Be On Alert 6 Things To Do

Before Every Play

#1 Make Eye Contact With Your Partner(s)

• Just because your ready to go doesn’t mean your partner(s) is ready

• They might be at the table, talking with a coach, OR just “daydreaming”

• Starting the play to quickly could result in having to restart the play – thus hurt the crew credibility

#2 Consider the Game Situation• Understanding the strategies a team might

employ can help you get into position ahead of time (pressing defense, foul to stop the clock, trap at the division line)

• Knowing the score, possession arrow, foul count are all beneficial

• Having this knowledge helps to make it les likely that you will be surprised by a play / situation

# 3 Check for obstacles / dangers in the court area

• Visually scan the floor – especially after a timeout and between quarters

• Keep an eye out on the location of cheerleaders, dance team, and the mascot

• Make sure the cheerleading pom-poms are up against the wall and are in their hands

• Make sure all blood is removed from the floor if the “blood rule” is used during the game.

• At the end of games, spectators will sometimes get closer to the playing court – have game management assist in getting them back in the bleachers

#4 Count The Players• After a substitution, make sure each team has 5

players on the court prior to putting the ball into play

• If we start with more 10, following a substitution, it is most often the fault of an official “running a stop sign” from our partner

-------------------------------------------------------------------• There are rules for teams that intentionally have

more than 5 players on the court – as a result a technical foul should be administered

#5 Know the Status Of The Clock

• Know when the game clock is suppose to start and when it is supposed to stop

• Especially critical in the last minute of quarters and in close games

• Sub-varsity games this is VERY important because you often have inexperienced clock operators in your games

# 6 Observe Injured Players• If a player is slightly injured but continues to

participate, keep an eye on the severity of the injury and if they go to the floor

• Know the substitution & timeout rule that applies if a coach or trainer comes on the floor to check on a player

• New NFHS rule re: signs of concussion – know the procedure ( a signed document from physician is NOT required)

More details next week re: Concussions

• How do we handle a play when the ball continues to the opposite end of the court and a player goes to the ground with no loss of consciousness, blood or obvious broken bone?

Be On Alert !!