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GOAL TENDING
ane
DEFENSIVE PLAYER FORBIDDEN TO TOUCH BALL ON DOWNWARD FLIGHT

The National Basketball Rules Comittee at their last mecting
proved itself te be a “model” rules committee - see Webster - “a model is a
gmall imitation of the real thing", ‘The rules bedy temporized. They did not
meet issues squarely. :

the rules committee did nothing about the extremely td] player
om the offenses But they humered a pressure group whieh protested against
the giant goal tender on defense. Symptomatieel ly they dabbled awkwardly
in the same diyeetion of their mistakes the previous year. Why diserimingte
against the defense wile permitting full freedom te the offense as the sane
rule concerns im principle the extremely tall player under both baskets.

The newly exacted goal tending rule will be only about ten per
eent efficient. I prediet that Hank Iba and other crafty coaches with goal
tending giants will still plaee their goal tenders in front and under the
defensive baskets | :

Had the rules committee members done any researeh previdus to
their hasty action and studied the flight of the ball toward the basket they
would have diseovered that an extremely tall player ean still steal most
shots before the ball gets to the basket, The ball does not begin its dowward
are generally umtil it gets above the basket. 3

Mest players shoot “skimers" = low shets + just clearing the rime
The ball leaves the players hands at a height of less than six feet and the
basket ie ten feet high, henee tall defensive players will get the ball while
it is still going ups Offensive shooters cannot readily learn @ new areh

shot just for ‘the ‘benefit ofthe hyper=tall goal tender without seriously

. affeeting their shooting aecuraeys

.
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