Issue 29, May 18, 2002
MACBOA Newsletter

In this Issue:

• Remarks from the Supervisor of Officials: Donnee L. Gray
• Contributing Article: Membership Retention: It is an Attitude (Ike Relacion)
• NCAA MEN'S AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RULES COMMITTEES MAKE MINOR CHANGES FOR 2002-2003 SEASON
• List of 2002-03 Men's Rules Changes
• List of 2002-03 Women's Rules Changes
• 2002-03 REGIONAL MEN'S BASKETBALL OFFICIATING CLINICS
• 2002-03 REGIONAL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL OFFICIATING CLINICS DATES AND SITES
• Member News and Accomplishment
• Stats On Macboa.org
• Submitting Articles for MACBOA Consideration
• New MACBOA-logo Fox-40 Classic Whistles
• MACBOA Volunteers
• Newsletter Contact/Information

Remarks from the Supervisor of Officials: Donnee L. Gray

To Officials:

If you know anyone interested in being considered for MACBOA staff next season, or know of a young official who could benefit from attending camp, please contact or have them contact me at 301-283-6807 or via e-mail at dgray@macboa.org.

The Time Out Referee School will be held at The American University (www.american.edu), Washington, D.C., on July 11 through July 14, 2002. The Time Out Referee School includes lectures, demonstrations, film and video viewing of on-court officiating during top-level basketball competition. The staff will work with each attendee individually to provide administration and leadership skills. After being observed at Time Out Referee School by various collegiate supervisors, participants of the school have been selected to work D-I level basketball. Officials returning to the staff next season and selected to attend camp will be notified.

Call the MACBOA Office at 301-283-6807 for the cost for current staff members wishing to attend the Timeout Referee School. Please visit http://www.macboa.org/training/training.html.
MACBOA has uploaded the Time Out Referee School application form (PDF). Completed applications forms may be sent to Time Out Referee School, Post Office Box 98, Bryans Road, MD 20616.

NEW ITEM on the web site: We have created an "Ask the Supervisor" link on the web site. It may be found under the "New Items" area.

Corporate Sponsors: Staff and Member Institutions hopefully are using the Sponsors. MACBOA would like to recognize businesses that support our association. Please support them. We will now sell quarterly advertising space on the web page. If you know of anyone wanting to get on the web site as a Sponsor please have them contact MACBOA Office. THERE WILL BE A FINDERS FEE!

Officials are reminded to notify the MACBOA office immediately if there is a change of address or phone number. You may e-mail changes to macboa1@aol.com or dgray@macboa.org. The necessary changes will be uploaded on to the "Members Only" section of the www.macboa.org web site. Please check the web site for correct addresses, phone numbers and email address. They are updated on a regular bases.

Contributing Article: Membership Retention: It is an Attitude (Ike Relacion)

In business, many corporations trumpet the slogan, "People are our most important asset." This is admirable, but it takes hard, consistent work in policies, statements, and actions for those people to believe it. Similarly, officiating associations can learn from retention methods of business.

In order to successfully manage retention, assignors must embrace their membership, assist them in gaining knowledge and expertise and not ridicule its members who want to get better. In the business world, most employers have career progression and pay for performance programs. A membership association can consciously transform itself through purposeful study and application of some basic themes.

In business, the greatest employee development comes from managers taking time to develop employees through mentoring, assigning interesting projects and identifying improvement areas. Employees tend to feel welcome, happy, challenged, and are more apt to want to give back to an organization. How can we transfer this to our officiating membership associations?

First, members need to feel they are appreciated, valued, and trusted. It is about respecting people and their contributions to the membership. This principle implies competence. The second theme is development. In business, a critical component of trust is competence. The whole organization needs each person to be really good at what they do. Few people start out that way. Employees who participate in their own growth and development plans are going to stick around because they know their company wants more for them. The next theme is growth in responsibility. Most people want to grow and to feel more competent and more responsible, at any level. As officials, we all start as novice referees, work recreation assignments and eventually progress to higher-level assignments. As our competence grows so do our expectations. A good association helps people manage themselves by consistently focusing on performance and results. The assignor can be an essential conduit to an official by being supportive and giving positive advice, encouragement, and information on how to improve. In the business world, this translates into higher levels of responsibility and accountability. At this point in the "career progression" path, assignors should provide opportunities for their members to become better and not facilitate alienation of its membership who want to excel. As they get better, they provide better service, which our paying customers ultimately want, which can also re-engineer a sense of sportsmanship because the officials are well prepared, which ultimately brings our paying customer base back for service. Which will ultimately improve an association's recruitment and retention program.

