New rules on contact / hand-checking

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Rich

Based on my experiences as a clinician at a high school clinic today, it's going to be interesting this coming season. Even after telling people to CALL THE FOULS and reminding them to CALL THE FOULS, they weren't. I lost count of how many times a hand was placed on a ball-handler a second time without a whistle.

Maybe this will work itself out, but I'm expecting to hear "nobody's calling it that way" more than once this season.

It is an artifact of too many years of people promoting the style of game where it was not a foul unless it knocked the opponent sideways...and only if he missed the shot.

[JetMetFan]

It will work if the officials' schedules are threatened if they don't call those fouls. Money talks. It will also work if we police ourselves.

That being said I think it will be harder to enforce on the H.S. level than it was on the NCAAW level. College coaches complain about those fouls not being called and they'll send video to a supervisor to back it up. Plus, observers will report back to the supervisors and with so many games either on TV or the web, supervisors can see what's being called on their own. How many people are observed during a H.S. season and how many coaches will complain, especially if the fouls aren't called and they're winning?

[bob jenkins]

It can get called if it comes strongly from the state down through all levels -- and the mesage gets to the coaches that this will be called.

Yes, you'll have some foul fests early in the season, but by christmas the players will have adjusted.

IL had an even stricter enforcement of the rule last year and the message (generally) got through.