The majority of Maine’s high school basketball coaches have never been fond of the bench decorum “seat belt” rule.

The rule, which requires coaches to remain seated during games, except under a handful of special circumstances, has now been in effect for eight seasons.

Finally, coaches again might be able to stand up and coach. The State Basketball Commission has recommended to the Maine Principals’ Association that the optional, 6-foot coaching box be implemented for the 1993-94 season.

Following the commission’s lead, the MPA Basketball Committee voted 17-2 last week to recommend that the coaching box be instituted on a one-year trial basis next winter. The only remaining roadblock for coaches is the vote by the MPA’s full membership, which will be taken during the MPA’s spring conference April 29-30 in Rockport.

Richard Tyler, the executive director of the MPA, said the cooperation of coaches and officials statewide in adhering to the bench decorum rule has helped pave the way for the proposed change.

“I think there has been a good-faith effort on the part of coaches, officials and game administrators all over the state to apply the rule as it is written with some consistency,” Tyler said. “That doesn’t mean that it’s 100 percent, but the `traveling’ rule is not quite 100 percent yet, either.”

The coaching box, which begins 22 feet from the end line, is six feet long and three feet deep. Coaches may stand up and walk around within its confines strictly to attend to coaching duties.

“It’s not a coach’s box, but a coaching box,” stressed Brewer High School Principal Jerry Goss, a member of the Basketball Committee. “The intent of it is for a coach to stand to coach, not to incite the crowd, not to put the focus on themselves, but to coach the kids.”

Coaches who are assessed a technical foul while using the coaching box would then be confined under the bench decorum rule of the remainder of that game.

The Basketball Committee has been aware of the coaches’ concerns about the bench decorum rule in recent years. In 1991, it voted to recommend the coaching box be used, but the MPA membership voted it down.

Last year, the Basketball Committee deadlocked on a 9-9 vote, so the issue was never presented to the MPA for a vote.

This year’s lopsided vote in support of the box seems to reflect the group’s feeling that coaches and officials have made an effort to stay within the bounds of the “seat belt” rule.

“The feeling was last year that (the committee) did not want to go with it until they felt East and West were both interpreting and enforcing the rule fairly equally,” said Goss, who said the future of the box will be up to the coaches.

“The behavior of the coaches will either make it or break it.”‘

Another State Basketball Commission recommendation was endorsed by the Basketball Committee, pending a vote by the full MPA. Both groups have proposed experimenting with three-person officiating crews during the 1994 basketball tournaments.

Goss said the Basketball Committee is willing to take a look at three-person officiating, also on a one-year trial basis, after having voted down the proposal a year ago. Goss said the difference this year is that the move can be budgeted ahead of time.

“There’s a lot of talk that three-man officiating is better,” Goss said. “And there’s a significant amount of talk that two is better. The committee figured, `let’s take a look at it and budget for it accordingly.’ ”

The stumbling block for three-person officiating crews in postseason play may be the cost. However, Goss said the State Basketball Commission has made an attractive proposal that is not a great deal more expensive than using two-person crews.

Finally, the Basketball Committee addressed concerns about the size of the award plaques presented to regional runnersup. It recommended that the MPA Interscholastic Executive Committee take a look at the situation.

Again this year, there were numerous coaches and spectators who expressed disgust with the plaques, which they said aren’t fitting for the magnitude of the accomplishment.

The majority of Maine’s high school basketball coaches have never been fond of the bench decorum “seat belt” rule.

The rule, which requires coaches to remain seated during games, except under a handful of special circumstances, has now been in effect for eight seasons.

Finally, coaches again might be able to stand up and coach. The State Basketball Commission has recommended to the Maine Principals’ Association that the optional, six-foot coaching box be implemented for the 1993-94 season.

Following the commission’s lead, the MPA Basketball Committee voted 17-2 last week to recommend that the coaching box be instituted on a one-year trial basis next winter. The only remaining roadblock for coaches is the vote by the MPA’s full membership, which will be taken during the MPA’s spring conference Jan. 29-30 in Rockport.

Richard Tyler, the executive director of the MPA, said the cooperation of coaches and officials statewide in adhering to the bench decorum rule has helped pave the way for the proposed change.

“I think there has been a good-faith effort on the part of coaches, officials and game administrators all over the state to apply the rule as it is written with some consistency,” Tyler said. “That doesn’t mean that it’s 100 percent, but the `traveling’ rule is not quite 100 percent yet, either.”

The coaching box, which begins 22 feet from the end line, is six feet long and three feet deep. Coaches may stand up and walk around within its confines strictly to attend to coaching duties.

“It’s not a coach’s box, but a coaching box,” stressed Brewer High School Principal Jerry Goss, a member of the Basketball Committee. “The intent of it is for a coach to stand to coach, not to incite the crowd, not to put the focus on themselves, but to coach the kids.”

Coaches who are assessed a technical foul while using the coaching box would then be confined under the bench decorum rule of the remainder of that game.

The Basketball Committee has been aware of the coaches’ concerns about the bench decorum rule in recent years. In 1991, it voted to recommend the coaching box be used, but the MPA membership voted it down.

Last year, the Basketball Committee deadlocked on a 9-9 vote, so the issue was never presented to the MPA for a vote.

This year’s lopsided vote in support of the box seems to reflect the group’s feeling that coaches and officials have made an effort to stay within the bounds of the “seat belt” rule.

“The feeling was last year that (the committee) did not want to go with it until they felt East and West were both interpreting and enforcing the rule fairly equally,” said Goss, who said the future of the box will be up to the coaches.

“The behavior of the coaches will either make it or break it.”‘

Another State Basketball Commission recommendation was endorsed by the Basketball Committee, pending a vote by the full MPA. Both groups have proposed experimenting with three-person officiating crews during the 1994 basketball tournaments.

Goss said the Basketball Committee is willing to take a look at three-person officiating, also on a one-year trial basis, after having voted down the proposal a year ago. Goss said the difference this year is that the move can be budgeted ahead of time.

“There’s a lot of talk that three-man officiating is better,” Goss said. “And there’s a significant amount of talk that two is better. The committee figured, `let’s take a look at it and budget for it accordingly.’ ”

The stumbling block for three-person officiating crews in postseason play may be the cost. However, Goss said the State Basketball Commission has made an attractive proposal that is not a great deal more expensive than using two-person crews.