As the theme above implies, the next principle is a good relationship with your supervisor. Research in the business world shows that this relationship is critical to employee success and satisfaction, and therefore retention. In Officiating, it makes sense in that the assignor is the richest interface and the most important source of feedback regarding retention. The supervisor/assignor represents the personal experience of the association for officials and therefore reflects, for better or for worse, its underlying attitudes toward them.

The next theme is success. The previous themes lead up to it. The valued and successful official stays. Success is the aphrodisiac of retention. Success is obvious, and it is also contagious. The strong association rewards its members for helping to make others (and the association) successful also.

As stated above, these principles are neither magical nor mystical. They are the foundation of an association attitude to making its membership the best they can be within the mission and objectives of the association. An officials association is in the service business. It is there to serve the sport, the players, coaches, and fans. The association has to have a commitment to people.

The tone of an association is set at the top. When the tone is cynical a cancer eats away at potential strength. Where the tone is positive and embracing towards its membership, power and a can-do spirit arise. Officiating associations, as with companies in the business world, must pay closer attention to these themes of value, dignity, and respect for its membership. The labor pool is drying up. If we don't start paying real attention, not just lip service, to the most important resource, the best of this resource will, at the least, migrate away from the association to other organizations that do value them.

NCAA MEN'S AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RULES COMMITTEES MAKE MINOR CHANGES FOR 2002-2003 SEASON

INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Rules Committees adjusted some rules to speed up the game but made few major changes at their annual meeting which was held April 29 through May 2, in Palm Harbor, Florida.

"We discussed at length many items that were submitted to us, but for the most part we didn't change things much because we thought the rules were in good shape," said Art Hyland, chair of the men's committee and coordinator of officiating for the Big East Conference.

Perhaps the most major of the changes made for both the men's and women's game was an adoption of a men's experimental rule from the past season. With the change, when the bonus is in effect, no free throws will be awarded to the offended team for a foul committed by a member of the team in control of the ball. Instead of shooting free throws as under the previous rule, play will be restarted by the offended team being awarded possession at a designated spot. The change makes the penalty for such fouls during the bonus the same as that for player-control fouls. Such a foul will continue to count toward disqualification of the offender and toward the team-foul total.

Both committees eliminated the requirement that mutual consent of coaches be obtained for use of a composite ball to be legal. Previously, unless both coaches consented, a leather ball had to be used. The change came about because the NCAA Division I tournament committees for both the men's and women's game plan to use such a ball in their respective championship tournaments next year.

The committees also changed the procedure for putting the ball back in play after a simultaneous personal foul is called when there is team control or when a team has possession of the ball for a throw-in. Under the change, play shall resume with a throw-in from a designated spot awarded to that team with no reset of the shot clock.

Other changes exclusive to the men's game include:

Requiring that the two lane spaces closest to the free-thrower remain unoccupied for all free throws. The purpose is to reduce the chances for taunting and disconcertion of the free-thrower.

Adding exhibition games in Divisions II and III to the list of games that must use the experimental rules for the coming season. In previous seasons, only "certified" games that occurred before January 1 of a given year used the experimental rules. Since these games were played almost exclusively by Division I teams, almost no data could be collected from Division II or III. The committee wanted to correct this because the playing rules are the same for all divisions, with only a few exceptions.

Creating three experimental rules that will be used in games mentioned above: (1) widening the free-throw lane by 2 feet on each side (a repeat of this past season's experimental rule); (2) moving the three-point line 9 inches behind the current three-point line to create a new experimental distance of 20 feet, 6 inches); and (3) relocating the free-throw lane block in the spot between the first free-throw lane space adjacent to the end line and the next lane space on both sides of the lane. The temporary lines would be added to playing courts by use of tape, shoe polish or temporary paint.

Recommending to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet, Division II Championships Committee and Division III Championships Committee that rim testing for rebound elasticity, which was only recommended by rule previously, become mandatory for the 2004-05 season. The reasoning is that the committee wants the ball to rebound off the basket ring more uniformly. Research by the National Association of Basketball Coaches has shown that rebound elasticity, which, by rule, must lie within a certain range, varies greatly even between baskets on either end of the same court.

