[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I post this question at the risk of being called an old fool and losing my esteemed member status on the Forum.

I know that guarding is the act of legally placing the body in the path of an offensive opponent, and that to obtain an initial legal guarding position, the front of the guard’s torso must be facing the opponent.

A1, guarded by B1, fakes a three point field goal try, and drives past defensive player B1 to the basket. B5, who was guarding A5, and who was initially fifteen feet away from A1, and who was never initially facing A1, takes the fake and immediately turns to face the backboard hoping to snag a rebound. A1, totally out of control, with no regard for the safety of the other players, drives down the lane and hits stationery B5 directly in the back, sending B5 sprawling into the basket stanchion, injured, blood is everywhere.

This is a blocking foul on B5 because the front of the B5’s torso must be initially facing the opponent, A1?

Am I missing something here?

It is not a blocking foul on B5 because the screening rule is the governing rule in this play.

MTD, Sr.