Posted by JulioF May 7, 2007
Just stoped by to pass on some information which I have from back in the early 1970's, regarding the girl's varsity basketball team. It must have been 1972 or 1973. Tallmadge was playing at Stow. I was a student at Stow. It was a close, exciting game, and I decided to position myself behind the basket where the Blue Devils were going to be attempting a last-second shot. Stow was ahead by one point.
I was purposefully standing in the BEST spot in the gym in order to see if the Tallmadge player would get the shot off in time, with the scoreboard clock almost directly in line behind where I was standing and the top of the key. I was standing there all alone. There were no seats there.
The Tallmadge player had the ball just to the left of the foul line as the clock ticked down. She went up for the shot, and the ball was DEFINITELY off of her hand with the clock still reading 00:01. The shot went in! But the officials didn't have the view that I did. They huddled to discuss what to call. Shot good or time expired? They went to the scorer's table and asked the timekeeper, who was, ahem... a Stow student. They talked to the coaches. The decision was made that the shot was late. No basket. Stow wins.
I was a bit shy back in those days. I continued to stand there throughout the discussions on whether the shot should count or not. I expected the refs to notice where I was standing, and to come over to me and ask if the shot should count. But they didn't. I stood there all alone for several minutes, and they ignored me. If they had asked, I would have told them that the shot was off the shooter's hand with 00:01 still displayed on the clock. But they instead made the wrong ruling, and there was no way they would have changed it after they made it.
Let me tell you. Without a doubt, Tallmadge was cheated out of what was a victory that day. The shot was GOOD! This has bothered me for 33 years now, and I want the young lady who made that outstanding "clutch" shot to know that there is at least one person out here who knows that she played a wonderful game that day, and made what should have been judged a most memorable game winner at the buzzer!
Dan Carter
Stow Alumni - 1973
Dix Communications
I was purposefully standing in the BEST spot in the gym in order to see if the Tallmadge player would get the shot off in time, with the scoreboard clock almost directly in line behind where I was standing and the top of the key. I was standing there all alone. There were no seats there.
The Tallmadge player had the ball just to the left of the foul line as the clock ticked down. She went up for the shot, and the ball was DEFINITELY off of her hand with the clock still reading 00:01. The shot went in! But the officials didn't have the view that I did. They huddled to discuss what to call. Shot good or time expired? They went to the scorer's table and asked the timekeeper, who was, ahem... a Stow student. They talked to the coaches. The decision was made that the shot was late. No basket. Stow wins.
I was a bit shy back in those days. I continued to stand there throughout the discussions on whether the shot should count or not. I expected the refs to notice where I was standing, and to come over to me and ask if the shot should count. But they didn't. I stood there all alone for several minutes, and they ignored me. If they had asked, I would have told them that the shot was off the shooter's hand with 00:01 still displayed on the clock. But they instead made the wrong ruling, and there was no way they would have changed it after they made it.
Let me tell you. Without a doubt, Tallmadge was cheated out of what was a victory that day. The shot was GOOD! This has bothered me for 33 years now, and I want the young lady who made that outstanding "clutch" shot to know that there is at least one person out here who knows that she played a wonderful game that day, and made what should have been judged a most memorable game winner at the buzzer!
Dan Carter
Stow Alumni - 1973