Guarding a Player Who Does Not
Have the Ball

Illustration 13.—This illustrates a
guard (in the black jersey) touching
an opponent in order to make the guard-
ing much easier. It is a foul. Opponents
are not permitted to “feel” the direction
and movement of each other.

Illustration 14.—Face guarding,
though infrequent, is a difficult ma-
neuver for the official to rule upon. This
illustration shows a black shirted defen-
sive player face guarding his opponent.
The position, as shown, is not a foul.
A foul will occur if the defensive player
shifts as the offensive player shifts, thus
interfering with the progress of the of-
fensive player.

Pivot Play Fouls

Illustration 15.—Here is shown a fre-
quent foul on the part of a defensive
man when playing against the pivot
man. The defensive player (in the black
shirt) is overguarding by handicapping
the movement of the pivot man. The
defensive player’s arm, being above the
arm of the pivot man, is likely to cause
holding when the ball arrives.

Pivot Play Fouls

Illustration 16.— The pivot man
should be fouled when he tries continu-
ally to “feel” the location of his guard
with his hands. Some pivot men “feel”
with their hips and constantly back up
to their guard. It is this action by the
pivot man and the overguarding on the
part of his opponent which cause the
pivot play to be so difficult to officiate.
When the ball is not in possession of
the pivot man, one official should watch
the maneuvering on the part of the
pivot man and his opponent. In this
illustration, the pivot man (in the white
shirt) is “feeling” the position of his
guard, and a foul should be called
against him.

Illustration 17.—The pivot man may
commit a “dribbler charging” foul as
well as the offensive player shown in
Illustration 10. Here the pivot man (in
the white shirt) is charging his guard
in an attempt to get to the basket.

Illustration 18.—Some pivot men have
learned that if they attempt underhand
shots at the basket the guard will be
drawn into a foul. This illustration
shows such a case. As shown here, no
foul is occurring. However, if the guard
permits his left hand to move downward
and “hack” the shooter, he has fouled.
But if the guard merely holds his arm
in the position shown and if the shooter
throws his arms upward into the arm
of the guard, no foul occurs even if
the shooter does appear to be “hacked.”
In actual play, the guard will foul most
of the time, for he will be unable to
prevent bringing his arm down on the
shooter’s arms. Since these offensive tac-
tics are being used so frequently, every
conference or league should consider
this play in its interpretation meetings.

 

Reprint from the Athletic Journal, December, 1933