Late game - stop the clock fouls

[RefsNCoaches]

I want to say it was maybe last year or year before POE where they talked about the late game fouls actually being called intentional (because their only intent is to stop the clock)....You know the play where a defensive player from the trailing team wraps up or "hugs" the offensive player to draw a whistle so the clock will stop.

Everyone in the gym knows why they are doing it but in years past it's just been ruled a common foul and we handle accordingly with OOB throw in, 1 and bonus or two shots...

I don't work Varsity but curious if guys are you seeing more "play the ball" if you're going to foul (even though we still know why they are "playing the ball"...

Have you had the "wrap up/hug" and had to call the intentional foul and how'd it go over with the coach when you did?

[BillyMac]

2012-13 POINTS OF EMPHASIS

3. Intentional Fouls. The committee is concerned about the lack of enforcement for intentional fouls during any part of the game but especially at the end of a game. The intentional foul rule has devolved into misapplication and personal interpretations. An intentional foul is a personal or technical foul that neutralizes an opponent’s obvious advantageous position. Contact away from the ball or when not making a legitimate attempt to play the ball, specifically designed to stop or keep the clock from starting, shall be intentional. Intentional fouls may or may not be premeditated and are not based solely on the severity of the act. A foul also shall be ruled intentional if while playing the ball a player causes excessive contact with an opponent.
a. Anytime during the game. Acts that neutralize an opponent’s obvious advantageous position and must be deemed intentional include:
1. Excessive contact on any player attempting a try
2. Grabbing or shoving a player from behind when an easy basket may be scored
3. Grabbing and holding a player from behind or away from the ball
These are “non-basketball acts” and must be considered intentional fouls
b. Game awareness. The probability of fouling late in the game is an accepted coaching strategy and is utilized by many coaches in some form. Officials must have the courage to enforce the intentional foul rule properly.

[BillyMac]

From my pregame conference:

Near the end of the game, if the winning team is just holding the ball and is willing to take the free throws
after strategic fouls, then let’s call the foul immediately so the ballhandler doesn't get hit harder to draw
a whistle. Let’s make sure there is a play on the ball by the defense. If there’s no play on the ball, if the
defense grabs the jersey, pushes from behind, or bear hugs the offensive player, we should consider an
intentional foul. These are not basketball plays and should be penalized as intentional.

[Pantherdreams]

Happens a couple of times a season in games I'm a part of so unless crews I'm on are the outlier is not an uncommon thing around here.

Its always a murky thing but if we are only supposed to call fouls that meet the threshold of fouls all game long, then the defense has to commit those sorts of fouls while still making a basketball play. What happens IME is that high school kids/coaches who haven't prepped this or ended up in this situation a lot end up in it. So now they've only been committing fouls without trying and don't know how to try and get players in those same siutations.

They just end up reaching or tapping and not getting a call then having to do something that is clearly not playing the ball or making a basketball play in order to get their coach/crowd off their back about committing a foul.

Coach is never happy.

I'm a big proponent of if everyone knows whats going on just call the first contact/reach and move on to avoid something else. Most of the partners are work with also work very high level games uni/semi pro. With older experieinced sophisticated athletes and want the threshold of a foul to be met. I get that. Again IME, with less experienced and trained kids that longer you hold off on the whistle the more likely you are going to be coming away with an unsportsmanlike/int.

[BillyMac]

When I first started coaching basketball, about forty years ago, if coaches yelled, "Foul him", in a late game situation, it was automatically called an intentional foul. A referee friend told me to come up with a code word instead. I used, "Steal the ball". When my players heard that they knew to "reach in" and hit an arm to stop the clock and force the other team to make free throws.

That old rule no longer applies. If a coach is yelling, "Foul", and the defender simply reaches in and lightly hits an arm, we no longer automatically call it an intentional foul.

When did it change?

Note: Coaching for over twenty-five years, officiating for almost four decades, I've never seen a team use this strategy and come from behind to win. I'm not saying that it's never worked for anybody, but I've never observed it to work in my games. Never. Ever. The team ahead either makes free throws, or the team that's behind misses key shots at the end.

[Matt S.]

If a kid does a 'bear hug' to stop the clock, it's an automatic INT Foul in my (varsity) game.

And when the coach complains, I say, "By rule, that type of contact is an intentional foul." And there is nothing they can come back with.

I can't speak to lower levels and how much discretion you're going to give...but it's hard to get in trouble when you enforce the rules as written.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Pantherdreams

I'm a big proponent of if everyone knows whats going on just call the first contact/reach and move on to avoid something else.

