DOTTED LINE IN NCAA

[BBALL21]

I recently received a corresondence suggesting the NCAA institute the NBA's dotted line under the basket, ending confusion on the drive to the front of the hoop. I am a huge advocate of this and was wondering what everyone else thought about it.

[Tony Wilde]

Gotta Go with no way in hell!!!!!!! This just takes away good defensive play. Who cares if the player is in front of the basket. Isn't that how you play defense??? First thing my father taught me about basketball, is to stay between my opponent and the basket.

[Schmidt MJ]

Thumbs up for Tony. I agree. Good defensive play makes the game exciting. If defender has legal position, offense should not be rewarded with a no call. Doesn't matter if he's under the basket, at mid-court, or 3-ft off the floor. If the defense is there legally first, then he gets the call. Rule book states "the offense should not be afforded additional protection in judging who is responsible for the contact."

[Todd VandenAkker]

I tend to agree, MJ. At the same time, however, I understand the intent (I think) of the NCAA rule about not calling it if the defender sets up under or behind the basket. After all, if it REALLY is legitimate, good defense, he should be attempting to play the ball or prevent the offensive player from scoring. Standing under or behind the basket is, in a sense, a specific attempt to draw a foul, even though it won't prevent the opponent from scoring first. From that standpoint, it makes sense that a no-call is in order. Still, he WAS there first, so it sure makes it easier for us refs, and more consistent, to follow the book and require the offense to avoid the contact regardless of where the "D" sets up. Either way, I'd like to see NCAA and Federation rules become consistent on this one.

[BBALL21]

I'm not quite sure whay you guys are so against. I can tell you guys are "purists" of the game, more specifically of the RULES!!! Rules were meant for interpretation. Look at the NBA...it has helped clean up the S*#! in the lane near the hoop. No defender is playing "good" defense where that semi-circle would be. I am all for it!!!

[Jeremy Hohn]

Fellas, fellas. Do we need to bust out the WWF ring? HAHA!! I am in favor of the dotted line simply because if he wants to truly play defense he/she needs to get their butts out from under the basket and defend that basket, not camp under the hoop in a deliberate attempt to draw contact. A few block calls early in the game will clean that s#@$*&%t up quick!!!!

[Schmidt MJ]

Jeremy & BBALL21 -

I guess my biggest concern with the dotted line rule is if a player gets beat on defense & the offense is driving to the hoop, the only way another defensive player could offer backside help would be to quickly step to the basket to prevent the offensive player from scoring. This is good team defense & I feel the same rules should apply as anywhere else on the court. However, I see your point about a defender camping out under the basket and agree with you on that point. If he's not attempting to play good "D" then he shouldn't be out there (and probably won't be for long).

I should add that this is simply my opinion and it really won't affect me either way since, at present, I dont officiate college ball, just high school. I am simply of the mindset that good defense is good defense no matter where you are on the court.

[Hawks Coach]

I think that there is a safety aspect as well. The main intent of standing directly under the basket is to draw contact. The defender needs a collision to occur before this is a good defensive position. The collisions right under the basket invariably involve one player at the highest point of their jump. People stepping in late to draw a charge frequently undercut the airborne shooter, resulting in dangerous crashes to the floor.

The intent of assuming good defensive position outside of the immediate basket area is to prevent penetration. It may result in a collision (and a charging call) if an offensive player decides to attempt to go inside, but it often results in the offense deciding not to penetrate. The key difference being that collisions are not required to make this good defense. I would be happy with a change that eliminated the immediate basket area from charging calls.

[Camron Rust]

Standing under the basket is, in my opinion, an attempt to force the shooter to pull up for the lower percentage shot jumper instead of a dunk or layup. Forcing such a thing is precisely what defense is and should be. It is really no different than the defender placing the body in the desired path of the opponent anywhere on the court. If it were such a bad postition, there would be no reason for the offense to pass through that point.

[Bart Tyson]

defender gets beat off the dribble. Out of desperation the Def. teammate steps in under the basket for the sole purpose to draw a charge because he is unable the play defense. In college womens, this is either a block or nothing. If you reward this weak defense with a charge, you will have players flopping, trying to draw charges all night. Ugly game and you are in for a long night. As far as the dotted line, officials will adjust and make the correct calls.

[pizanno]

I, for one, think that this would be a godsend for officials.

Since, as Bart accurately points out, we are not making that Charge call anyway (right partners? ), then at least coaches and players would now know WHY we aren't giving them that call -- no more explainations needed!

Although, come to think of it, we WILL have to explain why we're still calling the block on defenders within the dotted line.

..oh well, we can never win!

[BBALL21]

Pizanno brought up the huge point...NO EXPLANATION NEEDED!!! We'll be able to say, "Check the tape. He was in the circle." Much easier than saying, "Coach, he was too "low"." I still think it would be a huge asset for men's college bball. It needs to be there. It has cleaned up so much s*&t in the NBA and would trickle down into the college ranks. Players would adjust, as they did to more stringent calls on handchecking. Do you see that anymore??? Rarely. The same for the defender standing too close to the rim...with the institution of the dotted line. Bring it on rules committee!!!

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Both the NFHS and NCAA Rules are quite clear:
A player is entitled to any spot on the floor as long as he/she obtains that spot
legally. With regard to a obtaining (NFHS)/
establishing (NCAA) legal guarding position a defender's position on the court relative
to the basket is not relevant. A player can
obtain/establish a legal guarding position on the court. Barb Jacobs's NCAA Women's
interpretation was ludicrous. Her statement
about a guarding position showed that she does not know what the rule book and casebook says about guarding and screeining.

I now of many women college officials that were embarassed by the ruling becasue it showed that the Rules Editor did not know the rules.

[Jeremy Hohn]

Mark,
Let me tell you a little story of a young official at his first division 1 camp. After many weeks of preparation, and brush up on the college rules, this official felt very comfortable before camp. The camp begins, and this official knows the rules front and back, and calls his game accordingly. He is on center court with some big division 1 final four officials as his critiquers. Steve Wellman, Bobby Jackson, and Bobby Hunt carefully watch this official until halftime and then pull him aside. The young man is gleaming with confidence because he caught every foul and violation he saw and called it correctly. Then the dose of reality from the critiquers hit him. Bobby Hunt proceeded to tell him that he needed to quit calling "ticky tack S--t" and let good players play through contact. After adjusting his judgement to fit the skill level, this official proceeded to have a great camp, and was picked up by 2 conferences the following year. The young official in this story is me. One lesson that I learned more than any other, is that game management, and advantage/disadvantage are HUGE as you try and move up. You can quote this rule or that rule section blank rule 4 etc.. until you are blue in the face, but it will get you nowhere unless you call the WAY the commissioners want you to call. If that conference commissioner wants you to call that weak camp-out under the basket, well then call it. But I have been to over a half dozen camps and have YET to have anyone tell me that I should call that so I don't. If we want to call our games by the black and white of the rule book, we won't move up very fast. All that talk of "established position anywhere on the floor" is good lip service, but won't fly with me in this particular instance. I am also a firm backer in the safety issue. Let's call this a block or nothing and get these kids to play defense where they should!!!

[Bart Tyson]

Jeremy, Ditto.