Elbowing

[Spence]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

Spence:

I am glad you didn't think I was being flip in my previous response. I should have added that it is a HTBT type of play. As someone who has taught new basketball officials (MTD, Jr., is a second year official) I would actually hope that a new official would be more prone to put air in his whistle than not put air in his whistle.

The biggest problem with new officials is to call anything, because it is all new too them and there is so much information to process.

MTD, Sr.

The hesitancy on the whistle is due to the apparent vague-ness of the rule. How do you define it? Like the old joke about not knowing how to define porn but knowing it when you see it?

Do I take into account how close the defender is? How many times the elbow swings?