If I could change one rule, it would be....

[TimTaylor]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

(Not talking to you, but just as good a place as any to jump in....)

Of course that's what I meant, too. I'm not calling that tap with the ball handler past the defender at *any* point of the game and certainly not here, either.

But there are fouls near the end of the game where, had they happened earlier, I would've passed and hesitated to see if the ball handler could play through the contact. Big difference is that early in the game, the defender is trying to avoid picking up the foul and will immediately back off if he's close to getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Late in the game, the contact will escalate (normally) until we call the foul. That first bump, well, I see no reason to see if A can play through it. Because if I do, the next contact could lead to injury, retaliation, or worse.

If we have a timeout, we'll be getting together and saying, "They're going to be trying to foul. Let's get the first one."

Regarding intentional fouls -- I see no reason to be a pioneer. I call them when the game and the NFHS expects them to be called.

This is exactly what I was referring to in my post several pages back.

As 26 Year Gap commented, it's game management.
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Bainsey,

One of our main responsibilities as officials is to keep the game under control while at the same time not controlling the game. Sounds convoluted I know, but what it means is that we keep the game within the rules and guidelines set down by NFHS or whatever governing body. Beyond that, it's up to the players to decide the outcome as long as they stay within those limits. While we may not like a particular strategy they employ, it's strictly none of our business as long as it stays within those limits.

As the POE cited by BBR points out, this is an recognized strategy by NFHS. Bottom line is that if the defense wants to foul, they're going to foul. It's our job to recognize that situation and call the first legitimate contact to keep it from escalating. What Rich said above and others have seconded is, IMHO, the best way to handle this.