Basketball scoring question ...

[Rhody31]

Girl in playoff game has free throw rattle around and miss. Makes next. Scoreboard operator credits her with two. No one notices scoreboard error except people on press row. None of us inform the officials. Not our job.

Question is, in the box score does she get credited for the make? Or should I just add Team 0-0 0-0 1 at the end?

 

[reformedhack]

Depends who's keeping the official scorebook, if there is one. If the official scorer counts it, that's the final score -- although it probably bears explanation in your game story, especially if it's a close final score. The player would be credited with the point, earned or not. But, before I left the gym, I think I'd be asking a lot of questions.

If there's no official book, I'd talk to the two coaches to see if you can reach some sort of agreement about what happened vs. what didn't. I also think that if there's no official scorekeeper, the home team's book is the one that counts.

 

[deskslave]

You wouldn't award it as a team point because she scored it, even though she really didn't. The error is that she was awarded the point, period, not that someone else scored it and she was given credit for it.

 

[slappy4428]

You wouldn't award it as a team point because she scored it, even though she really didn't. The error is that she was awarded the point, period, not that someone else scored it and she was given credit for it.

Yup

 

[Rhody31]

T'anx ....

And the team that got credited with the extra point was winning by 1 with 17 seconds left in the game until the team that got screwed made a basket with four seconds left, ruining my planned question of the coach.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

A long time ago I covered a high school basketball game that had playoff implications for the visiting team. The official scorer was a former coach on the home team's football staff and still a faculty member there. I sat near him and kept play-by-play, then after the game checked my stats against his.

The home team won by one point. I kept coming up one point short when I totaled its individual scoring. Then I went back through the play-by-play more carefully. At one point in the game, when I flipped from one page to the next, I copied the score off the scoreboard. Upon further review, the home team was given three points on the scoreboard instead of two (there was no 3-point shot at any time close to this point in the game). I didn't catch it like I would have had it been all on one page, but the flip from one page to the other helped me to miss it. Not sure what I would have done had I noticed at the time, but I brought it to the attention of the official scorer.

He checked his book, and he couldn't make the home team's scoring add up to the total either. He came up one point short. He listened to me, looked at his book, looked around the gym, then said "Oh, I forgot to give so-and-so that free throw. Then he penciled in a point, closed the book and walked away.

Visiting team didn't catch it, didn't protest, didn't make the playoffs.

 

[joe_schmoe]

T'anx ....

And the team that got credited with the extra point was winning by 1 with 17 seconds left in the game until the team that got screwed made a basket with four seconds left, ruining my planned question of the coach.

Seriously? A one-point playoff game with 17 seconds left and only press row sees this? Something aint right here. Coaches, and every fan know the situation and score at that point, and most look up at the score anyway after every shot.

 

[shotglass]

I could be wrong, but I don't think he's saying that foul shot was missed with 17 seconds left. I believe it was missed earlier.

 

[Rhody31]

I could be wrong, but I don't think he's saying that foul shot was missed with 17 seconds left. I believe it was missed earlier.

Ding ding.

The foul shot was missed early in the game. It was one of those weird free throws that looks in, then all of a sudden sneaks out. The scorekeeper must have clicked the button seeing it pass by the rim and when she looked down, didn't see it squirt out.
They were very, very jumpy on the scoreboard and clock.

 

[Mark2010]

I've had games where the scoreboard operator screwed up and I've mentioned it to him during a timeout. Always checked with the official scorebook. Whatever is in the book is the official report, not the scoreboard.

So, if the guy keeping the book screws up, well, it counts. Every point has to be given to someone, though, so it's sort of like if a player tips a ball in their own net.

Years ago, when I was an SID, I was with our (visiting) team at a school that was very inexperienced with stat keeping. They had one girl one our team scoring 4 points who was out for the year with a serious injury and didn't even make the trip that night.

I offered to check their "official" box score against my own and we corrected it post-game. It DID affect our team's cumulative stats for the year, so as the SID, I had a vested interest in getting it right.

 

[joe_schmoe]

I could be wrong, but I don't think he's saying that foul shot was missed with 17 seconds left. I believe it was missed earlier.

Ding ding.

The foul shot was missed early in the game. It was one of those weird free throws that looks in, then all of a sudden sneaks out. The scorekeeper must have clicked the button seeing it pass by the rim and when she looked down, didn't see it squirt out.
They were very, very jumpy on the scoreboard and clock.

Ah. well now I know what aint right....my reading/interpretation of the earlier post. That makes more sense now.
Cool. My bad....carry on.

 

[deskslave]

T'anx ....

And the team that got credited with the extra point was winning by 1 with 17 seconds left in the game until the team that got screwed made a basket with four seconds left, ruining my planned question of the coach.

Seriously? A one-point playoff game with 17 seconds left and only press row sees this? Something aint right here. Coaches, and every fan know the situation and score at that point, and most look up at the score anyway after every shot.

I can't believe no one noticed it when it did happen. I've been at enough games where there were (real or perceived) scoreboard errors in 25-point games that some yahoo next to me screamed about.

I've also been at running-clock games where similar yahoos scream that the clock's still running after the whistle blows.

 

[shotglass]

I just love it when the scoreboard operator puts a field goal up on the wrong side, because you know 60 people in the stands are going to take it as a personal, well-planned affront against their school and react accordingly.

 

[I Digress]

I find this very weird. Did you look at the official book? That's whats right, regardless of the scoreboard. But, I'm with every else here. How on earth did this mistake get made without the crowd yahoos mutinying?

 

[Mark2010]

Not nearly as bad as when doing amateur baseball and one team scores a game as a no-hitter for their pitcher and the home or "official" book credits a hit instead of an error that takes away the no-hitter. I've seen wars start over less.

 

[RickStain]

My policy on this has been that the official game book is "correct" for reporting purposes, unless I can absolutely prove otherwise and want to make a story out of it.

Sort of like how I have an official scorer at the tournament I'm covering this week who is *incredibly* stingy with blocked shots. I don't think they've had a game where more than one blocked shot was awarded for both teams, and I know there've been more blocks than that. But I can't refer them in my story because it'd be stupid to mention three blocks for one player when he has one in the box score.

 

[Barsuk]

I just love it when the scoreboard operator puts a field goal up on the wrong side, because you know 60 people in the stands are going to take it as a personal, well-planned affront against their school and react accordingly.

This is my favorite. They always think it's a concerted effort to cheat, rather than a dip**** science teacher operating the scoreboard.

 

[RickStain]

I just love it when the scoreboard operator puts a field goal up on the wrong side, because you know 60 people in the stands are going to take it as a personal, well-planned affront against their school and react accordingly.

This is my favorite. They always think it's a concerted effort to cheat, rather than a dip**** science teacher operating the scoreboard.

Those are always good opportunities to add to my private collection of "Photos of sports parents with idiotic looks on their faces" photos.

 

[HandsomeHarley]

I don't see what's wrong with asking the scorer when it happens, or during the next time out. I often compare my stats with the official scorer and/or anyone within earshot, and am often thanked for noticing an error.

Sure, it's not your job, but damn. I'd rather get it right than sit still knowing it may be wrong.

 

[Ace]

I don't see what's wrong with asking the scorer when it happens, or during the next time out. I often compare my stats with the official scorer and/or anyone within earshot, and am often thanked for noticing an error.

Sure, it's not your job, but damn. I'd rather get it right than sit still knowing it may be wrong.

Agreed.