Officials’ Frustration with Some Coaches/Fans Lack of Rule Knowledge

Being mindful that this is not a place to put down or speak ill of others.I wish to begin another blog strand that can allow us to share some rules or game situations where we experience some coaches’ or spectators’ lack of rule knowledge. I have decided to set this up as a list for easier reading and writing. Let’s imagine that we are planning an introductory clinic for new coaches and officials based on our experiences when coaches just do not know a rule, official interpretation, or officials’ mechanics (the expectations of how one administers/covers/communicates rulings during a game).

Actually this might be an area where spectators can learn some of those rules associated with rulings that just cannot be accepted when the call goes against their team. Well, let’s give it a try and please remember no names or negative talk if you choose to publish your own comment(s).

1. Did you know that . . . if a player is in the lane for less than 3 seconds and receives the ball, she/he is given time to work and release a shot without a 3-second violation being called?

2. Did you know that . . . the exact same contact between a dribbler and a defensive player can be ruled differently depending on whether the defensive player has established legal guarding position?

3. Did you know that . . . it is not a travel when someone picks up and moves their pivot foot until the pivot foot returns to the floor when the player is passing or taking a shot (it is traveling if the pivot foot leaves the floor before the ball leaves the player’s hand when beginning a dribble)?

4. Did you know that . . . a hard foul by definition is an intentional foul with the fouled player being awarded two free throws and his team is awarded the ball out of bounds at the closest spot to the location of the ball at the time of the foul?

5. Did you know that . . . simply running out of bounds without the ball when not going after the ball or having attempted to make a defensive play often constitutes a violation causing the ball to be given to the opponent?

6. Did you know that . . . when a defensive player has any part of her/his foot touching an out-of-bounds line and block/charge contact occurs, it cannot be ruled a player control foul?

7. Did you know that . . . it is not legal to create contact with an opponent in an effort to get rebounding position (i.e.blocking out)?

8. Did you know that . . . violent contact may or may not constitute a foul if the contact is ruled incidental (i.e. two players moving fast with equal opportunity to get a loose ball crash into one another)?

9. Did you know that . . . a player dunking a ball in high school basketball cannot grasp or hang on the rim (like we see in college and NBA basketball)?

10. Did you know that . . . having two/three officials does not mean that there are two/three sets of eyes watching the ball where a potential foul may be occurring?

11. Did you know that . . . there cannot be an over-and-back (backcourt) violation by a dribbling player moving from backcourt to frontcourt until both feet and the ball have all touched in frontcourt together?

12. Did you know that . . . a coach leaving the coaching box during play constitutes a technical foul whether or not she/he is questioning an official’s ruling?

13. Did you know that . . . players must tuck in shirts that have fallen out during play when there is a dead ball (by whistle) or they must be asked to leave the game for a substitute?

14. Did you know that . . . players cannot reach over the out-of-bounds line when guarding a player throwing the ball in-bounds after a goal or a violation?

Did you know . . . that you can contribute to this and other blog postings by simply clicking on the “Comments” work at the end of each writing piece and filling in a short form with limited personal information?

Thanks for reading. I hope that this blog gives you an additional opportunity to learn more about the game of basketball. After all, the integrity of the game is based upon the official National Federation rules and the proper enforcement of the rules by the officials.