Average Numeber of Called Fouls

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

You have a really short memory. Just read a few post above. Several mentioned it or alluded to it.

And I never said it was uncommon or that you are many others were alone. I called it the way you did and as did everyone else.

You can certainly have your own opinion of how you think it should be called or how you were taught to call it, but you can't have your own facts. This sequence of events around this is all well documented across several years of rule books, interpretations, POEs, etc.

It was called that way for decades long before you and I became officials. Then, without a rule change, these fouls (illegal use of hands) were no longer being called under the misguided use of the generally reasonable philosophy of advantage/disadvantage. The NFHS/NCAA/etc. tried to bring it back to they way it was by issuing POEs (under illegal use of hands) only to be essentially ignored. As a last resort, to get everyone's attention, and to not leave any way for it to be ignored, they made them absolutes. Those are the facts. You can choose to deny them, but that doesn't make them any less true.

All I am saying is if that was the case where the rules were "very clear" then there would have been other examples to illustrate those positions. Remember the NF has made not only a Guidebook for years to start the season and as long as I can remember a Simplified and Illustrated book. Then when video was at their disposal, there were no references to these things you suggest were fouls. Now why is that? Maybe there was people that did not agree with your position. Now if I am wrong, show me some evidence or reference of such things in the current rules that said they wanted fouls for simply putting hands on a dribbler or even two hands must be called? You keep referencing a part of the rules that implies some illegal activity, but did not state that these situations were "automatic" fouls or that we did not consider incidental contact rules.

You can tell me all day what the rules said, but if I recall you are not a rules maker or even a person that published information about how these things were to be called. I know that certainly does not apply to me and when I attended camps (even attended John Adam's camp before he became the NCAA Supervisor) there were no standards for those things we call now to be fouls. There just wasn't that feeling. And the NCAA also had videos for some years to back up their positions, but only took on those directives when John Adams became the NCAA Supervisor on the Men's side. There were handchecking guidelines before, but they were not considered "automatics" for some time. And the rules in those cases were more vague and not as descriptive.

And finally you say it was called that way for decades, but the game was not played the same way for decades either. Actually when I was playing in the 80s, we did not even think to defend the way players did after I left high school. We never touched an opponent because we were encouraged to not move their feet and even did not defend the 3 the same way they do today. That kind of shot was not taken that often as it is today. So if it was called that way, not sure they played that way for decades. I have watched old videos on ESPN Classic or older videos and it is clear that the game is not played the same, let alone called the same. And many times small contact was called that was later seen as game interrupters, when players were not displaced.

Peace