"Carry!"

[Mark Dexter]

First boys' varsity game last night, and almost every posession, someone in the crowd calls out "That's a carry!" (Note that I am not saying they were right or wrong). The POE this year has me very confused (I liked the old 90 degree test, even though it was apparently wrong), so I want to know - what constitutes a carry in your eyes?

[Tim Roden]

In my eyes, if the ball was delayed comming down because the ball was in they players hand, then it is a carry. If it was a natural timing then it wasn't. Hard to use this test if you haven't watched a lot of dribbling.

[BktBallRef]

Consider the situations. Not every play is a violation every time. But these are the most common that I've found.

1- If the ball comes to rest in the player's hand, it's definitely palming.

2- If the ball spins in the player's hand during a hesitation move, it's definitely palming.

3- If the player uses a crossover and hesitation on the same dribble, he usually carries the ball.

4- If the dribbler rises on his/her tiptoes and the ball hesitates while the hand is on the side of the ball, he usually carries the ball.

5- Most players palm when they dribble behind their back.

Some may not agree. That's their choice. I won't argue the point. The fact is that, even with this year's POE, many officials refuse to call the violation. That keeps those of us that do in hot water.