Had a pair of games last night where, in the JV game, there was a player on one team setting what could be described as a very ugly screen. I saw it at least a half a dozen times and perhaps closer to dozen. It was the same every time.
If I happened to be close to the table, I could hear the assistant coach state in a rather soft voice "illegal screen". Way too soft to be a problem and they're a good coaching staff that never causes trouble anyway.
The screen went like this...
- A1 dribbling out top.
- A4 would run up and set a screen on the left side of B1 who was more or less stationary (such that it would have probably been a foul if A1 had brought his defender into him at that moment)
- All about the same time
- The dribbler would then start a drive
- B1 would step back to go around the screen
- A1 would cut toward the right side of B1
(the side where B1 would not be affected by the screen at all)
- The screener would roll to the left away from the play opening up B1 to freely move any direction
- B1 would continue to guard A1 as he wished without ever contacting A4.
I couldn't figure out exactly what they were trying to accomplish because the screen was entirely useless.
At a timeout, I went by the assistant and told him that I see them too....a lot of them and they were indeeded moving as he observed but there was absolutely no contact the way the players were moving and without contact there was nothing I could call. I told him that if there was contact on such a screen that bumped his defender off the dribbler, I'd be happy to make the call.
About 2 minutes later, bang...we had the same play except, after a dozen or so times, the dribber eventually went left. The defender was led into the screener as the screener was still coming in....obvious bump as the defender tried to stay with his man. Tweet....smile at he bench....and that one had the contact necessary for a foul.