The women's committee, which made no major changes exclusive to its game, will continue to work with hand-checking and post play as points of emphasis for 2002-03. "We have seen improvement in the areas of hand-checking and post play over the past three years," Amy Ruley, chair of the women's committee and coach at North Dakota State University, said. "We're going to continue to work on the foundations of the points of emphasis by adding directives for offensive and defensive displacement for hand-checking. For post play, we will also be adding directives about offensive displacement."

The men's committee will continue its point of emphasis on reducing rough play for the third straight year, focusing special attention on rough play by the offensive player in the low post. Another point of emphasis will be that intentional fouls and fouls committed off the ball in end-of-game situations must be called as described in the rules.

The last point of emphasis for the men's game is that officials shall ensure that a player has possession of the ball before granting a timeout. If it is not clear that a player on the team requesting a timeout has possession, officials shall err on the side of not granting the timeout. A complete list of men's and women's rules changes are listed below.

List of 2002-03 Men's Rules Changes

Supplemental Rule 9, page 20: Forwarded a request to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet, Division II Championships Committee and Division III Championships Committee that, for 2004-05, schools be required to test their rims for rebound elasticity once before the season and once before the postseason to ensure that their rims’ elasticity falls within the accepted limits. Previously, the rule only recommended this procedure.

Rule 1-15.3: It is no longer necessary to gain the consent of the visiting coach in order to be able to use a composite ball as the game ball. Previously, mutual consent of the competing coaches was necessary in order to use such a ball. Rationale: The Division I Men’s Basketball Committee intends to use a composite ball for the NCAA Division I tournament starting in 2003.

Rule 2-13.7.e, 4-26.2, 6-3.1, 7-4.1, 7-5.14: The procedure for putting the ball back in play after a simultaneous personal foul is called when there is team control or when a team has possession of the ball for a throw-in has been changed. Under the change, after the fouls have been charged, play shall resume with a throw-in from a designated spot, with the ball being awarded to that team with no reset of the shot clock. In addition, a simultaneous personal foul should not be listed under the definition of a common foul.

Rule 4-18.5, 4-18.6, 9-8.1, 9-8.3: The count for a three-second violation will be in effect during an interrupted dribble. Rationale: This makes officiating consistent for any three-second violation. Previously, the three-second count stopped during an interrupted dribble but continued during a loose ball.

Rule 4: Added a definition that an inadvertent whistle occurs anytime an official blows the whistle as an oversight and does not have a call to make. In such a case, there shall be no reset of the shot clock and the ball shall be put back into play to the team that was in control of the ball before the ball became dead by the whistle. The alternating-possession arrow will be used with a reset when there was no player or team control at the time of the whistle. When an inadvertent whistle happens during a throw-in, the ball goes back to the throw-in team at the same designated spot.

Rule 5-9.10: Substitution shall not be allowed when an official stops the game clock after a successful field goal in the last 59.9 seconds of the second half or the last 59.9 seconds of any extra period when an administrative mistake or inadvertent whistle occurs. Rationale: By rule, substitutions were allowed in these infrequent situations in previous years, which the committee felt was not fair.

Rule 8-1.4.a: During free throws, the two lane spaces closest to the free-thrower shall remain unoccupied. All other rules regarding the free-throw lane remain as is. Rationale: To reduce the chances for taunting and disconcertion of the free-thrower.

Rule 10-21: No free throws will be awarded to the offended team for a foul committed by a member of the team in control of the ball when the bonus is in effect, as they were previously. Instead, the offended team will be awarded possession at a designated spot (out of bounds). Such a foul will continue to count toward disqualification and toward the team-foul total. This was an experimental rule last year. Under the previous rule, the offended team shot the bonus free throws.

POINTS OF EMPHASIS

The emphasis on rough play will continue for the third straight year, with special attention on rough play by the offensive player in the low post.

Intentional fouls and fouls committed off the ball in end-of-game situations must be called and penalized as described in the rules.

Officials shall ensure that a player has possession of the ball before granting a timeout. If it is not clear that a player on the team requesting the timeout has possession, officials shall err on the side of not granting the timeout.

EXPERIMENTAL RULES

Three experimental rules will be used in the certified games played before January 1, 2003, and also in the exhibition games played by Division II and Division III teams. The three experimental rules are:

• Widening the free-throw lane by 2 feet on each side (a repeat of this past season’s experimental rule).
• Moving the three-point line 9 inches behind the current three-point line to create a new experimental distance of 20 feet, 6 inches.
• Relocating the free-throw lane block between the first free-throw lane space adjacent to the end line and the next lane space on both sides of the lane. The temporary lines would be added to playing courts by use of tape, shoe polish or temporary paint.

