Tips to Timers

SOME TIPS TO TIMEKEEPERS

Start the clock when you see the administering referee's hand signal for time to be started (his/her upraised hand drops downward). If for some reason he/she does not give the "time in" signal, start the clock when the ball, in your opinion, becomes in play. He/she should give the signal to start the clock when a throw-in is legally touched by a player in-bounds, when a jumper touches a tossed ball, when a free-throw rebound touches a player in-bounds, or when play is to be continued after some sort of interruption.

Stop the clock when you hear an official's whistle, or if it's too loud to hear his/her whistle, when his hand(s) go into the air with either an open hand, a closed fist, or a "jump ball" signal.

Especially in a close game with time running out, be particularly observant to start and stop the clock on the officials' whistle and hand signals.

Do not change the alternating possession arrow until the official's hand drops to signal the clock to start after a throw-in. The arrow doesn't officially change until then.

Do not change the number of team fouls until after a foul is reported by the official to the table. Confirm the number of team fouls (and player fouls if they are registered on the scoreboard) with the official scorer keeping the book after each foul reported.

Especially in a close game, confirm the score you have on the scoreboard with that of the official scorer keeping the book.

Sound the horn to signal "ready for play" with 15 seconds left after any timeout, after a coach's substitution for a disqualified player, and after any intermission period.

If, for some reason, the horn does not sound to end a period of play, be ready to help the floor officials if they ask if you have definitive information whether a basket is to be scored or not.

SOME TIPS TO SCOREKEEPERS

Especially for high school level games, each team's players must all be entered in the book along with five designated starters from each team by 10 minutes before game time. Notify the referee if this is not done by that time. (This is true for sub-level games also, but concessions are often made due to schedule, arrival of the visiting team, and the short time given between games.)

Confirm the number of personal and team fouls with the secondary book at the table if there is one and with the timer keeping the scoreboard.

Keep a running account of the score at the top of the scorebook after each basket, then register who scored and how many points were scored after that. Confirm the score you have on the running account with the timer keeping the scoreboard after each basket.

Notify the timer to sound the horn during a dead ball if there is a situation which demands the attention of the officials on the floor.

If a player attempts to enter the game without a proper number recorded in the scorebook, ask the timer to sound the horn before play is about to start and signal a floor official to come to the table so you can bring this to his/her attention.

After an official reports a foul to the table, visibly signal the number of free throws to be administered if it is a bonus one-and-one or two-shot situation.

Should a coach question somethingin the official scorebook, ask the timer to sound the horn at the next dead ball and beckon a floor official to the table to consider the question.