CROWS NEST FOR OFFICIALS
Pacific Coast Sees New Idea And Finds It Works

By HOWARD A. HOBSON
Basketball Coach, University of Oregon

 

ASKETBALL in the Pacific Northwest is enjoying
one of its greatest seasons. The calibre of play

has been high, attendance is excellent and at least
one very workable idea to improve the game has
been brought forth.

The Pacific coast conference has sponsored sev-
eral improvements, including elimination of the
center-jump. The northern division of the conference,
always progressive in trying ideas that will better
the game, is one of the few leagues in the nation
using glass backboards to provide better spectator
vision.

The latest idea is ''crow's nest" officiating, not
exactly new but never before given so much atten-
tion since Jean Eberhart, athletic director and
basketball coach at Southern Oregon College of
Education at Ashland inaugurated a series of widely
publicized and successful demonstrations.

| imagine most coaches are familiar with the
general idea. It simply involves removal of the two
officials from the playing floor. One is stationed at
each end of the court, in a ‘'nest'' or "cage" built
above the basket. Each arbiter is given a micro-
phone, or megaphone, so that his rulings can be
announced to the players and audience. The officials,
each with unobstructed vision of at least half the
playing floor, call the game as usual with the excep-
tion of out-of-bounds plays.

Here they consult with two linemen, who are
placed at opposite corners of the floor. The linemen
throw up the ball for jump-balls, watch for out-of-
bounds violations and handle the ball on out-of-
bounds plays and on free throws.

This type of officiating has been given thorough
trials in numerous smaller college and high school
games in the Pacific Northwest since Eberhart's first
test at Ashland some weeks ago. We are seriously
considering its use at Oregon in a northern division
conference game later this season.

The idea has numerous good points. First, it places
the officials where they cannot be screened from
seeing action on the court and where they do not
get in the way of players or spectators. It speeds up

play, for the linesmen can quickly handle the ball
when necessary without the wait for officials to get
from one part of the court to another.

| see still another advantage. It would mean that
older officials, with years of experience but with
wobbly legs that make them unfit for the fast game
of today, could continue to work. We may have to
use these men if our younger officials are called
into service.

In spite of the improvement gained through more
intersectional play, there still is a great need for
more uniformity and consistency. A _ basketball
official has some 70 important decisions to make
during the average game, as compared to only a
very few involving penalties by football officials.
For this reason it is vital that we do everything
possible to aid basketball officiating.

Getting back to the current season, the northern
division, Pacific coast conference race is one of the
hottest and most interesting in years. The tive mem-
ber teams are very evenly matched and with two
weeks of play remaining three teams are neck and
neck for the championship. They are Washington
State, N.C.A.A. runner-up last year, Oregon State
and the University of Washington. If evidence is
needed that this league is one of the nation's
strongest, we offer the Washington team, one of
the nation's fastest and holder of the new Madison
Square Garden scoring record. The Huskies have
been defeated five times in twelve games played
to date.

This section has consistently produced outstand-
ing teams in recent years with the University of
Oregon and Washington State in the N.C.A.A.
finals two of the past three years. | believe any of
the league members could play on even terms any-
where in the nation.

The one-handed shot, so often maligned in some
sections of the country, seems to be more effective
than ever this year. Despite unusually tight defen-
sive play, scores are high, often reaching 60 or more
points a game.

NATIONAL COURT NOTES

George Hamburg of Colorado U. broke his nose
in a recent game and is wearing a special nose
protector... (he sophomores are going to town
for Colorado. Heath Nuckolls sank two free throws
with three seconds to play to defeat Utah by one
point after Bob Doll told him that there were two
minutes to play to relieve tension. And Lee Robbins

made seven field goals in seven attempts against
Brigham Young after making only |2 points all sea-
son... Gene Bouley, Boston College soph is 6-3
and weighs 230 pounds .. . Mike, Dave and Joe
Crowell, sons of ''Cap'’ Crowell, athletics pitcher
ot decades back are members of Central Fall H.S.
team in Buffalo.