Legal Pick Position

[rainmaker]

Remember that anything is "legal", if there's no contact. The defined legal position is with the arms either at the side, or straight up. The screener, guarder, picker, is allowed to put the arms across the body to protect from "impending contact". What I've mostly seen is that girls do this by hugging across the chest, boys with the hands clasped "down in front".

Occasionally, I"ll see someone with the arms crossed but out a little from the body. If this is used only as a brace, and not to push in any way, I'll allow it. With the hands in front and the elbows out, contact on the arms is illegal, as with the arms out to the sides. Arms also can't be extended in front of the body, even to meet an "incoming" screenee.

Refs are often confused about the rules, because of what they see on TV, and what they've heard others say. If you call these plays by the rules, the better teams will adjust to your way of calling, and the lousy ones will get more and more upset.

If two players are setting a side-by-side screen, they do not need to be touching each other to have legal position. If there's less than a "reasonable amount of space" between them, then the dribbler (or whoever is trying to get through) is responsible if there's contact, UNLESS THE SCREENERS SHIFT INWARD, which they often do. Their arms still can't be out to the side, and can't swing down as the dribbler tries to squeeze through.

Whoooo -- hoooo!! That was an essay. I should copy it onto the paid side, and pick up some bucks.