Players hitting the floor
 

Hi all,
I was watching UMass vs Creighton tonight and with 16:10 or so in the 1st half there is a loose ball picked up by the defense and while transitioning to the other end 2 players collide very hard but incidental contact for sure and go to the floor. The players landed a few feet away from each other with one on each side of the division line, and the C ran by them and took a look but continued to the front court. By the time the players got to their feet the C was probably 25 feet from the players on the ground.

I was just curious about whether or not it would be acceptable/common practice for the C to stay close to the players in case they went after each other after such a big collision. Or is that just something where you try to keep an eye on them from where you are and if they go at each other then what can you do? The new Trail was on the far side of the court so I would guess he was just as far from the players as the C.

Thanks

Yes, someone should assess the situation. I think the C did that.

It was of paramount importance for an official to closely observe players in situations such as you describe until the widespread use of HDTV cameras and the addition of monitor replay rules at the NCAA level.

Sadly, too many officials these days rely upon the cameras to catch flagrant situations and the ability to review via the monitor.

At the HS level, the C should stay with these guys until the T can catch up and take over their observation.

For all we know that's what happened in this situation.

I don't have time to clip the play but here's a screen shot from about a second after the players hit the deck:

http://i65.tinypic.com/2exsz2x.jpg

The C is still with them and, as it turned out, the UMass player (in white) rolled over towards the basket, got up and went about his business. If there had been anything untoward the C was still close enough and the new T - even though we can't see him - wasn't far behind. I'm thinking the new T was keeping an eye on the players who hit the deck because the C and L were dealing with seven players on a fast break.

Again, if something crazy happened the C and the T would both have been reasonably close. Plus, if either player did anything dumb the crew would have been able to use the monitor to sort things out.