Inside Look: The Review

Last night’s game was a hot topic this Monday morning. There was plenty of controversy and storylines to fuel speculation on a number of topics ranging from Karl Hess to how did Lacey’s shot not count? Did Karl Hess really call a technical foul on Gottfried 4 minutes into the game? Yes he did! Was it warranted? I don’t think so, especially given the fact that this was his first time officiating (an NC State game) since the infamous night he threw out Tom Gugliotta and Chris Corchiani two years ago.

Let’s take a look at the events that transpired that lead up to Trevor’s incredible shot at the buzzer. The final minute of the game was some of the most exciting basketball I have witnessed in some time. It started with a clutch one dribble pull up by none other than Trevor Lacey that put State up 54-53 with 35.1 seconds remaining. The Terriers didn’t go away though, they took a tough contested shot and somehow got the offensive rebound and called a timeout. Out of the timeout Justin Gordon hit a tough contested layup with 1.9 seconds! Timeout NC State.

Lets dive into my role. I am the replay technician for all NC State Men’s Basketball games. My job is to dial up the required play for the officials if there comes a time in the game that needs a closer look. What’s most commonly reviewed? Flagrant fouls, questionable three pointers, who last touched the ball, and more often than not timing issues. Last nights game had a plethora of reviews, seriously they kept me on my toes.

The common theme in the reviews last night were timing issues that were brought center stage by Trevor Lacey’s spectacular one legged three pointer. These next comments may not be popular but here is the truth…

The officials did their due diligence by checking the time following not only the last made shot by Wofford to insure that 1.9 seconds was indeed the correct time, but they also reviewed the time following the first miss by Wofford to make sure they had the correct time before Justin Gordon converted the contested layup! Out of the timeout Trevor caught the ball right at half court took one dribble and then one step and let it fly………SPLASH!!!!! Players storm the court! Reynolds Coliseum doesn’t disappoint in its’ swan song as the noise levels reached deafening pitches.

While mayhem erupts on the court, I know that this play must be reviewed. I key up the play and have it ready to roll as the officials march towards the table. Side note it can be pretty stressful to have the hopes of not only the team but many fans awaiting the final review. I took a quick moment while the officials were constantly replaying the shot back and forth to look around. Not only were there three officials conversing with me but I could see the importance of the final call on the faces of both teams that were gathered around.

The reason for the confusion was that the red light and the clock on the court read 0.0 but as the officials went frame by frame the clock in the bottom of the screen didn’t update as quickly as the clock in the video. The only reason why is because they had the action paused in order to get a closer look at the ball and the time. While the action was paused the time at the bottom of the review screen doesn’t update instantaneously. As the officials were going frame by frame, I zoomed into the ball and sure enough it was still in Lacey’s hand with the red light on and zeros across the board as well at the bottom of the monitor! My heart sank because first and foremost I wanted the Pack to win, especially in such dramatic fashion in the final game in Historic Reynolds Coliseum.

Now I am sure many were watching the broadcast and have a different opinion. The ball was out of his hand with .1 second left! This may be true, but the TV bottom line bug is simply an estimation of the official time on the court. The time that I had projected on my review screen is synced up directly to the time box on the court. This reflects the official time that the refs must go by! Sometimes the truth hurts. The correct call was made by the officials. Unfortunately for the Pack that meant a heartbreaking loss, despite a great effort by Lacey at the end.

I also want to note that John Clougherty who is the supervisor to ACC officials was in attendance and spent considerable time reviewing the play after people had cleared out. He jotted down some notes and left without discussion.