Punch Ball

[rainmaker]

Originally Posted by Gimlet25id

JR..I'm surprised by your response. I have personally never got to 10 on a FT count but will admit that my count probably isn't the fastest in the world either.

Your generally so by the book. I just can't see how you could set aside an obvious hit of the ball with a fist. The rule is clear and doesn't have any language in it that would suggest allowances or intent.

I'd say it has to do with defining "strike". It's not hard to see how in the OP the fist didn't really strike the ball, just sort of stopped it. You might think of it as the fist being legal, but the "strike" not so mjuch. Punching is illegal because it's dangerous, and also, I've been told, so that a player can't punch toward someone and then try to pretend he/she was aiming for the ball.

Edited to change word "punch" to "strike".

[Gimlet25id]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

I'd say it has to do with defining "punch". It's not hard to see how in the OP the fist didn't really punch the ball, just sort of stopped it. You might think of it as the fist is legal, but the punch isn't. Punching is illegal because it's dangerous, and also, I've been told, so that a player can't punch toward someone and then try to pretend he/she was aiming for the ball.

Editted: rule says it's illegal to "strike" the ball with the fist. I think the principles of interpretation still apply.

Good Point! I can see the interpretation as long as he/she didn't "punch" the ball. If the player stops the ball with a closed fist then I would agree its nothing. If the player "strikes" the ball with a fist then IMO its a violation.

[Bad Zebra]

I called this for the first time last season (7 years of varsity ball). Quick steal near the FT line, player then punches the ball upcourt to streaking teammate. I whistle violation and the entire gym is perplexed. Next dead ball, I explained it to the coach. He thanked me and pointed out that his player had been doing it all season without penalty. So was I right? If so, why aren't others calling it the same? If not, what is the criteria to use for passing on the call?

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by Bad Zebra

I called this for the first time last season (7 years of varsity ball). Quick steal near the FT line, player then punches the ball upcourt to streaking teammate. I whistle violation and the entire gym is perplexed. Next dead ball, I explained it to the coach. He thanked me and pointed out that his player had been doing it all season without penalty. So was I right? If so, why aren't others calling it the same? If not, what is the criteria to use for passing on the call?

BZ:

You made the correct call. I have had only two games in 37 years of officiating where this violation occured. My partner got it the first time (the game was in my fifth year of officiating) and I called in a game a couple of years ago. It is not the most common violation one will see, but they do happen. Both the games in which the violations occured were boys' games. I wonder why we do not see this more often in girls' basketball because of all of the girls that play both basketball and volleyball.

MTD, Sr.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

I'd say it has to do with defining "strike". It's not hard to see how in the OP the fist didn't really strike the ball, just sort of stopped it. You might think of it as the fist being legal, but the "strike" not so mjuch. Punching is illegal because it's dangerous, and also, I've been told, so that a player can't punch toward someone and then try to pretend he/she was aiming for the ball.

Edited to change word "punch" to "strike".

I don't care if they strike the ball either. If there's no other player in the neighborhood, I ain't calling it.....unless I've already warned that player not to do it.

[Back In The Saddle]

I saw an instance of this in a wreck game a couple of years ago that got me thinking. Throw-in in the back court, no defensive pressure anywhere near. The recipient of the pass tosses it a foot or so into the air, and as the ball dropped he struck it with his fist downward toward the floor to start his dribble. The smoothness with which he executed the move made me think it's something he does frequently.