Flagrant or Intentional?

[slow whistle]

Originally Posted by tomegun

I would like to preface this statement by saying I worked in Mississippi for three years and we were required to do both boys and girls (long night, double-header every time). Why is it that most of the strange situations discussed on this site involve a girls game? I'm not pointing fingers at the officials or the players, but it just seems like things like this happen with girls games more than boys games.?

This is a very good question and something I have noticed as well. To be honest and I'll probably get ripped for this, but whatever - I think it is an issue of basketball accumen. I think there is just not the general basketball IQ from top to bottom on the girls side that there is on the boys side. Sure there are many on the girls side who have more bball IQ than those on the boys side, but from the star player to the last girl on the bench it is not as consistent. I have seen it get better over the last 20 years as feeder programs, AAU, etc, have become more prevalent on the girls side, but is not on equal footing yet.


?[/QUOTE]Anyway, I would think this is similar to an elbow that makes contact above the shoulders. If I'm not mistaken, I think some leagues (NBA) call this a flagrant automatically. If you think the girl did this intentionally I would be more apt to send her since she used an object - the only one possible in a basketball game - to strike a player.

One thing I always pregame before a girls game is their "instant on" behaviors. A lot of time, you can sense trouble brewing in a boys game and do something to control it. But many times girls just snap - if you hear the "B" word it is likely on after that. It seems like the OP was very attentive to this situation and I would just finish it off with an ejection. I would think about what could happen if the offending player stays versus ejection. How far would you allow this behavior to go before deciding enough is enough?[/QUOTE]

Also agree with this assesssment of the girls game and the "instant on" behaviors- if you can figure out the "why" here let me know it would help me at home as well

As for the OP, does the reason for the action make any difference to you as far as flagrant v. intentional? We have case play 10.3.6.B which gives the example of the throw-in striking the opponent in the face, but it only says that officials need to be "aware", it doesn't prescribe the penalty. Do you have a different set of criteria for a player who throws the ball at an opponent's face in that situation vs. one who does it out of frustration as in the OP? I am honestly on the fence with this one, just thinking through the different scenarios where this could happen.