Dan, are you in a position to know what most NCAA evaluators want? I know for a fact that most evaluators and assigners on the West Coast do not say do this. Getting angles and being mechanically sound is preached over and over again out west. Then, if something happens you adjust.

I don't think there's one set answer. You see some stuff from out wide, you see some stuff from in close. It really depends on what kind of defense is being played and each individual drive to the basket.

Thats way we have a C.

MOST across the US? Nope.

SOME? Yes.

MOST in my area? Yes.

I have no idea what goes on in the west coast.

This is the 1st I've heard to close down when the shot goes up. HS camps aways said back out. In Women's its spelled out, so no confusion there. But, I didn't know the Men's side would want you to close down.

Would the play dictate what to do? I can't see how. I can understand moving in to see the play until the shot goes up, but once the shot is in the air, its about getting 3 different angles. I guess the old saying, "when in Rome" applies to you area.

I just went back & read your comments and I see you are saying stay or go wide on *shots*. I was referring to plays when the ball comes in to the paint, not on the shot. In general the assignors/evaluators I deal with (ncaam mechanics) want the L to not stay too wide when in position A (shot or not), they for sure want the L to move to B as the ball moves to the paint, and most don't mind if you take a step more to observe contact in the paint when the ball is there. I think BITS & Mark were commenting on this scenario, not on what they do when the shot goes up.

Which is why IMO they are doing it right.

OK, never mind

OK never mind too.

I've been eading these threads with great interest, especially as I started it off!

I'm an English FIBA ref working in Europe. Next season all main FIBA competitions will have 3PO. A lot of the pro-leagues in each country - Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Belgium already have this in their domestic competition, and the Euroleague (Non-FIBA proleague which will be screened by NBA TV shortly in the US) has had it for 4 years now.

When the EL started it was basically using NCAA mechanics, and emphasis was on the L getting to the paint on drives to the basket. Allowing for some regional differences in the style of play - Mainly players 20 - 35 years of age, high speed, very physical games (more akin to NBA), I could understand this, but I felt that if the C was more active on the opposite side, then the L would not need to move AS MUCH.

OK Never say never and never say always.........there may be times to get the right angle and therefore the right call, which is what we all want.

But.......looking at NBA games, and we now have a lot of europeans coming to the NBA from these leagues, the L hardly ever goes to the paint.

If we assume that there is a little difficulty in communication and culture, i.e. a crew could be a Serbian, a Spaniard and an Italian, none of whom will have english as there first language, plus the regional/cultural heirachy which may exist, which is the safest framework/simplest framework to adopt in your view.

I know there may not be a right/wrong answer, but am interested in peoples points of view...............?

Regardless of how anyone feels about the calls they make or don't make, the NBA system is the best as far as coverage and angles. You said yourself that the NBA officials do not go to the paint.

Okay - Agreed,

But is it the simplest, does it require more experience? Both of the meachanics and the level of the game?

Okay we should strive for the best, but the system they have now is not what they started with, so what's the best starting point?

The best starting point is going to be a current system. To go back wouldn't be wise because there were mechanics in old systems that did not work for the game.