I work this conference and did a pretty big game that was played right before this -- one of the two teams in this game was involved.
I look at that picture and think -- well, I would've held my whistle and seen if the player could play through that contact. It's obvious the contact was momentary and it didn't change the fact that the player scored the bucket. Doesn't mean I wouldn't have called a foul, either -- if the contact forced the player to change the shot, I would've likely called a foul and scored the bucket -- but the picture tells me little. The shooter could've simply blown through the contact and scored.
Yes, these players are physical. This is one of the top conferences in the state and the coaches and fans (and this writer) would be the first person to complain if we had a whistle every time down the floor. It's a balancing act, frankly, and people like this writer have no idea how hard it is to apply the Tower Philosophy in games like this. Sometimes we miss, sure, but call it a lapse in judgment, then -- it's not like we're out of position or we miss a call because we're waiting for someone else to make it.
I worked this conference 2-person. He doesn't really want to go back to that, he just doesn't know it.
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