Illegal Double Screen??
 

Sorry, I don't have my book with me and this is starting to eat at me as I sit in the office.....

Working a BV game last night we had one team that would set a double screen (A1 & A2 side by side). They would leave about a foot between themselves, and not touching/interlocking in any way. B1 would try to "break through" the two screeners and one of my partners called B1 for a foul in each instance. Both times this happened out of my primary, but periferally it seemed like obvious foul calls on B1.

Well, at halftime, B1's coach grabbed me because I know him pretty well and said we had kicked both of those calls because the screeners had to allow 3 feet between each other for the screens to be legal.

Am I missing something? These aren't blind screens.......

Grabbed you?

No, you aren't missing anything. The coach is full of poo.

I'm so-o-o-o glad....
 

...cause I'd hate to have to halt play to get out my yard stick ... :rolleyes:

Poo? You're watching too much "Dirty Jobs." :p

There is an NCAA rule which might be applicable

Art. 7. Screeners shall not line up next to each other within 6 feet of a boundary
line and parallel to it so that contact occurs.
.

That restriction is not applicable during play...only during a throw-in. There are no restrictions after the throw-in ends.

The corresponding NFHS rules citation is rule 7-6-5.

I *think* this is to prevent the offense from avoiding a closely guarded call, *or* to allow the defense to pressure the inbounder / defend against a throw-in.

I don't think it's applicable in your play.

No, the coach is missing something. There is a requirement that a dribbler bears the greater responsibility for any contact if he attempts to force his way through two opponents when there is less than three feet of space between them. (4-7-2c)
However, there is no rule that the opponents must yield this three feet.

I would say that the same principle would apply to a defender striving to split a double screen, however, there I don't know of any rule which explicitly says so.

The defender is not allowed to force his way through, push aside, or hold a screener according to 4-40-8.

Thanks guys. I knew we had it right, but this coach has always been great to work for and his knowledge of the rules is rarely questioned. He sent me the game film to critique myself and we visited about the call and he agreed that he was wrong.

All in all, a great game and I love when a coach will share the film so I can see how I/we did as a crew.

I'm always impressed (I'm easily impressed) when I see this called right (and rightfully) when a defender has been double-screened and tries to jump-split the double-screen to get out to his player who receives the ball and starts to put up a three point try. Whistle - "Good if it goes!" So cool.