Missed a big call

[rainmaker]

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

Fourth, there are two schools of thought on where to be as lead (the guy under the basket) on a drive down the middle. One is to be at the near lane line extended, perhaps even a step or two into the quicksand. The other is to go wide and watch from the outside of the lane. Both schools of thought work sometimes, and both can leave you in a world of hurt sometimes. From the lane line, you are straightlined and cannot see that the driver was pushed from behind, but it's often the best angle to see contact to the front of the driver. From out wide, you may be able to see the push from behind. Then again, you may not. If the defense collapses on the driver, you may not be able to see anything at all. Oh, if you try them both, you will inevitably prefer one over the other. But you'll still find games where you're preferred vantage point is useless and you will have to use the other.

Fifth, generally I think this call has to come from the trail. One tendency that most of us had/have to overcome is wrongly relinquishing responsibility for the player driving from trail to the basket once he leaves the trail's area. The trail simply must take this play all the way to the basket. If he'll do that, most of the time he will catch the pushes from behind. It's possible that your trail had no look at this, but more likely he simply stopped watching once the driver hit the paint.

My personal opinion, BITS, is that in games like these (I haven't done many, but have seen quite a few at camps and so on) with two whistle, working about half-way to the sideline or further out is almost always better, if there's room to get deep in case you need to see the front of the driving player.

I totally agree about trail, especially if the drive comes from his side of the floor. If the drive is down lead's primary, then lead better just keep the angle regardless of where that takes him and make the call. But anywhere in the key or on trail's side of the key, trail better take it.

Also, a late whistle could be okay. You don't really see the whole thing, but it's obvious to everyone in the gym that the shooter was pushed. You see him flying past, with a shocked look on his face, you hear the gasp of the crowd, no whistle from P, pause, no whistle, TWEET!!