Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 30, 1994 TAG: 9403300062 SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The increased parity - those 14th and 15th men on power clubs have become stars among the lesser lights, diminishing the talent gap - made for a most intriguing season.
The game's rulesmakers and officials have taken some steps in cleaning up the game in the past two seasons. That said, there still are parts of the game that are too physical for its own good.
During the NCAA Tournament two years ago, this courtside observer wondered if it wasn't time for the rulesmakers and officials to save the game from itself. A variation on the same theme was penned last year. Tinkering has helped. This time, the annual appeal comes with assistance.
Dr. Naismith is long gone, so others are writing prescriptions to make a great sport feel even better about itself. Here are some suggestions:
The toughest call for an official is the block-charge. If an official says it isn't, then he's lying. Terry Holland, a member of the NCAA Men's Basketball Committee, has a solution for the increasing number of block-charge plays in a game.
Don't call them.
Holland, the Davidson athletic director and former Virginia coach, presented his idea in a talk to the Roanoke Valley Sports Club last month. He explained how difficult it can be to run, move laterally and control the ball against good defense.
"How often do you see a player with the ball collide with another player, and the one without the ball falls down, but the player with the ball doesn't lose it?" Holland asked.
You see it too often. That's because too many players are trying for an Oscar - and we don't mean Robertson - or at the least trying to "help" the official make the call. Some coaches even teach this art. Holland's solution, which also could make the game easier to officiate, is simple and wonderful.
"When two players arrive at the same spot at the same time, it should be no foul," Holland said. "If you can't stand up, you lose. That isn't charging. Let's eliminate the sliding in front of a man going to the basket. Let's eliminate the acting."
By making what is now the block-charge a no-call, "and defensive players aren't rewarded by stepping in front of an offensive player and going down, they aren't going to keep getting knocked down," Holland said.
The game has intentional and flagrant foul rules. Officials should not be so shy about using them. The flagrant fouls usually are called, the intentional ones - particularly at the end of games - aren't. Intentional pushing, grabbing and hacking is evident to everyone in the late minutes. If the referees called intentional fouls - two shots and possession - then the silly fouling that mars the finish would be curbed.
Or use the international rule. Give the fouled team the choice of free throws or possession. Games will be shorter and cleaner.
Use the technical foul to silence coaches and keep them off the floor. It's in the rules. If a coach wants to stand and coach his players, fine. If he wants to stand and coach the officials, make it "T" time. And keep barking assistant coaches, reserve players, redshirts in street clothes, trainers and managers seated on the bench, too.
Bring back the jump ball. It was taken out of the game supposedly because officials couldn't toss the ball up straight. Hey, these referees are paid enough that they should take time to practice the art.
Banging body parts in the post area remains a problem, although the muggings have been reduced. There is one obvious aid that officials aren't using. Call three-second violations. In the 35-40 games this observer has watched up close this season, it's been called once. If the offensive player moves, the defense will, too, leaving less time for hands, knees, elbows, rears and hips to come into play.
If the officials won't call three seconds, then rulesmakers should widen the lane. Use the fan-shape of international hoops. Holland likes that, too.
However, if the lane is widened, then the 3-point arc must be pushed back from 19 feet 9 inches to the international game's 21 feet, for player spacing. Of course, that's going to lower 3-point shooting percentages, but a wider lane and longer 3-pointer will open passing and dribbling lanes, too.
"Officials can't call fouls in the post," Holland said. "They might not be calling the right foul. What they see might be the second or third push. A player should be able to go in there, catch the ball and get rid of it. Right now, the strongest guy in there always wins."
Holland is right. Basketball shouldn't have to wrestle with its future.
by CNB