Eyepoke

[jmkbball]

It seems that I've seen more of this, this season, so just my two cents:
...if I didn't see the poke, I have a hard time calling a foul. If need be, however I do call my time and give the offensive player time to recover. Like earlier posts -- the player can stay in the game and I warn the defensive player.
...if I saw the defensive player make a play I considered unsafe, I have called a foul...and warned him (or at least looked at him a bit sternly).

We actually had a game early this year where a coach apparently taught a technique to his players to get in a good defensive position with hands down -- but then bring their hands up in efforts to make a steal. I thought the first 'inadvertent' slap up someone's face was just that. But then it happened again and we called a foul. The third time (not the same player) we called a technical and the coach got the players to tone their actions back a bit.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by jmkbball

We actually had a game early this year where a coach apparently taught a technique to his players to get in a good defensive position with hands down -- but then bring their hands up in efforts to make a steal. I thought the first 'inadvertent' slap up someone's face was just that. But then it happened again and we called a foul. The third time (not the same player) we called a technical and the coach got the players to tone their actions back a bit.

Maybe the right idea, but the wrong method.

You can't call a technical foul, by rule, for a contact foul committed during a live ball. To make your point, your options would have been an intentional personal foul or a flagrant personal foul.

[refnrev]

This one's tricky for me. I have trouble calling what I didn't see but I seriously doubt the guy poked himself in the eye.

[rainmaker]

The only time I"ve ever seen a poke that was enough to stop a player, it happened in the midst of about 8 players going up for a rebound all at the same time. One player comes out of the pack with the hand over the eye. No way to call it. If it's clear that there was a swipe by a certain player, and there is clearly a real injury (as opposed to a fake), I'll call a foul, even if I didn't actually see the finger in the eye.

[Scrapper1]

At a camp I went to, a very high level D1 official told us, "In the last 4 minutes of the game, any 'meltdown' is a foul. Automatic. No kid is going to fake getting hit in the face in the last 4 minutes of a close game." His definition of a meltdown was a kid just stopping playing to hold a piece of his anatomy. Any time a kid just stops playing and grabs his eye, nose, groin, etc, it's because he was fouled. Call it.

In theory, I understand the desire NOT to call something that you didn't see. But in real life, the kid got fouled. So call it.

[Dan_ref]

Originally Posted by Scrapper1

At a camp I went to, a very high level D1 official told us, "In the last 4 minutes of the game, any 'meltdown' is a foul. Automatic. No kid is going to fake getting hit in the face in the last 4 minutes of a close game." His definition of a meltdown was a kid just stopping playing to hold a piece of his anatomy. Any time a kid just stops playing and grabs his eye, nose, groin, etc, it's because he was fouled. Call it.

What Art McDonald actually said Scrappy-doo-doo is to call the meltdown at any point in the game, not just at the end.

He will be missed.

[deecee]

in that instance on the rebound it could be a no call -- incedental -- when the dribbler has the ball and defender swipes to steal and missess and pokes big difference.

[JRutledge]

All contact is not a foul. You can be poked in the eye and the opponent did nothing. I have seen players get hit in the face because they put their face where it does not belong and they get poked in they eye. You cannot call a foul that you do not see. Basketball is a contact sport and sometimes people get poked in the eye. Next thing we are going to suggest is someone gets hit in the face with the basketball we must call something there too.

Peace

[Johnny Ringo]

Originally Posted by Scrapper1

At a camp I went to, a very high level D1 official told us, "In the last 4 minutes of the game, any 'meltdown' is a foul. Automatic. No kid is going to fake getting hit in the face in the last 4 minutes of a close game." His definition of a meltdown was a kid just stopping playing to hold a piece of his anatomy. Any time a kid just stops playing and grabs his eye, nose, groin, etc, it's because he was fouled. Call it.

In theory, I understand the desire NOT to call something that you didn't see. But in real life, the kid got fouled. So call it.

I have several friends who are college coaches. I am going to tell them to teach a method where as an offensive player - they go down and get the call - when contact could have happened. If taught properly and practiced, a team can get this call, based on what the very high level Div. I official says.

[Scrapper1]

Originally Posted by Johnny Ringo

I have several friends who are college coaches. I am going to tell them to teach a method where as an offensive player - they go down and get the call - when contact could have happened.

Feel free. My guess is that they will laugh in your face. The number of times that they will have to implement your "method" will be so few that it's not worth the time spent to teach it. How many times a season do you see a kid get poked in the eye in the last 4 minutes of a tight ballgame? Maybe once. Certainly not more than twice.

So for an average of one possession per season, they're going to practice a "play" for which the only purpose is to fool the ref into calling a foul, and which at the same time completely stops their offensive set if it doesn't get called?

No kid is going to intentionally put himself at a that big a disadvantage while he has the ball at the end of a tight ballgame.

If you don't like the advice of a guy who had a magnificent officiating career, that's fine. But if it worked for him, I gotta think it's worth listening to.