What happened first?

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by johnyd

I would like some varisty level opinions only please.
JV Girls game. Level of play, very average. Point gaurd drives the lane, I am the lead and step down to get a good look. Defensive Center see's her break free and takes 2 steps jumps and smacks the ball away but her momentum carrys her into the airborn point gaurd knocking her sideways. She puts her hand down which stops her from going to the ground.

Under "protect the airborn shooter", I hit my whistle and we are shooting two. Home coach and home crowd hates the call. At the half the varsity official who was observing asks what I saw? I explaned. He said what happened first, the block or the contact? I said "the block". "The way I see that play is the bock was first, then the contact was incidental."

In a boys JV game, I tend to agree. Boys can take that contact. Having been a long time girls coach and witnessed 4 serious knee injuries, I protect the airborn shooter every time.

I would be curious how other varisty officials would interpret this play and call?

johnyd:

Whether it is a girls' game or a boys' game, varsity or below, the contact in the play you describe is a foul. While the block occured before the contact, one has to look at the entire play. B5 needs complete the play without making illegal contact with A1. If B5 cannot make the block without making contact with A1, then he/she has not played good defense. If the contact was made while A1 was still an airborne shooter, then B5's foul is a personal foul commited against a player in the act of shooting; if the contact occured after A1 had returned to the floor but before the ball becomes dead then B5's foul is a common foul.

MTD, Sr.

P.S. I am one of a dying breed of college officials (both men's and women's) that would make this call in a college game too because I still believe that B5 has to complete the block without making contact with the airborne shooter.