to stay on schedule and have the games run like clockwork.

 

I believe the philosophy at the state tourney has been let the athletes decide who the better team is. Not sure if the new emphasis is better or not. The stronger athlete no longer has an advantage for being stronger. In the game I watched last night, I saw 2 girls take obvious charges and both calls were blocks. This type of call really makes it hard to guard a faster player and might cause us to see lots of zone defense from coaches.

Get used to it and don't blame the refs. They are just doing what they have been directed to do!

Get used to it and don't blame the refs. They are just doing what they have been directed to do!

 

I agree with your statment. These guys are under duress from directives from higher-ups.

 

However, I don't have to like it. Since when has officiating become larger than the teams and the players??? The present style grossly detracts from the playing of the game.

 

Hand checks which gain an advantage need to be called, the myriad of inconsequential fouls that are now being called don't.

 

Hopefully, sanity will soon overcome the recent trend, and more normalacy will return to our games.

I honestly think it reduce the entertainment value on all levels. If fans aren't satisfied, they'll quit attending the games. In major college basketball, I believe the networks will ultimately force the NCAA into backing off. Games are scheduled for two hours, and they rarely ever ended in that amount of time before this year. It's nothing to see a game go 2 hours and 20 minutes to 2 1/2 hours this season. If you're a network airing back to back games, the second game will be very far along before they cut to that game. Also, if it is tourney time, each game site will keep backing times up due to warmups between games. Be ready for some really late nights on the first weekend of the NCAAs.

 

Even though I brought up NCAA examples, the same will happen on the high school level, only to a lesser degree. We're all in for some late nights this season on those long away games. That is bad for the parents, but it's really bad for the student athletes.

I believe the philosophy at the state tourney has been let the athletes decide who the better team is. Not sure if the new emphasis is better or not. The stronger athlete no longer has an advantage for being stronger. In the game I watched last night, I saw 2 girls take obvious charges and both calls were blocks. This type of call really makes it hard to guard a faster player and might cause us to see lots of zone defense from coaches.

 

AND when you add the palming of the ball from the offensive player that never gets called (and already gives the ball handler an advantage), you might as well just shoot free throws for the game...because you won't hardly be able to guard anyone.

It's painful to watch. So you have this going in high school ball. And AAU is a blood sport compared to what's being called in high school. Let the girls play.

I don't like it. I like the physical play of basketball. You should be rewarded for being stronger than your opponent! I agree with the one poster regarding things that blatanlty impede progress, but the hand checking is completely fine with me as long as it's not holding. I always taught my players to play through contact and be strong. I also taught my players to hand check, jam cutters (beat them to the spot and hold your ground, make then go around you) and battle under the boards (which usually meant do what you need to to get position! Strength is a huge part of the game.

 

It is unfair to the refs. They are the face of officiating decisions and no one likes all the fouls. I get that they feel eventually, kids will learn to play defense without their hands on you, but to take it cold turkey from one to the other is pretty tough on the refs. These kids have played years of AAU ball, which get as physical as you can imagine. You talk about no blood, no foul!! And this is why I don't get why it's such a big deal. All these kids know how to play like that. They grew up that way.

There is an argument to make that the regions that call it this way for the season will have better prepared teams come tournament time. At least those teams will have learned to move their feet and play defense instead of holding, reaching, using forearms and pushing. Just a thought.

 

Also, isn't their a case for the fact that these have always been the rules, but they are just now being enforced?

Yes they have always been the rules, but all the players play differnently now than when those rules were written because they haven't been inforced for years. They made the decision to try and enforce the existing rules, but they could have easily just adopted new interpretation of the rules to evolve with today's game. That happens in all sports. Sports constantly evolve.

 

Not really saying one thing or the other is right here, just that it's tough to do this cold turkey and it's very frustrating for the fans and players when the flow of the game is interupted so much. They just have to make sure the call the other rules correctly too...offensive player control fouls and ball handling infractions such as palming. Make it an equal playing field.

There is an argument to make that the regions that call it this way for the season will have better prepared teams come tournament time. At least those teams will have learned to move their feet and play defense instead of holding, reaching, using forearms and pushing. Just a thought.

Also, isn't their a case for the fact that these have always been the rules, but they are just now

 

Most will not agree with me but......IMO I think the new rules will improve the game and they are long overdue! Holding, forearms , & pushing/shoving have become a major emphasis for many teams that like to press and run. Teams have gotten by with less skill because they could "man-handle" their opponents. Emphasis on "athleticism" not skill. Offensive players, especially the better ones, get the living crap beat out of them because the rules were not enforced, which tilted the advantage to the defensive side. Basketball is NOT football. Yes, there will be a lot of adjusting for all teams, but in the end, the game of basketball (IMO) should be more fun to watch with an emphasis on skills like dribbling, passing, shooting, and good defensive positioning will require some effort.