[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

All right gang.

I am not going to retype the definitions of guarding and screening because I am just too tired from officiating six games today and I still have yet to shower and get packed for the drive home tomorrow.

The definition of guarding defines it as something that is done by a "defensive player." The definition of screening defines it as something that is done be a "player," including a player with the ball.

The key points that many people are missing is that for a defenisive player to initially obtain/establish a legal guarding position, the defensive player must be facing the offensive player. Does a player need to be facing an opponent to set a screen? No. Therefore a defensive player can set a screen against an offensive player just as well as a offensive player can set a screen against a defensive player.

If one goes back to the example that I gave in my very first (at least I think it was my first) post in this thread, B4 set a screen against A1. Why was it a screen? When B4 took his position in front of A1, B4 was not facing A1. Because he was not facing A1, B4 was effecting a screen and was not attempting to obtain/establish a legal guarding position. The result is the same. B4 did not give time and distance to A1 when setting his screen and therefore B4 was guilty of a blocking foul.

As I have stated before, the result of guarding and screening is blocking and charging.

Someone asked the question about legal screen and illegal guarding. When a defensive player is setting a screen he is not attempting to obtain/establish a legal guarding position. The thing to remember is that the defintions of guarding and screening help us to determine whether a player has a legal right to a spot on the floor.

If B1 runs to a spot on the floor that is fifteen feet from any other player on the court. It can be said that while he may not be attempting to obtain/establish a legal guarding position against an opponent, he at the very least has set a legal screen against any player whose straight line path from Point A to Point B goes through the spot where B4 is standing, whether B4 is facing his opponent or not. Of course if B4 is facing A1 then we can say that he has obtained/established a legal guarding position against A1 and if he is not facing A1 then he is setting a screen against A1.

MTD, Sr.

[Edited by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. on May 30th, 2004 at 09:57 PM]