MIES (Switzerland) - Experts analyze all BCL games each week. In order to improve the understanding of referees' decisions and to increase transparency, we publish some of those Tough Calls, along with an explanation.
After Blue #26's screen, he dives to the basket where he receives the ball. White #35 tries to defend the drive to basket and a contact occurs. The referee calls a blocking foul to White #35.
Article 33.4: When judging a charge/block situation involving a player with the ball, a referee shall use the following principles:
Outcome: Correct decision by the referee. White #35 committed a blocking foul as he was still moving, and the contact did not occur on his torso. Blue #26 shall be awarded two free throws as he had already started his act of shooting.
White #0 receives the ball during a fastbreak; Black #43 tries to defend the basket and a contact occurs. Both referees call a defensive foul to Black #43.
Article 33.4: When judging a charge/block situation involving a player with the ball, a referee shall use the following principles:
Outcome: Incorrect decision by the referees. Black #43 had established a legal guarding position before White #0 took off for the layup, and the contact occurred on his torso. An offensive foul should have been called.
Black #8 receives the ball and starts a drive to the basket. Yellow #3 runs towards him and creates a contact. The referees call a foul on the act of shooting to #Yellow 3 and award two free throws to Black #8.
Article 37.1.1: An unsportsmanlike foul is a player contact which is:
Outcome: Incorrect decision by the referees. Even if the initial contact created by Yellow #3 can be considered a legal attempt to play the ball, the subsequent follow-through, after this initial contact met one of the criteria to be considered an unsportsmanlike foul.
Black #8 should have been awarded two free throws, followed by a Black team throw-in at the throw-in line in the team’s frontcourt, opposite the scorer's table and 14 seconds on the shot clock.
Black #8 dribbles from his backcourt to his frontcourt. He steps with both feet on the frontcourt while the ball bounces twice in the backcourt. The referees let the play continue.
Article 28.1.2: The team has caused the ball to go into its frontcourt whenever:
Article 30.1.2: A team in control of a live ball in the frontcourt has illegally returned the ball to its backcourt, if a player of that team is the last to touch the ball in the frontcourt and the ball is then first touched by a player of that team:
Outcome: Correct decision by the referees. The ball never passed to the Black team frontcourt since only Black #8's feet were in the frontcourt. Therefore, there cannot be a backcourt violation; ball illegally returned to the backcourt.
The referees call a foul on the act of shooting and award two free throws to White #19.
After the first successful free throw, White #19 is charged with a Technical Foul, it being his fifth foul. The referees award one free throw to any Red team player and then, White #19's substitute, White #73, attempts the second free throw for the personal foul.
Article 36.3: If a technical foul is committed the opponents shall be awarded one free throw. The game shall be resumed as follows:
OBRI 36-42 Example: B1 fouls A1 on an attempt for a two-point goal. The ball does not enter the basket. After A1's first of two free throws, A2 is charged with a technical foul.
Interpretation: Any team B player or substitute shall attempt one free throw with no line-up. A1 shall then attempt the second free throw. The game shall be resumed as after any last free throw.
Article 43.2.1: When a personal, an unsportsmanlike or a disqualifying contact foul is committed, the free throw(s) shall be awarded as follows:
Outcome: Correct procedure by the referees.
The free throw for the technical foul shall always be administered immediately, even if between free throws. Following the free throw for the technical foul, since White #19 has become an excluded player after his 5th foul, his substitute, White #73, shall attempt the remaining free throw for the personal foul.
Note: The target of this video is to confirm the correct application of OBR and OBRI onto the court. We would like to clarify some additional details of this play situation:
The Technical foul according to the referee's statement is called following OBR 36.2.1 2nd bullet point: Disrespectfully dealing and/or communicating with the referees, the commissioner, if present, the table officials, the opponents or persons permitted to sit on the team benches, which cannot be seen in the video.
