2 person: how to cover
 

A friend stopped by with a mechanics question last night, and as he was laying out the scenario, I immediately recalled a couple of instances of this happening to me too. We were unable to come up with any really satisfying answers.

Scenario: T is coming up the floor behind...not a press, but a couple of offensive players and a defensive. A1 throws a quick pass to A2 who just past midcourt, near T's sideline. While A2's back is to T, so that T is straightlined, B2 fouls A2. L, meanwhile, has players in front of him that he is watching.

If the T cuts toward the middle of the court to try and get an angle, the sideline is then uncovered. Because of the distance, it's often not possible to get far enough OOB to get an angle on this. Plus, there are the players still in BC that need some watching.

The best answer we could come up with is that in this case the T needs to bust down the sideline to get close enough to have an angle on this play, and leave the players in BC.

Any thoughts on this?

As always in two- person, and even in three-person, you have to prioritize. If the BC players are going to cause trouble, then keep an eye on them and you'll miss the foul.

99% of the time, however, the play on the ball is more important than the actions of the players still transitioning from BC to FC.

What is 2-person? :)

So glad I don't have to ref 2-person guess ball anymore.

I'd love to be able to say that :)

Agree about the prioritization. Part of the problem with this scenario is the distance of the pass. From 30-40 feet, it's difficult to get any angle on a straight line. So...would you ever cheat forward a little on this, if you expect a long pass? Or would you stay behind the players until the pass is made and then bust downcourt and hope you don't miss anything?

If I'm the L and the ball gets ahead of the T, I always try to pick up the ball and widen out, if possible. Once the play gets out of transition, I go back to my primaries.

That's a tough one. Unless the players in the backcourt bring out knives, I think your first reaction is correct. Referee the ball as best you can, and hope a fistfight doesn't break out behind you.


If the defense has been setting up the trap all night, you can anticipate the trap, and maybe cheat upcourt a little.

If it's the first and only time it happens, you're probably going to get beat on it.

That's life in 2 person.

Yea, bust up the middle just far enough to get some clue about contact, pray there's not more than 1/4" of shoe on the sideline. Stay somewhere that you can keep the bc players in a peripheral. Once the ball crosses the division line, they're not gonna be in the bc for long.