TN Game: Two Questions For BB Rules Lawyers

[JoePgh]

There were a couple of plays in the Tennessee game that caused some discussion of referee's calls over on VolNation. Since they both seem to be more about rules interpretation than judgment calls about what happened on the court, I thought I might pose those questions here.

1. When Evina entered the game and made her first three from right wing, Aaliyah was already in motion towards the basket and was making contact with an LV player who seemed to be trying to come out and challenge Evina's shot. You could interpret this as a moving screen that should have been called (as VN posters did), or just as normal pick-and-roll action, or as an attempt by Aaliyah to position herself for a rebound of Evina's shot. How is a referee supposed to distinguish these two cases? Does Aaliyah need to remain stationary until Evina releases her shot, or can she be moving towards the basket beforehand?
2. When TN was on offense near the end of the first half, a TN player (either Horston or Burrell) drove into Aaliyah on the side of the lane and was called for a charge. However, it appeared that Aaliyah had left her feet and was in the air at the instant of contact. I don't think any viewer could tell if Aaliyah had really left her feet at that instant, but the motion of her upper body made it appear that way. How does the block/charge rule apply to this case? If a defender has established defensive position but then leaps vertically before the ball handler makes contact, does this mean that her defensive position is no longer established and a block should be called (as VN posters argued)? Or is the defender entitled to the vertical space above where she was standing?

 

[Bald Husky]

Sour Grapes, that's all. These are all judgement calls, and if we studied the tape, we could probably find instances where we could question a call, or two, or three.

 

[Geew1992]

1) that was probably a moving screen.
2) You can be in the air and it be an offensive foul. She was straight up and down. You can be moving a be in position.

 

[VaConnFan11]

2) Wasn't there another UConn player there before Aaliyah got there that actually drew the charge?

 

[BRS24]

2) Wasn't there another UConn player there before Aaliyah got there that actually drew the charge?

ONO was there to the right, so we couldn't figure out who actually took the charge either.

 

[RoadMaster]

2) Wasn't there another UConn player there before Aaliyah got there that actually drew the charge?

I concur.. Upon watching the replay, it appeared (to me) there was a UCONN player to Aliyah's left.

 

[Jibariqua]

1) that was probably a moving screen.

Since the Tenn player wasn’t even trying to get over the screen it rarely gets called in that situation.

 

[JordyG]

1) When an offensive player legally blocks the path of a defender to open up another offensive player for a shot or to receive a pass, that is a moving screen. Before the shot AE attempts to set a screen. When Burrell sees the screen coming she tries to move inside the screen instead of going around it. Perhaps if she'd tried to go around it there may have been a call. Instead she moves directly into the path of Dye who is defending AE. Because of that move she would never have made it to contest Evina's shot. AE then, anticipating the shot, moves to get the rebound while both Dye and Burrell ended up impeding AE's progress to the hoop.

2) It doesn't matter if your feet are moving or you go airborne. As long as you beat that player to the position it's an offensive foul.

 

[Plebe]

When TN was on offense near the end of the first half, a TN player (either Horston or Burrell) drove into Aaliyah on the side of the lane and was called for a charge. However, it appeared that Aaliyah had left her feet and was in the air at the instant of contact. I don't think any viewer could tell if Aaliyah had really left her feet at that instant, but the motion of her upper body made it appear that way. How does the block/charge rule apply to this case? If a defender has established defensive position but then leaps vertically before the ball handler makes contact, does this mean that her defensive position is no longer established and a block should be called (as VN posters argued)? Or is the defender entitled to the vertical space above where she was standing?

Re. question 2, it's a misconception that the defender has to be stationary with feet glued to floor. They have the right to their vertical airspace, what is often referred to as the "principle of verticality". It's more frequently noticeable in the men's game, where a driving shooter and a jumping defender often collide in mid-air near the basket, with the result being a correct no-call if the defender jumped "straight up".

 

[Centerstream]

There were a couple of plays in the Tennessee game that caused some discussion of referee's calls over on VolNation. Since they both seem to be more about rules interpretation than judgment calls about what happened on the court, I thought I might pose those questions here.

1. When Evina entered the game and made her first three from right wing, Aaliyah was already in motion towards the basket and was making contact with an LV player who seemed to be trying to come out and challenge Evina's shot. You could interpret this as a moving screen that should have been called (as VN posters did), or just as normal pick-and-roll action, or as an attempt by Aaliyah to position herself for a rebound of Evina's shot. How is a referee supposed to distinguish these two cases? Does Aaliyah need to remain stationary until Evina releases her shot, or can she be moving towards the basket beforehand?
2. When TN was on offense near the end of the first half, a TN player (either Horston or Burrell) drove into Aaliyah on the side of the lane and was called for a charge. However, it appeared that Aaliyah had left her feet and was in the air at the instant of contact. I don't think any viewer could tell if Aaliyah had really left her feet at that instant, but the motion of her upper body made it appear that way. How does the block/charge rule apply to this case? If a defender has established defensive position but then leaps vertically before the ball handler makes contact, does this mean that her defensive position is no longer established and a block should be called (as VN posters argued)? Or is the defender entitled to the vertical space above where she was standing?

I think it depends on who the refs are...