Hello,
I'm a HS basketball player so I may not be welcome here but I was wondering...what is the rule re: dunking in warmups? I always thought it was strictly forbidden, but then someone told me you can dunk as long as you do not touch the rim...can anyone clarify this for me?

Thanks in advance!

Of course your welcome here: official bashing and such is not but any time you have a sincere question about the mechanics we use or a rules question your more than welcome. An actual players prespective would be appreciate im sure.

Dunking in pre-game warm ups is 100% against the rules when the officials are PRESENT on the court. If you have 30 min on the clock and they're are no officials you could get away with dunking... When the officials get on the court (usualy 20-15 min before tip) It becomes illegal.

Thanks, ace...I suppose it depends on an official's definition of a "dunk". Our coach tells us no hands above the rim during warmups to be on the safe side, but I've seen opponents "throw down" the ball with touching the rim with officials present and no action was taken...

Welcome Player, you can learn a lot if you come to this board, read, and ask questions. There are officials, coaches, and players that frequent this board.

As for dunking durring warm-ups...DON'T DO IT! :)

Sound advice that I'll remember. :)

Another question that popped into my head stemming from a conversation I had with one of our asst. coaches...he said that we would risk getting T'ed up if I was to "pat down" a starter in pre-game introductions...would this merit a technical foul (for taunting, I assume)? Seems a little strict to me...

I may be the only one here who doesn't, but I don't even know what you mean by "pat down," so perhaps you could explain further. On the subject of the pregame dunk, this is one of those situations that I have dared to dream about.
A coach that gives you problems every time you meet has three players in a row dunk the ball in warmups. You stroll calmly over to the coach (smile if you want) and say
"Boy, coach, I sure admire the hops on some of your guys, that's very impressive. Now, by the way, we start the game with 3 T's, one on each guy, and, one more thing, you have to leave." :)

"Patting down" as a security guard would do checking for weapons :)

Officials don't have their own definition of a "dunk". The rule book gives the officials a standard definition of what a dunk is. It doesn't matter if you touch the rim or not. If you "throw down" the ball, it's a dunk, by rule. The officials should never ignore it if they see it- it's a T with no warning.

[Edited by Jurassic Referee on Dec 6th, 2003 at 02:39 PM]

I can't find a specific rule regarding the "pat down". As long as it is not an "in your face" type taunting situation...I guess I would have to be there.

The key here is that your coach is asking you not to do something silly that might earn you a Tech. Let your play make the statement to your opponent! Nothing says "Scoreboard!" like...well, the scoreboard.

To make JAR feel better, I had no idea what he was talking about either. Now two questions:

When would you think about doing this? Captains meeting? When you're lined up for free throws?

Why would you think about doing this? What do you think it would accomplish? Just seems downright odd to me :confused:

We had discussed using the "pat down" method during the pregame starter introductions for a star player, or after a dunk...

After a dunk would get you a T and possibly an ejection.

On your teammate, as he comes out for intros? Or on an opponent as he comes over to shake your hand?

On a teammate in intros...

I definitely wouldn't T you for it, because I still don't understand it.

I'll try and bridge the generation gap here... :)

The "thinking" behind the pat down of your star player in warmups is that you are checking him for "weapons" since he is so good...silly, I know, but there's something to be said for presentation...

If you want to play basketball, play basketball. If you want to act, take up theater.

If you have to ask, chances are officials will view it as:

1) Illegal
2) Stupid

Welcome aboard HS...
 

I agree with Trigger...

Do you want to play basketball or be a "Cheerleader"?

Where is Vince Lombardi when you need him? :)

I think your comment about a generation gap is valid :) A behavior like this, which you probably consider cool and harmless could easily be misunderstood by an official. You run the risk of getting T'd for taunting, baiting, or intimidating behavior. Were I to witness this ritual, I certainly might be uncomfortable with the notion that a team's star players need to be checked for weapons on the floor. I might think that you were intentionally sending a message to your opponents that they need to worry about more than just your outside shooting. It sounds like your coach is really just giving you the heads up that this ritual could have unforeseen and unintended consequences.

Re: Welcome aboard HS...
 

Just changed my signature line and saw the Vince reference. Don't have anything meaningful to say other than the tagline.

Mregor

Re: Welcome aboard HS...
 

I prefer to talk about Barry Sanders. He was not just great. He was one of the top 3 or 4 running backs ever. You can't possibly even argue about that.

Did you ever see him do a celebration dance in the end zone? Did you ever see him do an exaggerated "first down" signal after a 3-yard run? Did you ever even see him spike the ball after a score? No. Never.

He didn't need theatrics to promote himself. He was great. He knew it, his opponents knew it, the fans knew it. He acted with pride and grace on the field.

There's a lot of athletes today at all levels who could take a lesson from Barry.

Can I get an "Amen" from Mick? :)

well Chuck, I don't know about Mick, but you get one from me AMEN, act like you have been there before....

Also along another pet peeve of mine, the shirt thing, keep em tucked in, we have this problem in basketball and football. I saw one day on one of the pregame football shows, during warmups a coach walks by one of the rookies whose shirt is untucked...he tells him the usual have a great game bla bla bla, then finishes with hey rook tuck your shirt in look like a pro today...I wish I could find a tape of that and disseminate it to all the high schools in the nation...

Funny you should mention shirts
 

My players know that thye don't go anywhere in their uniform without wearing it properly. They go to lunch after the game and decide to keepo the uni on, it stays tucked in. When you wear it, you represent it, and we always represent well.

And if you see one of my players with their shirt untucked, tell em to fix it before I see them

One thought to add about the "pat down." You mentioned doing it after a dunk (I would presume a particularly impressive dunk.) This would probably earn a T, more so than doing it in warmups. On top of that, if you take the time to showboat after this dunk, you've now got two guys who aren't playing defense. Either the other team is good enough to take advantage of it and you're putting your team at a disadvantage, or the other team isn't at your caliber, and the ref is more likely to see it as taunting. Bottom line, your coach says not to do it. It shouldn't matter why. If it doesn't earn you a T, it could likely earn you a spot on the bench.

Hawks Coach, we need more like you.....that or velcro inside the shorts to keep em in...