Belmont-UNC: Block/Push/No-call (video)

[APG]

Originally Posted by BryanV21

I'm a high school official, so perhaps the rules are different at the collegiate level. But in the NFHS rule book, Rule 4-24 Art. 5 says "The guard must give the opponent the time and/or distance to avoid contact".

The offensive player is trying to run to his left (the guards right). Not by much, but the offensive player is not running directly into the guard. The guard is moving a bit laterally, and while doing so he's not giving the offensive player the time and/or distance to adjust his path in order to avoid contact.

The question is whether the offensive player is moving directly into the defender, rather than trying to go around. Personally, I see slight lateral movement. Of course, the angle of the camera to the play is not that good, so it's nearly impossible to see it clearly. Which is why, as I originally stated, that I'm fine with pretty much any call (PC foul, blocking foul, or no call at all).

An opponent has to give time and distance when he's trying to establish an initial guarding position on a player without the ball (one or two steps depending on the speed of the moving player)...if he's established it already, then he doesn't have to give time or distance if he's doing what he needs to legally maintain that position...aka moving lateral or obliquely to the player's path.