Kentucky officials instructed to "tighten up" the game
 

I don't fully agree that the college and NBA games are causing the high school game to be more physical. The D1 games I watch are called much tighter than high school games. More illegal screens, hand checks, etc. are called at that level. I can go weeks in high school games and not have a singler partner call an illegal screen. I'm good for at least one a game if not more.

I have my thoughts about why high-level high school games are so physical, but I'll wait to see what others have to say.

This is the e'mail we received after the article came out yesterday from our assignor.
" I hope you read the Sunday Lexington herald article about physical play in our great game of high school basketball. We need to call fouls when they occur and there is no such rule as let them play thru it. Apply the rules that we have. A game called consistent does not mean you have called a good game if you allow both teams to play thru everything and it becomes a game who is the strongest, this is not the way the game should be played or officiated." Guess some games may have been getting out of hand! :)

There's no such thing as "let them play through it?" Really?

Not all contact is a foul. I get that the sport has become overly physical in some areas, but the coach that cautioned about the parade to the free throw line is right to a degree, too.

The point is that there is no rule to "let them play through a foul." Let the incidental stuff go.

How do you tell the difference?

Simply: contact that occurs that does not constitute a foul. 4-27

Contact that doesn't cause a disadvantage (or is, in my judgment excessive contact) isn't a foul.

You can't officiate advantage/disadvantage with a rule book citation.

Now you don't want me to use a rule citation? Can't win on here.
P.S. if i didn't use a rule situation I would have said contact that doesn't cause a disadvantage should be considered incidental.

Ok, so what's a foul? Otherwise we're bordering on circular reasoning.

Contact that affects rhythm, balance, speed or quickness of a ball handler. Contact that causes disadvantage. An example would be reaching. It is not a foul in and of itself. If contact occurs that affects RSBQ or causes the ball handler to lose control of the ball. This is a foul. If there is contact but the ball handler gets around and has no disadvantage, I will probably let it go.

Is that what you wanted me to answer? Give an example?

I really hate the terms "Calling the game tight" anyway because it suggests something that is not very clear. If they want things to be called then they need to do more training to suggest what is seen as a foul by the higher ups. Then they need to have the courage to support those officials and not support those officials that choose to not do what is suggested.

I just think HS organizations need to do more video training and show things that should be called or not called. Almost every game is on some video and there should be multiple plays used to help make it clear what is acceptable and what is not acceptable.

Peace

Exactly what is a disadvantage?

What they're probably saying is too many officials are passing on too many fouls because they're not recognizing the disadvantage that is caused.

I agree with this, the point was there is a rule that indicates if a player is able to play through contact, it's likely not a foul.

But there is no rule that backs up the statement "Coach, as long as I'm doing this game, you won't be in the bonus."

This is the type of crap you typically hear from guys that say, we don't get paid by the hour, or similar statements. We have a job to do and a ruleset to guide us!