Block/Charge?
 

A1 dribbles down the court. B1 is coming towards her. Looks like there will be contact, and B1 certainly isn't set. However, A1 sticks her arm out while dribbling and initiates the contact. Both go tumbling down. Call?

What do you mean B1 isn't set. The defender does not need to be "set" if by set you mean not moving. Defender needs have established legal guarding position and cannot be moving towards A1 at the point of contact. Generally the offensive player will initiate the contact. This is why we are told to referee the defense, if the defense is legal than player control foul, if the defense is not legal block.

This is also why we make the big money.

So this is a block even though the offensive player stuck out her arm and essentially pushed the defender down, since the defender didn't have LGP?

Please intimately familiarize yourself with 4-23 and apply it properly:eek:

No. The offensive player can not use their arm to knock someone out of the way in any case. If that was your only point of contact, you have PC foul (not a charge, however) regardless of LGP.

I called it PC at the time. Seems right.

As Camron stated, the dribbler cannot push a defender out of the way.

However, I'm guessing the defender had LGP anyway from my experience seeing plays as you describe it. Why do you say the defender did not have LGP?

was moving toward the ball handler.

When contact was made?

let's say yes.

I'm not convinced, based on your use of the word "set" that you understand LGP.

A1 stickers her arm out is illegal, regardless on B establishing LGP or not.

PC foul all the way.

Whenever someone goes to the floor, we had better know why. In this case, it was because of A1's extended arm, not because of torso or near-torso contact between A1 and B1.

In your OP you said, "However, A1 sticks her arm out while dribbling and initiates the contact." Does this mean that contact likely wouldn't have happened if A1 hadn't done this (or that B1 would have been set my the time contact happened?)

If that's what you meant, then it's a foul on A1.

If that's NOT what you meant, then I'm likely to see A1's actions as not initiating contact, but as protecting herself from contact. I would give the benefit of the doubt to the offense and call this a block.

You could, by rule, have a double foul here, but it would be rare where that would be the correct call for the game.

Okay, but 99% of these plays I see, B1 stops moving forward prior (sometimes barely) to contact.

:eek:

MTD, Sr.


P.S. No, this is a pushing foul by A1 and it is a PCF.