Doing my part to squash the myth

[coachgrd]

Thought you guys might enjoy a little exchange on a girls basketball forum. A mom posted this message following a recent game:

REFS!!!
Now that I got your attention lol. They actually did a pretty good job tonight! Yea there were some missed fouls on lay-ups and some missed over the back calls BUT !!! They let the girls play! Only 4, yes count them....4 fouls called in the first half, 2 for each team. Second half fouls were 4 for each team till they started fouling us at the end for a chance to get the ball back. No one on one foul shots till 1:32 left in the 4th. It was awesome !!!! NOW>>>you thought I was going to whine didn't you?

I responded to her post by explaining to her that she seemed like a fairly knowledgeable spectator but could she please elaborate on that "over the back" call.


Here was her response:

" When a player posts up for a rebound and the other player is "over their back" reaching over and in front of the player in front of them."

In response to her "explanation" of the "over the back" rule, I posted this message to her:

"I was wondering if you could tell me what rule book you found that in. Fact is, there is no such rule violation known as "over the back." This is the biggest misconception in all of basketball. If you're actually waiting for the day when an official calls "over the back" you might be old and gray before that ever happens.

Simply put, a player can rebound the ball from behind
anytime he/she wants, provided there is no contact. You
cannot penalize a player for being tall or being a good jumper. If a player is able to go over another player without contact, you call this person a "gifted rebounder."

Well, my striped friends, I did the best I could. I hope my explanation meets with your approval!