I was just watching the Georgia Tech / Vanderbuilt game on TV.
Guard is bring the ball down the court. About the division line the defender runs solidly into a screener. Defender gets bopped in the jaw. Screener hits the floor. Official calls the foul on the defender.
Defender did not see the screen. There was nothing intentional - didn't fight his way through, just bounced off the screener.
I've been told by veteran officials that you've got to call this a foul on the defender... because a teammate should be warning him that the screen is coming. The TV announcers (ignoramuses, as they are) made similar comments.
In my opinion, the defender did nothing wrong. Why should he get penalized?
Rule 10 talks about contact ... specifically 10-6-3, bottom of page 65:
In cases of screens outside the visual field, the opponent may make inadvertant contact with the screener and if the opponent is running rapidly, the contact may be severe. Such case is to be ruled as incidental contact provided the opponent stops or attempts to stop on contact and moves around the screen, and provided the screen is not displaced if he/she has the ball.
Agreeably, this was a college game, not NFHS. Perhaps college rules are different.
The question is how do you handle such a situation? I know that when I pass on this call, I get a lot of screams and hollers. In my area, fans and most coaches seem to expect a foul call. Perhaps, thanks to our senior officials that last picked up their rule book in 1963.
I haven't broken down yet and am still maintaining the rules as stated above. What about in your areas?