Using teammates to foul?

[bainsey]

Another well-timed thread here. I kicked this very ruling three days ago.

JV G, I'm the T. A-1 is holding the ball near the arc, with B-2 closely guarding. There's about three feet of space between A-1 & B-2.

For some inexplicable reason, B-3 comes flying out of nowhere and crashes into B-2. This creates a domino effect where B-2 knocks down A-1. Whistle and fist up, I pause, and looking over the entire play, I confidently decide to report the foul on B-3. It creates some confusion at the table and with the coach, but I went with it.

After the game, I talk with my partner and another official, who was watching as a fan. Those two see my point, and have never really seen anything like this play before, but figure it's best to check around. After checking with one interpreter and the well-respected members of the Facebook group, the unanimous verdict is in: I kicked it. The foul was B-2's, and next time (likely in several years), I will see to it that the foul becomes B-2's.

Still, there's a big part of me that finds flaw with blaming someone who was as much a victim as the one fouled. If we're honest and intelligent about it, if person A knocks person B into person C, it's wrong to blame person B. Any blame would go squarely on whomever creates the mess. Are we so caught up in "he didn't touch him" that we're missing the bigger picture?

[Adam]

Originally Posted by potato

would you also give a flagrant & eject the player if the contact was too dangerous even though he didn't walk his way into the contact but pushed by the player, or will you just call a normal foul?

so in no way the pushing teammate will get called for a foul even if it's unsportsmanlike such as this?

This is an interesting question. If B1 throws B2 into an opponent with such force that you may have a flagrant foul, I'm not going to DQ B2, I'm going to DQ B1 with a flagrant technical foul.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by bainsey

Another well-timed thread here. I kicked this very ruling three days ago.

JV G, I'm the T. A-1 is holding the ball near the arc, with B-2 closely guarding. There's about three feet of space between A-1 & B-2.

For some inexplicable reason, B-3 comes flying out of nowhere and crashes into B-2. This creates a domino effect where B-2 knocks down A-1. Whistle and fist up, I pause, and looking over the entire play, I confidently decide to report the foul on B-3. It creates some confusion at the table and with the coach, but I went with it.

After the game, I talk with my partner and another official, who was watching as a fan. Those two see my point, and have never really seen anything like this play before, but figure it's best to check around. After checking with one interpreter and the well-respected members of the Facebook group, the unanimous verdict is in: I kicked it. The foul was B-2's, and next time (likely in several years), I will see to it that the foul becomes B-2's.

Still, there's a big part of me that finds flaw with blaming someone who was as much a victim as the one fouled. If we're honest and intelligent about it, if person A knocks person B into person C, it's wrong to blame person B. Any blame would go squarely on whomever creates the mess. Are we so caught up in "he didn't touch him" that we're missing the bigger picture?

No one is going to jail here, so....

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Adam

This is an interesting question. If B1 throws B2 into an opponent with such force that you may have a flagrant foul, I'm not going to DQ B2, I'm going to DQ B1 with a flagrant technical foul.

Enjoy watching that DQ get rescinded by your league/state office, perhaps the game get replayed, and you get suspended.