Substitution Protocols…
The responsible official shall display the Stop clock signal until the process is completed and the number of players on the court has been verified. The palm of the hand being used should face the official who is responsible for resuming play. The process being completed means that the replaced players have left the floor and are in their bench area.
Some of us are raising our hand at the beginning of the substitution process but are dropping it before all the players have left the floor. This has already led to situations with too many players on the floor when the ball is put into play.
By keeping our hand up until the process is complete, that is, all the replaced players have left the playing court, we will avoid messy events in our games.
Pre-game Protocols…Please be reminded that it is the responsibility of the referee to contact his/her partner(s) and confirm the date, time and location of the assignment. Please be diligent about this. It can save someone from embarrassment and loss of income. We have already had one official go to the wrong site. If your referee does not contact you by the day before the assignment, please contact the referee.
Illegal Numbers…We are now officiating school ball. There are specific requirements regarding numbers on uniforms. Numbers must be on both the front and the back of the uniform jersey. Digits 6, 7, 8 and 9 are not allowed. This means that 6, 16, 26, 36, 46, 56, 17, etc. cannot be present on the jersey.
The penalty for this is a direct technical foul charged to the head coach. Of course, this penalty includes the loss of coaching box privileges.
One school has been notified about this issue with one of its uniforms.
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“Magic Spots”…Please be reminded that all throw-ins in a team’s frontcourt MUST be made from one of the four “magic” spots. The only exception to this is when the ball goes out of bounds. Then the ball will be put in at the spot where it went out of bounds.
Please note that the sideline “magic” spots are at the 28-foot mark which is the end of the coaching box on most courts.
