[RecRef]

Originally posted by bob jenkins

I was at a camp this weekend and Mary Strukhoff (sp?) was one of the clinicians. I asked her specifically about this point.

She stated that the rule was changed / modified precisely because some officials were calling it one way and some were calling it the other. She told the rules committee that she didn't care what the interp was, but that they needed *one* interp.

The rules committee came back with "basketball is played inbounds so a legal guarding position must be inbounds."

Thus, if the defense sets up on the line, or moves on to the line, it's a blocking foul (well, more precisely, "the defense is responsible for the contact"), even if the defense was set for 20-seconds before the contact.

Mary raised the point that this adds to the judgment required by the official. The rules committee stated that that's what officials are paid for.

Situation: B1 is set just inbounds in a Legal Guarding Position, A1 approaches and B1 starts to backpedal and when doing so steps on the line. B1 still backpedaling returns fully inbounds just before contact in made. We have;

A) PCF on A1?

B) Block on B1 as he went OOB and thus lost LGP. (Forgetting about space on the floor for the moment)

C) A ref that has to not only watch the upper body contact but also the feet too.

D) Coaches screaming that the defender was or was not on the line. What was that ad in the ’60 about the silly millimeter?

E) A situation where if B1 is fully OOB and A1 touches him OOB is not called because wink, wink, he is a player and not really OOB as such. But, if B1 is that silly little millimeter on the line he is OOB and thus a block is called.

F) A rules committee that is in desperate need of professional procedure writers to rewrite the rulesbook and the casebook. (With all respect to Mary whom I do not know)

G) All of the above.

H) None of the above.

I) All or none of the above - Time to retire to the Outer Banks and only worry about the fishing and the hurricanes.