billy Packer called a violation I never heard before, illegal handoff. Syracuse-Maryland game with about 8 minutes left in the second half and the Orange in posession. Defensive player stepped in toward two Syracuse players. Camera angle was not good. A turnover was whistled. Anyone know what the call was??

Was it during a throw in? That is a violation, because the throw in must be released.

I had mentioned this in the "Announcer Babble" thread: http://www.officialforum.com/thread/12770


It was actually on a foul - not a violation, and not during the throw-in. I think he may have been trying for 'illegal use of hands' or (more likely) "reach-in" or "pushoff" on a Syracyse player. I didn't get a good look at exactly what the contact was, but the team control foul was called against 'Cuse.

I think the play in question (didn't see it, but heard it on the radio w/ different announcers that knew a bunch more than Packer =P ), but what it sounded like was an illegal screen. The player with the ball dribbled across from the left elbow to the right right elbow, handed the ball off to a guard that was going to use the screen to penetrate to the middle of the lane, but never came set in screening the guard's defender and caused contact while still in motion. Announcer's said whoever the guard was would have had a clear shot at the hoop thanks to the nice but illegal screen.

I have always said that the handoff play routinely results in illegal screens, they just usually aren't called.

I may be a bit biased, but OU runs the "handoff" play really well. They don't have the handoff man in motion at all. He gets it in the high post and a guard just curls over top and takes the hand off. But it is a staple of their offense and it does get called sometimes.

It should be easy to run this play without moving the quarterback.

Biggest mistake usually is doing the "roll" part of a pick'n'roll before they finish the "pick" part.

There are really two kinds of handoff plays, one where you hit a big man in the high post and a guard cuts, the other where you have guards dribling around the perimeter and handing the ball to each other. It is this latter one that results in the moving screen, but it is rarely made into a situation where it is called because the defense can't just run into a moving ball handler. so the ball handler keeps his motion going and creates this "moving screen" as he hands the ball off. You will rarely see anybody try to fight over this, and if they do, it is rarely called as a moving screen.

NBA officials do a very good job of officiating this. The Tournament guys, I'd give them a D-. :(