[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

How can the screen play being discussed in this thread be ruled illegal if there is no illegal contact. How many times in a game have we seen A1 grab a loose ball in Team B's frontcourt and immediately start to move the ball quickly down the court via a dribble and A2 and A3, who are directly in front of A1, start running pell mell down the court too in hopes of either getting open, keeping defenders from getting to A1, or to draw defenders away from A1.

This play has to be looked at in its total. If there was no contact then there was no foul. If there was contact among players then the requirements for guarding and screening must be applied and a determination must be made as to whether A2 and A3, the screeners were guilty of contact with B2 and B3, or were B2 and B3 guilty of contact.

Daryl has already taken me to task over my previous post in this thread, and I guess I am being a stubborn old mule, but sticking to my guns over my position. I just find it hard to call the play intimidation by A2 and A3 just because they are two third grade girls who happen to be larger than the rest of their classmates. If A2 and A3 were the same size as the rest of the players on the court or even smaller would we consider their actions in this type of screening play intimidating, I think not. While the recreation department is trying to put its heart in the right place, it is misguided.

I have coached my ten year old son's 10U basketball team for the last two years (3 and 17 for those two seasons) and we faced some teams that had some large very good players. My players would look at these players and how they played and would get out of the way when they drove to the hoop. Should I have said to the Toledo P&R Dept. that these players are intimidating and when they drive to the hoop, that should be considered an unsportsmanlike technical foul. I think not.

The fact remains, the recreation department wants to penalize two players for doing something that is completely within the rules only because they are larger than the rest of the players on the court. I am sorry but I cannot advocate that type of rules making or interpretating.

As I prepare to sign off on this post, I have remembered that Daryl and I have at least two long automobile trips to basketball tournament this Spring, and I am sure that this play will be discussed in great detail..

Have a great weekend everybody, I know I am my family with have a busy one, with both our boys competing in the NW Ohio YMCA Swimming Championship in Lima, Ohio (both Saturday and Sunday) as well as playing basketball games in a YMCA Spring League in Toledo on Saturday. We will be putting lots of miles on both of our cars tomorrow.

But right now I have to leave to have a root canal done. Ta ta, don't forget your hat, The Traveling Gnome.