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Advantage and Contact
ADVANTAGE
A problem common to many officials is the failure to understand the principle of "advantage" in administering the rules of basketball.
Witness examples:
After a Team A field goal, all five Team A players move down court to assume a defensive position. This leaves only B-1, the thrower-in, and B-2 at the baseline. In executing the throw-in, B-1 steps over the boundary line. Violation?
A-1 passes to A-2. Clearly after the ball has left the hand of A-1, B-1, in following through on an unsuccessful attempt to block the pass, contacts A-1 on the forearm. This contact is not violent, and in no way impedes A-1's offensive effectiveness. Foul?
A-2 has been in the key for 2 seconds and begins to move out of that area. While he is clearly on his way out and is not a part of the play, the 3-second limit is exceeded. Violation?
All of these situations have a common denominator consistent with a fair application of the rule involved. This common denominator is the principle of advantage. Briefly stated, it is this. Every rule has an intent grounded in the principles of sportsmanship and fair play. To determine whether or not a rule has been violated, ask yourself one simple question: Was a player or team placed at a disadvantage beyond the intent of the rule involved? Obviously, the winning team in any contest will theoretically be the one least often disadvantaged, but it is the duty of the game officials to judge whether such disadvantages fall within the intent of the rule. A clever move may place a defensive man at a distinct but fair advantage, but if that clever motion involves foot movement beyond that allowed under Rule 4, Section 19, it becomes illegal.
But what advantage was there in any of the situations given previously? To learn to judge "advantage", look for its more obvious counterpart, "disadvantage." If a player or team is put at a disadvantage anytime by a breach of a rule, then call a violation or foul: But if no one (and therefore no team) is disadvantaged, ignore it.
This is all related to a second important principle of the game called "tempo." The flow of the game should be interrupted only when either team is guilty of a breach of the spirit of the rules. Unnecessary whistles, needless delays, and lethargic mechanics are appreciated by no one and have no place in the game. Let the players establish a tempo or flow within the spirit of the rules. and the role of the official becomes more defined.
With time he or she will develop a feel for the game that can't be found in a book.
CONTACT
The most important word that governs the calling of fouls is "tempo." To the new official, already worried about things like basket interference, ball in play. and play phase, this might sound like a bit of idealistic nonsense but anyone who has worked at the game - player, coach and official alike - will nod a head for "tempo." Briefly stated, the point is this: When ten players are placed on a floor area 26m x 14m. given a ball 78 cm. in circumference and told to compete, there will be a lot of action and plenty of movement. Proportionate to the movement there will most certainly be contact.
But contact in itself is not a foul. Whether or not a foul has occurred is judged by two important variables: intent and advantage. If it was intentional, then almost certainly it is a foul. Intentional contact is intentional because its purpose is to interrupt the flow of the play; not to penalize it is to put the other team at a disadvantage certainly not intended by rule. Officials should not be afraid to call an intentional foul as just that - intentional. There is a specific signal and penalty involved.
The second important variable is advantage. Obviously there will be a great deal of contact that is not intentional, that is secondary to an attempt to steal the ball or gain or maintain an offensive or defensive position. When contact occurs in such situations, an official should ask himself one very quick question - Was anyone disadvantaged? If the answer is yes, it is a foul. If the answer is "no", swallow the whistle. To call a foul every time contact occurred would be to change the game from one of relatively continuous action to a series of free-throws and other time stoppages. To players, fans and the officials themselves, this can make for a very tiring 40 minutes. When the game is flowing, don't interrupt the flow without just cause.
Remember intent and disadvantage. At the same time, don't confuse "order" with "tempo" or "flow". It's the officials' job to maintain a fair order in the game he calls, but the good official recognizes a big difference between "law" and "order".
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