Starting the NFHS closely guarded count

[HoopsRefJunior]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

4-10: A closely guarded situation occurs when a player in control of the ball in his/her team’s frontcourt, is continuously guarded by any opponent who is within six feet of the player who is holding or dribbling the ball. The distance must be measured from the forward foot/feet of the defender to the forward foot/feet of the ball handler. A closely guarded count must be terminated when the offensive player in control of the ball gets his/her head and shoulders past the defensive player.

Billy, thanks for the quick response, and I very much respect your opinions and responses on this site. I've seen this and I've read all the definitions and case book situations I can find, but I guess I'm still not understanding 100%.

So the positioning of the defender (in determining the start of the 5-count) only matters if the ball handler's head extends beyond the defender? With the play in question, the defender was "off to the side" of the ball handler and not between the ball handler and the basket.