The new 1944-45 official basketball rules contain at least four important changes,
which constitute the largest amount of fundamental rules surgery the comittes has

Two of the rules changes, those permitting unlimited substitution and five per~
sonal fouls before disqualification, no doubt will mest with general approvals They
have been tried by many high school teams in a number of states during the season just
past, and will be aceepted without question, Bet so much can be seid for the obher two
major changess

 

The change which pernits an offieial te stop play for an “obviously injured”
player, regardless of which tenn is in possession of the wall, is good in theory. There
wet + tine when this practice was permissible, but the fexing of injuries when opponents
had the ball in favorable scoring position eaused the rules te be reworded so that play
night not be stopped during possession by the opponents until the whey in progress had
been completed, Already officials who remember the old days of faked injuries have
rajesd questions regarding the new rulo. Perhaps proper and definite interpretations,
accompanied by appropriate panalties for obvious injury faking, will take oare of the situ=
ablon adequately, ‘The best deterrent to the faking of Imjuries, of course, will be the
“pranding“ a seach and his team will get for their unspertmanslixe cenduats

SOM TRUDING RULE A DELUSION

The new atatute designed to prohibit the tall “geal tender” from intereepting shota

that would « otherwlse score baskets, appears fron this angle te be a eubberfuge and a

 

delusions

Without offering an opinion regarding the necessity for this eperatien by the rules
surgeons, may we agk the reason for the pequliar diaguesis and the deetaien to operate in
the partioular part of the amatexy Indieated hy the soar which remains? And assuming it
ie desirable to curb the activities of the ahnornad ly all player, for what reason did the
rulea comaittee attenyt te ourh the overgrown defensive player while permitting his sounter~
part at the other end of the court te sentinue te wreek his opponents with his activities
around the basket? oe pay } Sie Nis Ba cree Ws, Soeneieal af, nee Pee ae ;
enough to stop then, but now since « few of the extra ‘whl defensive lads have become prow
fieient enough to perform sinilar operations in reverse at the other ent of the court, the
rules committee has succumbed to thé "blits"” enginowred by a few eoachos and apparently _

have lost their sense of direction end proportions —