List of 2002-03 Women's Rules Changes

Rule 1-15.3: It is no longer necessary to gain the consent of the visiting coach in order to be able to use a composite ball as the game ball. Previously, mutual consent of the competing coaches was necessary in order to use such a ball. Rationale: Many coaches prefer a composite ball, and it is the intent of the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee to use the composite ball for the NCAA Division I tournament starting in 2003.

Rule 2-13.7.e, 6-3.1, 7-4.1, 7-5.14: The procedure for putting the ball back in play after a simultaneous personal foul is called when there is team control or when a team has possession of the ball for a throw-in has been changed. Under the change, play shall resume with a throw-in from a designated spot being awarded to the team that had control with no reset of the shot clock.

Rule 4-18.5, 9-8.1, 9-8.3: The count for three-second violations will continue during both a loose ball and during an interrupted dribble. Rationale: This makes officiating consistent for three-second violations in both cases. Previously, the three-second count stopped during an interrupted dribble but continued during a loose ball.

Rule 4: Add a definition that an inadvertent whistle occurs anytime an official blows the whistle and does not have a call to make. In such a case, there shall be no reset of the shot clock and the ball shall be put back into play to the team that was in control of the ball before the ball became dead by the whistle. The alternating-possession arrow will be used when there is no player or team control at the time of the whistle. If an inadvertent whistle happens during a throw-in, the ball goes back to the throw-in team for another attempt at a successful throw-in.

Rule 5-9.10: Substitution shall not be allowed when an official stops the clock after a successful field goal in the last 59.9 seconds of the second half; or the last 59.9 seconds of any extra period when an administrative mistake or inadvertent whistle occurs. Rationale: By rule, substitutions were allowed in these situations in previous years, which may give a team an unfair advantage.

Rule 5-10.3.a.1: For NCAA Division I tournament games, the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee may make the first team-called timeout in the game by either team an electronic-media timeout, provided that no game-format requests are submitted next season.

Rule 5-12.2: A 75-second timeout in games not involving electronic media or a 30-second timeout in games involving electronic media shall be charged to and may be used by a team that is granted an excessive timeout. Previously, a team could use 60 seconds for a granted excessive timeout. The offending team would continue to be charged with an indirect technical foul. In the men’s game, the penalty will continue to be two free throws to the offended team and the ball will be returned to the point of interruption. In the women’s game, the penalty includes a change of possession.

Rule 10-12, 10-16: The distinction between a flagrant personal foul and a flagrant technical foul will be eliminated. The offending player will be ejected; two free throws will be granted to any member of the offended team; and the ball will be returned to play at the closest spot to the foul. Rationale: Previously, whether or not the ball was live or dead determined which type of flagrant foul was called. Now, the effect will be the same no matter if the ball is live or dead.

Rule 10-14.6: After an intentional technical foul, the ball will be returned to play at the closest spot, rather than half court. Rationale: With this change, the ball will now be returned to play from the closest spot to the foul after all technical fouls. It is more consistent.

Rule 10-21: No free throws will be awarded to the offended team for a foul committed by a member of the team in control of the ball when the bonus is in effect, as they were previously. Instead, the offended team will be awarded possession at a designated spot (out of bounds). Fouls committed by the offense will continue to count toward disqualification and toward the team-foul total. Under the previous rule, the offended team shot the bonus free throws. Rationale: To keep the game moving and to make the penalties for offensive and defensive fouls more equitable in such situations.

POINTS OF EMPHASIS

The emphasis will continue to revolve around post play and hand checking.

2002-03 REGIONAL MEN'S BASKETBALL OFFICIATING CLINICS

DATES AND SITES

In order to receive the room rates listed, each clinic attendee should inform hotel personnel that he or she will be attending the NCAA officiating clinic. All arrangements for sleeping rooms should be made through the reservation desk at the appropriate hotel before the designated reservation cut-off date.

* The hotel sales contact should be contacted directly only if coordinators or conference representatives wish to schedule meeting(s) prior to or af-ter the NCAA clinic. Please do not contact these individuals when making sleeping room reservations only.

** It is permissible for an individual to attend a clinic other than the one to which his or her conference or institution is assigned.

