Block/PC (video)

[Kansas Ref]

Hope I'm not too tardy for this great online "party" (i.e., good discussion on whether that was the proper call). I offer this alternative explanation--which hopefully it will not be at the chagrin of my fellow refs--but here it is:

I agree that this was a bang-bang type of play and required the Ref to instantaneously recognize/determine if all the relevant variables for making a block vs. charge determination were operative (i.e., veriticality, LGP, etc...previously cited by other commentors on this thread); however, another intervening factor that possibly played into deciding this call COULD have been the proximity of the calling Ref to the team's bench and the subtle psychologic influence this may have had. If you note that the block/charge action occured on that team's offensive end of the court and in front of that team's head coach/coaching staff--and look carefully at the reaction of their head coach who was pacing the sideline in a pensive demeanor after the call was made. It seemed like he may have been "surprised" that the call was not a PC. By this circumstantial evidence, it could be inferred that the Ref may have been--by mere human nature or lack of temerity--influenced to make the blocking call because that Ref was very close to the team A's bench personnel. That factor could have been the incremental 'tipping point' that provided the impetus to call a block instead of a PC (which was probably the proper call to make).

Now, before anyone online here rails on me for implying that Refs are not influenced by head coaches in high-intensity type of games (like the one on the vidoe) in making calls---let me say that I believe that all Refs are held in the utmost level of trust and fair judgement by peers, coaches, and players.