CSNbbs

Has ETSU lost an opening tip all year?

(01-13-2018 05:34 PM)WingedWarrior Wrote: [ -> ]Has ETSU lost an opening tip all year?

A very good question. I can say that we have not missed one recently!

I remember Jurkin losing one not long ago.

The referee art of the jump ball toss is apparently a lost art. Bruce Benedict's toss on Saturday was garbage. Most of the guys don't throw to ball up straight or high enough.

In the era of the alternating possession arrow, the opening tip is simply a relic of tradition. The gameplay wouldnt be affected by a football-style coin toss or a baseball-style, visitor gets ball to open the game.

Reminders of a bygone age can be kind of interesting if they do no harm.

A coin toss with its arbitrary result seems no improvement over the opening jump, even a poorly thrown one.

Not a big deal either way, but on balance, I'd keep it.

The opening tip is a classic sizing up. What do the two leading bigs look like face to face? Who’s more athletic? How do the guards handle the loose ball? I always get excited at tipoff, bad toss up or not.

Overall, I think it's been a good rule change that held balls are no longer "jump balls" because, as has been pointed out, refs have trouble throwing the ball straight up. I'd advocate keeping the jump ball to open the game (and overtime, I guess) because the team that gets the first possession gets at least the same number of possessions as the other team for the game, possibly one more. Of course, with evenly matched centers it's kinda random as to which team that is. I like our overall half extra possession per game with Peter jumping for us. In the grand scheme of things, though, it's perhaps only slightly more important than the fact that our cheerleaders wear white bows.