Closely Guarded Dilemma

[ILMalti]

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

None of us claims to be more knowledgeable than the NFHS. But each of us has a vested interest in and deep personal commitment to understanding the rules. So we study, we discuss, we debate. We also take very seriously the admonition from the opening paragraphs of the NFHS rules book: "...it is important to know the intent and purpose of a rule so that it may be intelligently applied in each play situation." So we dig even deeper.

There is an inarguable lack of clarity surrounding this rule. You understand it to mean one thing; I have a different understanding of the same rule. And we each find clear evidence supporting our understanding when we read the same official materials. Those materials are simply not sufficiently clear, and may not even be consistent.

It happens. Quite a lot, actually. And small wonder when you consider the nature of the beast. Basketball is just a game, made up by a clever Canadian to keep a group of trouble-making American college guys occupied and out of trouble. It is an ever-evolving game, governed by an ever-changing body of rules, overseen by an ever-changing committee of folks who are no different than you and I. They each have their own background and experiences, personal preferences, individual understandings of the game and the rules, and even their own agendas. The real wonder of the thing is that the rules are as clear and consistent as they are.

The challenge for us is to keep on learning. That means we must keep our focus on what is right, and not who is right. So let's study and discuss and debate and argue, but let's not make it personal.

Thank you for words and advise. I just realized what BITS stands for.
My questions where written in frustration since it took hours in research and
all that work seemed to have been thrown out of the window with a "ah well NFHS is known to be ambiguos".
Nothing personal was intended. I should have had a "patient enter key"