Guarding/Screening Equals Block/Charge Play.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

I know that the Pandemic has put the kabash on our discussions and I am posting a video of a play from the 2017-18 season that I hope will start a discussion that will benefit the newer and younger officials in our Forum.

I want to thank Abe Wyse of the 5th District Basketball Officials Association for posting it on his YouTube Channel (as well as in the Facebook group: Basketball Officials Forum (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1431...=group_comment).

The game was a Toledo City League Boys' Varsity Semi-Finals in February 2018; Toledo Rogers H.S. in the White and Toledo Bowsher H.S. in the Blue; I was not at the game and do not know who was officiating the game but the TCAL Assigner is a very good veteran H.S. basketball official himself.

I have made my Ruling known in the Facebook group and I would bet dollars to donuts that the veterans in our group know what my Ruling was. I do want to keep the discussion to the Play itself and leave Officiating Mechanics of the Play for another discussion.

Here it is and lets have some fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfGK...QboqP-IH6Sj5so

MTD, Sr.

[JRutledge]

I got a charge. Two feet facing the opponent and then retreats legally to maintain LGP.

For the record, we cannot see the FB page link. We can see the YouTube link which I posted for your convenience.



Peace

[SC Official]

As always, I ask myself "What did the defender do wrong?"

Wasn't there a revision to the rules recently stating that the defender's torso could be facing any part of the offensive player's body in order to establish LGP? i.e. The defender's torso doesn't have to face the ball handler's torso in order to be legal, like some officials think. This seems to be a classic example of that rule, if my memory serves me correctly.

Player control foul.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by SC Official

As always, I ask myself "What did the defender do wrong?"

Wasn't there a revision to the rules recently stating that the defender's torso could be facing any part of the offensive player's body in order to establish LGP? i.e. The defender's torso doesn't have to face the ball handler's torso in order to be legal, like some officials think. This seems to be a classic example of that rule, if my memory serves me correctly.

Player control foul.

The NCAA Men's made that very clear that facing any direction of the torso was good enough. Not sure about the other levels, but nothing in the rule says that facing is required in a certain way or has to be "square."

Peace

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by SC Official

As always, I ask myself "What did the defender do wrong?"

Wasn't there a revision to the rules recently stating that the defender's torso could be facing any part of the offensive player's body in order to establish LGP? i.e. The defender's torso doesn't have to face the ball handler's torso in order to be legal, like some officials think. This seems to be a classic example of that rule, if my memory serves me correctly.

Player control foul.

I think I know what you're saying, but you'd always be facing the opponents torso if you're facing them at all. I think you mean to say you can face any side of the offensive player's torso, not just the front of the opponent's torso. It may have been clarified recently, but the direction the offensive player faces has never been a factor.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

This was a H.S. game played under NFHS Rules. That said, despite the Secondary Defender (NFHS and NCAA Men's/Women's), RAs (NCAA Men's/Women's), and Lower Defensive Box (NCAA Women's) the Guarding and Screening Rules have not changed for over 60 years except that "Establish" was changed to "Obtain" in the NFHS Rules in the late 1990s (and that is a story for another time) and the requirement that the Defender in the Guarding Rule and the Screener in the Screening Rule must be entirely Inbounds (NFHS and NCAA Men's/Women's).

I will give a hint as to how to adjudicate this play: Think the Screening Rule and not the Guarding Rule.

MTD, Sr.

[Nevadaref]

As other responders have already written, the call in the video is correct. This is a player control foul. I’ll note that the proper official makes the decision given that this is a transition play and the location of the defender involved. The only possible criticism would be that the proper NFHS PC signal was not used, but some areas elect not to use NFHS signals or mechanics or to modify them. Most importantly, the correct decision on the action was made according to the HS rules and it was communicated in a reasonably clear manner.

I have no idea what MTD is talking about with regard to screening principles. This is not a screening play. It is most clearly a guarding situation and the requirements of guarding and LGP are determinative. If one thinks about screens, one could get misdirected by the stationary requirement for a screener (except for one situation) and make the wrong ruling on a defender who is moving after obtaining LGP. Also, no time or distance is required in this situation because the opponent has the ball.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

I will give a hint as to how to adjudicate this play: Think the Screening Rule and not the Guarding Rule.

I have no idea what you are getting at. This is not a screening play.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

The NCAA Men's made that very clear that facing any direction of the torso was good enough. Not sure about the other levels, but nothing in the rule says that facing is required in a certain way or has to be "square."

Peace

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

I think I know what you're saying, but you'd always be facing the opponents torso if you're facing them at all. I think you mean to say you can face any side of the offensive player's torso, not just the front of the opponent's torso. It may have been clarified recently, but the direction the offensive player faces has never been a factor.

Ah, found it. It was NCAA-M that made the clarification/revision.

Rule 4-17-4-b: "The guard’s torso shall face the opponent from any direction."

And yes Camron, you said it better than me.