Proposals intended to curb rough play - By Malcolm Moran, USA TODAY
College basketball's continuing emphasis on limiting rough play, and its occasionally frustrating search for a solution, soon could lead to the most significant change to the court in 47 years.
The proposed implementation of a trapezoidal lane, similar to the one used in the international game was announced Monday. It is intended to reinforce instructions given to officials in recent seasons. Now, rather than having to sort out the complex decision of which inside player might be gaining an advantage, an official could reduce traffic near the basket by counting to three.
By extending the area for three-second violations by almost 4 feet on each side at the baseline, and adding about 9 inches to the current 19-foot, 9-inch distance for a three-point shot, the NCAA men's basketball rules committee recommended relieving the game of its congestion problems.
At its widest point, the lane would be a little more than 19 feet, 8 inches across. The current width of 12 feet was established when the lane was doubled in width for the 1956-57 season.
"The lane is a huge difference," says New Mexico coach Ritchie McKay, an assistant on the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 1997 University Games.
"Now you're going to just need more skill level on offense. You can't just drop it in the post. A lot might depend on how the refs administer the three-second rule. Is it a genuine three seconds or will they give you 3.5?"
The extension of the three-point line is not expected to result in a major statistical shift. According to NCAA figures, experimental games using the new distance last season resulted in an average of 18 three-point attempts, compared to 17.4 in a sample of games using the 19-9 line. In both cases, teams shot 34% on three-pointers.
But the new line would end the perception that the shot is too simple for the college level, a view held since the introduction of the rule for the 1986-87 season. A slightly more difficult three-point shot, combined with the new lane, would provide officials with help in eliminating collisions.
"We put in the point of emphasis to clean up rough play," says Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, "and sometimes I think we put too much on the officials to do that. It's tough to do, especially over the grind of a long season. I think we have to help the officials."
Don DeVoe, who has coached Virginia Tech, Tennessee and Navy to NCAA tournament appearances, feels the proposal is linked to the sixth-place finish at the 2002 World Championships by a U.S. team made up exclusively of NBA players.
"I think a lot of this is obviously for our teams to perform better in international competition," DeVoe says. "We haven't done as well in recent years, and it has to do with our guys not being as comfortable on the floor as other countries."
Jean Lenti Ponsetto, head of the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet that would have to OK the changes, says members will look into concerns such as the financial impact of a change and its effect on the image of the game.
"It usually takes a couple of weeks to circulate through coaching circles," Ponsetto says.
"If the coaches feel well-educated and the rules committee did due diligence ... then there's probably going to be a fair amount of support for it."
Coaches such as Brey, who was at the World Championships late last summer, envision a game with more movement and fewer unnecessary collisions.
"What we can expect to see most is more zone defense," McKay says. "Just pack the zone in a little, especially if you've got a group that can't guard the interior so well."
Another proposed change would give officials more freedom to check TV replays. At or near the end of each half, officials would be able to see if a shot was released before the game clock reached zero or before the shot clock expired. Until now, officials could examine shots against the game clock only at the end of games.
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