Ask The Ref # 55 - Reader Questions

QUESTION - There's a loose ball on the floor. Player A-1 dives for the ball and has it in his hands while laying on floor. Player B-1 from the other team dives a split second after A-1 and lands directly on top of him. Is this a foul?  If B-1 runs into A-1 while standing, isn't it a foul?? Shouldn't it be the same while laying on the floor??

ANSWER - Always remember:  Great hustle (to gain possession of a loose ball or anything else for that matter.....) is NEVER a license to kill.  As with all situations, the players must use good judgment to avoid contact that may place their opponent at a disadvantage.  And whether the player is laying on the floor or is standing, if contact results, the officials must decide if either player gained an advantage or caused an opponent to be placed at a disadvantage.  The way you described the play, it seems as though A-1 had the better opportunity to recover the ball.  It was therefore B-1's obligation to recognize this and pull out or somehow avoid landing on top of A-1.  But when B-1 landed directly on top of A-1, he clearly put A-1 at a disadvantage by pinning him to the floor.  And, chances are the officials saw that B-1 made little attempt to avoid a collision or to break his fall.  Therefore, I believe the officials should lean towards calling a foul on B-1.

QUESTION - My partner and I were doing a high school game. Team A had the ball in the 3rd quarter and they were fouled.  We reported the foul then gave the ball to Team A to inbound.  Team A made a basket off the inbound pass.  Just as Team B was ready to inbound the ball, the scorer's table notified us that the foul we had just called was the 7th and should have been a "one and one." We determined it was a "correctible error," took the two points off the board and had team A shoot the free throws.  Did we do this right?  Also how long after the play do we have to correct the error?  Thanks for your help.

ANSWER - This is an unusual "correctible error" situation because of Team A's score on the inbounds.  The play falls under the category of "failure to award merited free throw(s)."  Congratulations for recognizing it as such.  BUT (alas....) you handled it wrong for two reasons.  First of all, you said the error was recognized "just as Team B was ready to inbound the ball."  By rule, the time limit for correcting the error is up to or during the "first dead ball after the clock has properly started." (Rule 2.10.2).  In this situation, the clock properly started when Team A inbounded and scored.  Then the ball was momentarily "dead" after the score and before Team B had the ball out of bounds for the throw in.  Once Team B had the ball out of bounds, the ball was now "live" and the period for correction had expired. 

As to the other part of the error, let's suppose you recognized the error within the time limit (that is, up to the time when Team B made the ball "live.")  In that case, the error is still correctible.  But the goal scored by Team A would stand AND Team A would get its one and one free throws with no one on the lane.  (yes, a potential 4 point play....)  After those free throws, Team B would get the ball on the end line as you would normally do following a field goal by Team A. The only time points would be taken away is if a "wrong player" shot free throws or if free throws were shot that were "unmerited."  The field goal by Team A does not get taken away.  Doesn't seem quite right, does it??  That's probably why you did what you did......

QUESTION - During a recent game (Kentucky vs S. Carolina) SC had the ball and had established frount court status.  They then passed the ball and it got deflected by a SC player and bounced near the mid-court line without touching the line.  The SC player, still in the frontcourt, reached across the mid-court line and while the ball was in the air, grabbed it, pulling it in the air into the front court.  The refs called this "over and back" which I agreed with but my co-workers did not.  Who is right?

ANSWER - My sense is that the refs saw something you did not because the way you described the action would not be a "back court violation."  The ball was in the front court, had "front court status," and there was nothing in your description that would cause that to change.  "Pulling the ball in the air into the front court" is legal and is really no different than when a player reaches over a boundary line to save a ball that is headed out of bounds by pulling it back in bounds while the player is still standing in bounds.  Unless that ball touches the floor or some object or person that is out of bounds (or, in this case in the back court) it should remain in play.  My guess is that as the SC player was saving the ball, his foot touched the line (something you may have missed).  That could have been what caused the ref to call the violation.  If that wasn't the case, then the ref missed the call.

QUESTION - I was at a Regional AA game at New Paltz and noticed that the officials spoke to the Mt. Vernon coach prior to the game.  Right after that I saw three players take off undershirts before the start of the game.  Then, at the Regional A game at Old Westbury, I saw a sub from East Hampton instructed by an official to remove his undershirt just as the coach was trying to put him in the game.  The player was not permitted to enter and had to sit it out until the next opportunity to sub after the shirt was removed.  What was that all about?  I didn't know undershirts were illegal.

ANSWER - Undershirts are not illegal, but for the sake of "uniformity" they are to be "similar in color" to the predominant color of the game jersey.  (Rule 3.4.6)  I was at both games and saw what happened.  In the first case, Mt. Vernon was wearing their maroon "away" jerseys. Two of their players were wearing undershirts that were black and one had a white undershirt.  In that case, it was noticed during the pre-game warmups and dealt with before tip-off.  But, in the East Hampton/Jericho game, the officials did not see the illegal undershirt until a sub was attempting to enter the game, probably not the best time for it to be noticed.  Which situation would you prefer??  I think most people would prefer a little preventive officiating.  The officials should try to pick it up before the game so that it does not become an issue at some point during the game.  It's not something officials encounter too often and the players and most coaches are accepting of the rule as soon as it's brought to their attention.

Do you have a question?  Have you seen a play you didn't understand?   Was there

a controversy you'd like clarified?  Send your questions in and I'll do my best to get you an answer.

                                                            Skip Yutzler

                                                         IAABO Board 127

                             36 Years High School and Junior College Official

                            5 Times NY State HS Championships - Glens Falls

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