Foul or incidental contact?

[rfp]

Player A2 sets a legal screen with plenty of time and distance before contact. Player A1 legally runs his defensive player, B1, into the screen. Due to the fact that B1 did not notice the screen, he crashes into A2 knocking him flying.

Is this considered a foul on B1 or is it considered incidental contact, play on? Rule reference, please.

[mbyron]

4-27-4: A player who is screened within his/her visual field is expected to
avoid contact with the screener by stopping or going around the screener. In
cases of screens outside the visual field, the opponent may make inadvertent
contact with the screener, and such contact is to be ruled incidental contact,
provided the screener is not displaced if he/she has the ball.

[rfp]

So in this situation, you can have a trainwreck -- and everyone in the gym howling -- and no foul.

[Smitty]

And your point is? Setting a good blind screen, the screener should expect to take some contact. If the screen was truly effective, the dribbler probably got off an open shot. Good screen. Play on.

[zm1283]

This happened to me a couple of years ago and everyone in the gym was screaming for a foul. A2 set a blind screen on B1, but when B1 turned her head, they collided and both went to the floor. We played on.

[CoachP]

Originally Posted by rfp

So in this situation, you can have a trainwreck -- and everyone in the gym howling -- and no foul.

From what I've read around here (and heard from peers in the area):

If B1 hits A2 and stops as soon as he/she makes contact, no foul. I suppose A2 still could go flying--flopping....

If B1 hits the screen and proceeds "thru" A2, then it's a foul. This case is more than likely the "train wreck"

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by CoachP

From what I've read around here (and heard from peers in the area):

If B1 hits A2 and stops as soon as he/she makes contact, no foul. I suppose A2 still could go flying--flopping....

If B1 hits the screen and proceeds "thru" A2, then it's a foul. This case is more than likely the "train wreck"

Or if both go to the floor because even B1 couldn't "stop", there is still no foul as the screen was set for the explicit purpose taking contact to free up A1. It did that.

[Adam]

Camron's right, the contact can legitimately send the screener to the floor and there may or may not be a foul.

[gslefeb]

Originally Posted by mbyron

4-27-4: A player who is screened within his/her visual field is expected to
avoid contact with the screener by stopping or going around the screener. In
cases of screens outside the visual field, the opponent may make inadvertent
contact with the screener, and such contact is to be ruled incidental contact,
provided the screener is not displaced if he/she has the ball.

Rule 4-40-7 expands this definition

A player who is screened within his/her visual field is expected to
avoid contact with the screener by stopping or going around the screener. In
cases of screens outside the visual field, the opponent may make inadvertent
contact with the screener and if the opponent is running rapidly, the contact may be severe. Such contact is to be ruled incidental contact provided the opponent stops or attempts to stop on contact and moves around the screen.