Another episode of "T or No T"...you make the call

[bainsey]

Originally Posted by chymechowder

I don't at all understand why anyone would call this a technical. There's no taunting. No yelling. No delay. The kid dunked and started getting back on defense.

Very well. This isn't about unsportsmanlike conduct at all. Often times, people think technical fouls are always about unsportsmanlike conduct, and that's not the case.

See NFHS 10-3-3. This is about grasping the ring. If you pull yourself up on the ring, that's clearly grasping. A quick grasp without hanging is one thing. This is the other side of that bell-shaped curve. We've been told a number of times that grasping the ring is a safety issue, let alone the possibility of breaking the backboard (which can still happen, despite advances in breakaway rims). Wasn't this rule put in place to make sure we can finish the game with two working goals?

I think GroupThink has a point, though. The more often kids can throw it down in your area, the more leeway you're likely to see. There's not a lot of above the rim play in my little corner of the nation. However, the official in the video knew this game was nationally televised, and the kids were there to show off their skills to college scouts. If that's how he was told to officiate, then we're back to Roman Law again.