After watching numerous games so far this season, I have been once again reminded of certain rules I would love to see the NCAA get rid of… forever. These aren’t rules we need, or change the game, these are simply rules allowed to be in the game and make me shake my head.
The first rule I want seen done away with… the “flying-out-of-bounds-timeout.”
I actually saw it TWICE in one game just last week. The player grabbed the ball while hurdling out of bounds. He didn’t have control of his body and barely held onto the ball. But, he was able to call timeout… to save his team (certainly, not himself).
Timeouts aren’t allowed inbounds unless you are in control of yourself AND the ball, why do we allow timeouts in mid-air when the player doesn’t even have control his own body?!
According to the official rulebook, which actually has a section dedicated to what they call an “Airborne Player/Timeout”, the player needs to only be in control of the ball. In Appendix III, Section 5, it reads:
“Before a timeout is granted by an official, the official shall be certain that the player making the request is in possession of the ball.”
That’s it?! Nothing about whether the player is wearing a safety helmet for the certain crash at the end? Nothing about whether or not he filed a flight plan with the FAA? Name me any other time in a game, where a player out of control is granted a timeout? Or a situation that is simply chaotic, where a timeout is allowed?
A player can’t have one hand on a loose ball and call time out. Why not?! He is actually inbounds. The only difference between this and flying out of bounds is whether the player has possession of the ball.
So, if the ball is hurdling out of bounds with a player along for the ride and that player is quick enough to yell or signal timeout, then it’s granted?! Seriously… does this sound as dumb to you as it does to me?
Unless a player is in control of the ball and himself, with part of his body actually physically in bounds, and able to call and signal a timeout, then forget granting one. In no other situation on the court is a player not all of those things. Why does taking to the air and looking for a landing zone change everything?
Just because the player has some gymnastics background shouldn’t be a good enough reason to save the player from a turnover (though the Russian judge might give him a 10 if he sticks the landing).
Speaking of airborne, I am tired of watching offensive players getting defenders into the air… then jumping into that defender in an effort to get a foul called. Talk about cheating. To physically jump into the defender as one shoots, just to get the foul call, is ridiculous. The worst part, officials call it a defensive foul!
We all know players are entitled to their own space. We also know that rules are slanted against defenders. If a defender is standing straight up and not moving his body or arms (even if they are in the air) then any contact is not his fault – at least in theory. So, why when a defender bites on a pump fake, goes straight up in the air, and would never touch the offensive player otherwise, do officials feel the need to call a defensive foul when offensive player jumps into the defender… initiating the contact?
I am reminded of former NBA star Reggie Miller. When he took a jumper with a defender near him, he would throw his leg out to get hit and draw the foul call. It took years before officials stopped falling for it and stopped calling it.
An offensive player should not be bailed out of a situation because he makes contact with the defender… period. If ever an offensive player initiates contact with the defender, it either shouldn’t be called or be an offensive foul.
I don’t know if this is a rule or not, but something I hate is the fact that, apparently, after a ball is knocked out of bounds an official must be given the ball, then give it back to a player on the inbounding team. If I’m not mistaken, in international rules the official simply indicates which team gets possesion of the ball and a player from that team can grab the ball, step out of bounds and pass it inbounds to a teammate. This speeds up the game. I’d like an explanation of the rationale for the way it is currently done in the NCAA.
Unless the player in question is Edwin Moses, he’s hurtling, not hurdling.
My friend Swampgoon and I were at the Point/Edgewood game a few weekends ago and that “fly out of bounds” timeout was called by an Edgewood player. The player went horizontally, caught the ball and yelled timeout, without even turning and looking at the ref. He just yelled it. Obviously he couldn’t turn because he was basically doing a swan dive to get to the ball. Needless to say, he paid for it. He basically did a face plant/belly flop right on the ball. That had to hurt, but it was worth watching the guy go through a little pain, to say the least. You could hear the crowd just go, “ooohhh, ouch.”
I don’t much like the flying out of bounds time out either but in my mind the real problem is the number of time outs a team gets. In D1 there are media timeouts on the first dead ball after 16, 12, 8 and 4 minutes of each half. That’s eight media timeouts per game. While it isn’t as bad in D3, there are four per game, they still get almost as many media timeouts as team time outs. You don’t have to look any further than this if you wonder why teams can afford to waste one or two to preserve or gain a possession.
We had a game last week in which an opponent literally jumped two feet sideways on a jump shot from the free throw line to draw a foul and the referee rewarded him with free throws. That one drives me batty.
Another rule that I would like to see changed is the offensive player control foul that occurs when a weakside defender sets up directly beneath the basket and then draws the charge from the offensive player. I would like to see a rule similar to the NBA where they have the half circle under the basket and charges can’t occur within it.
Most of Division III doesn’t have media timeouts at all.
My bad, Pat, we have them every game and I just assumed other schools did as well.
Another rule that should be instituted is one that would eliminate the hand slapping between foul shots. This also would help speed up the game.