Be the Referee: Three Seconds
March 9, 2016
This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains one of the most misunderstood rules in basketball, the 3-second rule.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment - Three Seconds - Listen
It's hard to go to a basketball game and not sit near other fans who are yelling about the officials not calling three seconds. The 3-second rule is one of the most misunderstood rules in the game of basketball.
The purpose and philosophy of the rule is to not allow a player who is significantly taller than his or her opponent to camp out in the middle of the lane and create an unfair advantage. The 3-second count is in effect whenever an offensive player has at least one foot in the lane when their team has possession of the ball. That count stops as soon as a try is attempted, or a try is imminent.
Keep this in mind at the next game you attend.
Past editions:
Feb. 25: Deciding the Game - Listen
Feb. 18 : Cheer Safety - Listen
Feb. 11: Primary Areas - Listen
Feb. 4: Block/Charge Calls - Listen
Jan. 28: Dive on the Floor - Listen
Jan. 21: Hockey Officials' Options - Listen
Jan. 14: Recruiting Officials - Listen
Jan. 7: Wrestling Weight Monitoring - Listen
Dec. 31: Respect for Referees - Listen
Dec. 24: Basketball Instant Replay - Listen
Dec. 17: Basketball Communication - Listen
Dec. 10: Basketball Excessive Contact - Listen
Nov. 26: Pregame Communication - Listen
Nov. 19: Trick Plays - Listen
Nov. 12: 7-Person Football Mechanics - Listen
Nov. 5: Make the Call: Personal Fouls - Listen
Oct. 29: Officials Demographics - Listen
Oct. 15: Make the Call: Intentional Grounding - Listen
Oct. 8: Playoff Selection - Listen
Oct. 1: Kick Returns - Listen
Sept. 24: Concussions - Listen
Sept. 17: Automatic First Downs - Listen
Sept. 10: Correcting a Down - Listen
Sept 3: Spearing - Listen
Aug. 27: Missed Field Goal - Listen
Former Official in League of Her Own
September 26, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Retired MHSAA official Dolly Konwinski – previously a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League who consulted on the 1992 film “A League of Their Own” – died Saturday at the age of 87.
Konwinski umpired both baseball and softball as an MHSAA registered official for more than a dozen years into the 1990s. She brought to the diamond playing experience from the AAGPBL; she played for four teams between 1948-52, including most of three seasons with the Grand Rapids Chicks.
The AAGPBL has been honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and Konwinski consulted on and made a brief appearance in “A League of Their Own,” which was nominated for Grammy and Golden Globe awards.
She most recently lived in Caledonia and is survived by her husband of 63 years Robert and four children, plus many grandchildren and extended family.
Click for recent Grand Rapids Press coverage of her death. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Kentwood. Click for her obituary.
The feature below, reported by Rick Berkey, aired as part of the coverage of the 1990 MHSAA Girls Basketball Finals on PASS Sports.