Multiple Foul ?

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by MajorCord

This situation comes from a friend of mine:

I'm trail, A1 attempts a 3 point shot and B1 fouls him before A1 returns to the floor and the shot went in. At the same time, my partner has a whistle on A2 fouling B2 in the post, the whistles were so close together, we determined they came at the same time. We got together and determined we had 2 fouls to record in the book. One on A2 and one on B1. Ok, no problem. We reported the 2 fouls, informed the coaches of what happened, then inbounded the ball on the endline using the AP arrow for resumption of play, telling the scorer to change the arrow direction after the ball has been inbounded.

In thinking it over, should we have put A1 on the line since he was fouled in the act of shooting, and resumption of play would have been after the foul shot?

What if team B was in the bonus at the time? Should we have cleared the lane, shoot A1 foul shot, go to the other end, clear the lane and let B shoot the 1 and 1, then go to the AP arrow, or vice versa?

Should we have awarded any free throws at all? The coaches didn't say a thing, but I don't think we handled it correctly......thoughts?

MajorCord:

I am going to assume that this was a game played using NFHS Rules (but the ruling "should" be the same for a game played using NCAA Men's/Women's Rules).


First: By definition this is a false double foul (NFHS R4-S19-A9; NCAA R4-S29-A4) and is a particular type of FDF called a simultaneous foul (NFHS R4-S19-A10; NCAA R4-S29-A2e); it is NOT a multiple foul or a false multiple foul.

Second: I assume from the way you described B1's foul against A1, the ball was in flight, and therefore, there was no team control at the time that B1 fouled A1 and A2 fouled B2.

Third: The rules get jumbled at this point with regard to Point-of-Interruption (POI) and Alternating Possession (AP, which is an abomination upon the great game of basketball but I digress). So let us only look at this from the NFHS stand point and worry about a ruling using NFHS Rules.

Fourth: POI: NFHS R4-S36-A1 applies in this play and either/or NFHS R4-S36-S2b and/or c as well. You do not say whether or not Team B is in the bonus (I am gonig to assume that A2's foul did not put Team B into the bonus) but the penalty for B1's foul is definitely free throws, and A1 field goal attempt was successful and should be counted.

Fifth: In the Ancient Days(National Basketball Committee of the United States and Canada, when every thing was good and right in the world of baketball) there was a Casebook Play that was identical to NFHS Casebook Play 4.19.10, the ruling in that Casebook Play was that the fouls in the false double foul were committed simultaneously (There was no definition of simultaneous foul in the Ancient Days but the NFHS and NCAA recognized that fouls committed simultaneously by oppossing teams were a FDF.) and that if free throws were part of the penalty for either foul, they would be awarded (the player would shoot the free throws with no players lined up on the free-throw lane) and that the ball would be put back into play with a jump ball by any two players (one from each team) at the center circle.

Sixth: The OP is similar to NFHS Casebook Play 4.19.10, because the fouls occured when neither team was in control of the ball. This would lead us to believe that NFHS R4-S36-S2c and NFHS R6-S4-A3g would apply to the OP.

Seventh, Part 1: BUT, NFHS R4-S36-S2b would apply because A1 is entitled to a free throw.

Seventh, Part 2: AND, NFHS R4-S36-S2c and NFHS R6-S4-A3g would NOT apply because a goal was involved when the game was interrupted.

Eighth: My RULING: Score A1's field goal; charge both A2 and B1 with personal fouls; and play is resumed with A1 awarded one free throw because of B1's PF as if B1's foul was the only foul that occured.

Ninth: NCAA jumbles its definitions of AP and POI, so that the rules locations do not correspond very well to the NFHS Rules Book, but the result would be the same as the NFHS.

This is my story and I am sticking to it until somebody gives me a better answer.

MTD, Sr.