[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

I hope that I can bring a different perspective to this thread.

The rule that the NCAA adopted in 2004-05 and the NFHS adopted in 2005-06 is not a new rule.

The NBCUSC (National Basketball Committee of the United States and Canada; the predecessor to the NFHS and NCAA) had the team control until the 1977-78 or 1978-79 season (I am not sure which season and I don't feel like climbing up into the attic to confirm which season). I know that FIBA has had a team control foul since before 1970 and NAGWS (National Association of Women and Girls in Sports; the rules that the AIAW (women's college) used until the NCAA took over women's college sports had a team control foul rule because NAGWS rules were adopted from FIBA rules.

The mechanic used in FIBA and the mechanic that was used back in the ancient days was as follows, and I am going to paraphrase part of the first paragraph in Rut's post: The mechanic procedure is to call the foul with hand up, signal the type of foul (block, push or hold), then point in the direction of the team who is to receive the ensuing throw-in, and are going, then point to the spot of the throw-in.

If my memory is correct, we officials never had a problem with a team wanting to shoot free throws because everybody was familiar with the rule because it had been in place for years. Now we have a generation of coaches, players, fans, and etc., that have no knowledge of the ancient ways, and they get confused (See Tony's post about fans still yelling for free throws for player control fouls.

So what do I do when I have a team control foul in a NFHS game? I am a bad bad boy, I use the NCAA mechanic, everybody understands what the hand behind the head means, I hope.

MTD, Sr.