Rule question

[CMHCoachNRef]

Originally Posted by johnny d

even if they knew the rule, i doubt it would be requested much.....how hard can it be to figure out who you are guarding?

It is not requested largely because coaches have no idea the rule exists (thanks, Mark ). I can tell you that back when I coached, we virtually always played man-to-man defense in the half court. Most of the teams we played would play a zone defense (until we got ahead with no shot clock). If the other team ran in three subs, I would occasionally ask for a line-up through my players. MOST of the REFEREES did not know the rule, either!!!

In our Varsity Boys game last Saturday night, one of the coaches called a time out specifically because his players managed to have two defenders on one of the wings and NO ONE guarding the point guard leading to an easy basket. In that situation, the team only subbed two players therefore the defense would not have been able to make the request, but it is still a rule.