Question about the way blocked shots are referreed

[Bone Dog]

Not interested in griping about some fantasy of systematic unfairness. I just wonder about what seems to be a policy. I realize that contact that draws a whistle on the perimeter is not typically whistled in the low post.

Here's a couple examples from the tOSU-UCLA game, but I'm sure we could find examples in almost every game.

• Dugalic shoots a 3 from the wing and the defender leaps at her, and her momentum carries her too far -- whistle.
• Earlier, Dugalic blocks a shot in the paint by one of the Cambridges (I think) and gets "all ball" as they say, but on the way down she bumps into the shooter -- no whistle.

In each case, the ball has left the hands of the shooter before the contact, and momentum carries the defender into the shooter. In effect, even though the block was "clean," the defender was not able to make the clean block without setting the eventual contact post-release in motion.

I get the logic of the foul, and I think I can understand why more contact is permitted in the paint than on the perimeter. But I'm not sure it's a good distinction to make. What's your sense of this policy, and generally distinguishing contact in the paint from contact on the perimeter?

 

[typhaon]

I think a lot of fouls are called more by custom than by rule. Pretty footwork in the paint can often generate a foul call, while the same amount of contact on someone with less dexterous moves is ignored. Blocking a shot seems to negate further contact - although isn't there something about reckless closeouts that is a focus? Not sure if that's related to your example.

 

[YKCornelius]

Not interested in griping about some fantasy of systematic unfairness. I just wonder about what seems to be a policy. I realize that contact that draws a whistle on the perimeter is not typically whistled in the low post.

Here's a couple examples from the tOSU-UCLA game, but I'm sure we could find examples in almost every game.

• Dugalic shoots a 3 from the wing and the defender leaps at her, and her momentum carries her too far -- whistle.
• Earlier, Dugalic blocks a shot in the paint by one of the Cambridges (I think) and gets "all ball" as they say, but on the way down she bumps into the shooter -- no whistle.

In each case, the ball has left the hands of the shooter before the contact, and momentum carries the defender into the shooter. In effect, even though the block was "clean," the defender was not able to make the clean block without setting the eventual contact post-release in motion.

I get the logic of the foul, and I think I can understand why more contact is permitted in the paint than on the perimeter. But I'm not sure it's a good distinction to make. What's your sense of this policy, and generally distinguishing contact in the paint from contact on the perimeter?

Bone Dog, did the defender block Dugalic's three point attempt?

I have never seen a block (or deflection) of a three point shot whistled for a foul making contact after the release or for denying landing space (i.e. reckless closeout). If that is what happened, I would be scratching my head also.

 

[diggerfoot]

This is a tangential issue that I put out due to my inability to find time to do the research myself. I would like to know the fouls per minute committed by Serah Williams at Wisconsin vs UConn. I do not think referees are biased against UConn. However, there are a couple plausible reasons why Williams may be more vulnerable playing for UConn.

 

[Ralph]

From what I have seen in our games, if someone blocks a shot in the paint, they are then allowed to absolutely clobber the shooter and knock them to the floor. To me it seems dangerous. Also, someone can drive from the arc to the basket for a layup, after the shot they are bumped while in the air and they also crash to the floor. No foul is called. Seemed to happen to Paige a lot. I understand a player can go up a little off balance and fall on their own, but it seemed like she got a hard hit a lot and no foul. Maybe the refs just say if UConn is up 20 or more, stop calling fouls on the other team. What exactly are the rules in these situations? Block a layup, you can then hit the shooter as hard as you want???

 

[Bone Dog]

Bone Dog, did the defender block Dugalic's three point attempt?

I have never seen a block (or deflection) of a three point shot whistled for a foul making contact after the release or for denying landing space (i.e. reckless closeout). If that is what happened, I would be scratching my head also.

No. The 3 pt shot was not blocked.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

My wife has always been puzzled by the fouls called when a 3 point shooters hand is contacted after the ball has left. I know it is consistently called, I've just never understood the exact justification.

Action after a blocked shot is scrambling for a loose ball that isn't in either team's possession. I haven't gotten a strong feeling for how they are currently handling that, but historically, especially in the old PAC, they seldom called fouls regardless of the general rough play as teams scrambled for possession.

 

[GamecockFam]

My wife has always been puzzled by the fouls called when a 3 point shooters hand is contacted after the ball has left. I know it is consistently called, I've just never understood the exact justification.

Action after a blocked shot is scrambling for a loose ball that isn't in either team's possession. I haven't gotten a strong feeling for how they are currently handling that, but historically, especially in the old PAC, they seldom called fouls regardless of the general rough play as teams scrambled for possession.

That always gets me too. It didn't affect the shot so I would prefer for it to be recognized as a non-shooting foul after the shot was taken.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Action after a blocked shot is scrambling for a loose ball that isn't in either team's possession. I haven't gotten a strong feeling for how they are currently handling that, but historically, especially in the old PAC, they seldom called fouls regardless of the general rough play as teams scrambled for possession.

Yeah, I've seen some of those that look almost like a scrum in rugby. Or a player just dives on to a pile of players with reckless abandon.

 

[Bone Dog]

That always gets me too. It didn't affect the shot so I would prefer for it to be recognized as a non-shooting foul after the shot was taken.

I don't look at it that way. I'm talking about contact that occurs after the shot is away, as when someone "gets all ball." To say that it didn't affect the shot seems to me to ignore something, namely that it was not really possible to block it without contacting the shooter. That the contact comes later seems irrelevant. The discrepancy I'm thinking about is that on the perimeter late contact -- whether the shot is blocked or not -- is whistled, but in the paint it is often not whistled. When the contact in the paint is simultaneous with the block, the discrepancy often (not always) disappears.