I had a partner criticize me last season for not calling a first contact foul that turned into an intentional foul a few seconds later from a different defender. I didn't call it because the defender swiped and completely missed. No contact at all. I was right there and my partner was on the other side of the court. Should we call these misses fouls to prevent escalation?

[so cal lurker]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I've never seen a team use this strategy and come from behind to win.

Really? I don't think it is uncommon when the team is down by a couple and the game is still in 1-1 and we're talking about the last minute of the game (or more particularly, once the shot clock is turned off).

But I'd believe you if what you're talking about the team down by 7 or more desperately grasping at straws having to foul multiple times.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Matt S.

"By rule, that type of contact is an intentional foul."

If I'm near a huddle in such situations I've occasionally told players coming out a timeout to "Go for the ball". Sometimes I'll even remind an assistant coach of this before the timeout ends.

On the other hand, if an offensive player is getting frustrated after getting poked at, I will occasionally tell him, "Hey, you've played this game a long time, you know you're going to get fouled, make your free throws and it will be over soon".

Stuff like this may keep things from escalating.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by so cal lurker

But I'd believe you if what you're talking about the team down by 7 or more desperately grasping at straws having to foul multiple times.

Yeah. That's what I meant, when it's no longer a real game and the strategy becomes a desperation move. I'm not talking about a three point game with thirty seconds to go. That's still a real game that anybody can win.

If a team is grasping at straws they're probably going to drown. As an official, I think to myself, "Why bother", but on the other hand, "Hope springs eternal". I've seen weird late game stuff happen on television, but never in real life.

[BillyMac]

2013-14 Points of Emphasis
Intentional Foul - An intentional foul is a personal or technical foul that may or may not be premeditated and is not based solely on the severity of the act. It is contact that:
- Neutralizes an opponent’s obvious advantageous position.
- Contact on an opponent who is clearly not in the play.
- May be excessive contact.
- Contact that is not necessarily premeditated or based solely on the severity of the act.
This type of foul may be strategic to stop the clock or create a situation that may be tactically done for the team taking action. This foul may be innocent in severity, but without any playing of the ball, it becomes an intentional act such as a player wrapping their arms around an opponent. The act may be excessive in its intensity and force of the action. These actions are all intentional fouls and are to be called as such.

Basketball Points of Emphasis - 2017-18
3. Intentional Fouls. The committee is concerned about the lack of enforcement for intentional fouls during any part of the game but especially at the end of a game. The intentional foul rule has evolved into misapplication and personal interpretations. An intentional foul is a personal or technical foul that may or may not be premeditated and is not based solely on the severity of the act, it is contact that:
•Neutralizes an opponent’s obvious advantageous position.
•Contact on an opponent who is clearly not in the play.
•May be excessive contact.
•Contact that is not necessarily premeditated or based solely on the severity of the act.
This type of foul may be strategic to stop the clock or create a situation that may be tactically done for the team taking action. This foul may be innocent in severity, but without any playing of the ball, it becomes an intentional act such as a player wrapping their arms around an opponent. The act may be excessive in its intensity and force of the action. These actions are all intentional fouls and are to be called as such.
Officials must be aware of the game situations as the probability of fouling late in the game is an accepted coaching strategy and is utilized by many coaches in some form. Officials must have the courage to enforce the intentional foul rule properly.

[BillyMac]

In addition to the above, Intentional Fouls were Points of Emphasis in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Five times in fifteen years.

In regard to intentional fouls, I guess that the NFHS doesn't believe that officials are doing their job properly.

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I had a partner criticize me last season for not calling a first contact foul that turned into an intentional foul a few seconds later from a different defender. I didn't call it because the defender swiped and completely missed. No contact at all. I was right there and my partner was on the other side of the court. Should we call these misses fouls to prevent escalation?

Don't unfairly hurt the team with the lead in order to whistle minimal contact. If the offensive team wishes to run the clock, then the defense needs to commit a strategic foul correctly.
I'm not calling something that I would not have in the 2nd quarter. That is favoring what one team desires.

[Pantherdreams]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I had a partner criticize me last season for not calling a first contact foul that turned into an intentional foul a few seconds later from a different defender. I didn't call it because the defender swiped and completely missed. No contact at all. I was right there and my partner was on the other side of the court. Should we call these misses fouls to prevent escalation?

Nope. But if the player's next response is to escalate and swing wildly clotheslining someone I'll get the Int. POst int you better believe on each play after that the rest of way I'm blowing everything down before anyone can get hurt whether it would have been a foul earlier or not.

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Pantherdreams

Nope. But if the player's next response is to escalate and swing wildly clotheslining someone I'll get the Int. POst int you better believe on each play after that the rest of way I'm blowing everything down before anyone can get hurt whether it would have been a foul earlier or not.

Awful, simply awful.