2002-03 REGIONAL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL OFFICIATING CLINICS DATES AND SITES

In order to receive the room rates listed, each clinic attendee should inform hotel personnel that he or she will be attending the NCAA officiating clinic. All arrangements for sleeping rooms should be made through the reservation desk at the appropriate hotel before the designated reservation cut-off date.

* The hotel sales contact should be contacted directly only if coordinators or conference representatives wish to schedule meeting(s) prior to or after the NCAA clinic. Please do not contact these individuals when making sleeping room reservations only.

** It is permissible for an individual to attend a clinic other than the one to which his or her conference or institution is assigned.

Member News and Accomplishments

Get well wishes to Kenneth Pearson.

Welcome back Kenny Clark and family!

Everyone who worked Post Season assignments (and there were many staff that represented MACBOA impressively!)

If you have any news or information you would like to share, please send the information via email to macboa1@aol.com.

Stats On Macboa.org

Date Range: 03/01/2002 - 04/27/200

Order your MACBOA Logo Whistles!

Be the first to receive your MACBOA logo Fox-40 Classic Whistle while supplies last!

Send your payment of $5.00 for each whistle ordered to Ike Relacion, c/o MACBOA Logo Whistle, 21112 Archstone Way, Unit 101, Germantown, MD 20876-6996.

Submitting Articles for MACBOA Consideration

Thank you for your interest in submitting an article for consideration on www.macboa.org.

We accept well-written features, how-to articles, "how I did it" success stories, tips and hints, motivational articles and other articles that will help our audience gain knowledge and succeed in their officiating avocation.

We do not accept articles that are primarily advertisements. However, you may place a biographical section at the end of your article. It should be no more than 30 to 40 words in length. It would be nice if you could include a 60x60 picture of you in .gif or .jpeg format.

Below are instructions for submitting your article to the MACBOA.org web site. We ask that you read the terms of your Agreement with MACBOA.org carefully.

Please note: We only accept submissions from the original author of the articles or a publicist hired by the copyright owner to submit material here. By submitting material, you acknowledge that you are legally entitled to distribute the work and to allow it to be redistributed. (If you are a book publisher or public relations firm with copy to distribute, please include a note to that effect at the top of the article you submit.) We do not pay for articles, and do not accept articles that are primarily advertisements. However, you may place a brief resource box and contact information (but no ads) at the end of your article.

To send your article, click on the "Article Submission Form" and answer the questions and then copy and paste your submission into the space provided. We have provided a copy of the form below. Please be sure your by-line appears below the title of the article. Click on the submit button to complete the process and or cut-and-paste the completed form and your article to macboa1@aol.com.

Reward, challenge, appreciation, stimulation, writing, reading...rarely thanked or noticed.

These are some of the attributes of the well hidden job of MACBOA Newsletter Volunteer. Are you interested in working behind the scenes (screens?) to help get information to members? MACBOA is looking to grow our ranks by a couple of folks and thus, we're soliciting volunteers.

What do you do? Read postings. Write articles, membership news, coordinate interviews, cultivate sponsor relations, etc. Write e-mail back and forth amongst us to establish communication, and guidance to keep this list as valuable as possible for our membership. Although we're virtual, our presence is sensed, we hope...and appreciated, although rarely acclaimed.

We haven't a job description, nor do we know what knowledge, skills, and abilities are required, but some that will come in handy are:

• having the ability to write
  
• being thick skinned, not thick headed
  
• being able to express your opinions, while being open minded
  
• having at least a free hour or two a week caring for the membership
  

Please respond directly by e-mail to: irelacion@aol.com

HOW TO CONTACT THE NEWSLETTER COORDINATOR

MACBOA welcomes and encourages news and information for the periodic newsletter. Please submit all materials to address letters of comment, article proposals and queries, or news items to:

Ike Relacion, (301) 371-8520
E-mail: irelacion@aol.com

MACBOA Newsletter Information

MACBOA, INC provides the MACBOA newsletter. MACBOA is a nonprofit organization providing information about membership news. The MACBOA.ORG Newsletter's contents may be quoted and reused as long as attribution is included with the reprinting and/or posting.

MACBOA nor its guest contributors shall be liable or responsible to any person or entity for any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be have been caused, directly or indirectly by the information or ideas contained, suggested, or referenced in this newsletter

MACBOA does not share its email lists. We value and respect your privacy.

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