[BillyMac]

A long time ago in a galaxy not so far, far away a few officials decided that it was deceitful and unsporting for players to fake being fouled so they decided to make the act a player technical foul.

However, over the many years, officials across the galaxy unilaterally decided that the penalty was too severe so they never actually charged the technical foul, but would occasionally give a player an unofficial oral warning.

Many basketball aficionados have never observed the technical foul being charged in decades of playing, coaching, observing, or officiating basketball games.

Fast forward to modern times and a few officials got together over a few beers at the Mos Eisley Cantina and decided to make the penalty less severe, give an official warning first, and make it a team technical foul.

Maybe by making the penalty less severe it may be called more often?

Sounds simple. Sounds great. Right?

Until one gets down to the brass tacks and dives into the weeds and down the rabbit hole.

Lots of permutations in applying the new rule and penalty. Warnings and technical fouls. Faking by offensive players and defensive players. Signals, whistles, and delayed whistles.

Penalties not administered in the order in which they occurred (is this a NFHS first).

We spent thirty minutes on this rule change alone at last night’s local new rules meeting.

Is it all worth it?

Couldn’t the NFHS have just kept the old faking being fouled rule and made it a point of emphasis; encouraging officials actually call it in a game?

Wouldn’t one, or two, faking being fouled player technical fouls at the beginning of a season put an end to all of this foolishness?