City of Basketball Love

Garrett Miley (@GWMiley)
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(Ed. Note: CoBL spoke to several local Division I coaches about the proposed rule changes in NCAA Division I basketball. The overview of the rule changes, with thoughts from many coaches, can be found here.)

College basketball needs more whistles from its zebras.

While this may seem like an unpopular opinion on the surface, especially with a handful of proposed rule changes to speed up the game, it’s necessary for the NCAA to improve its product and remove as much subjectivity from the game as possible.

The proposed emphasis on enforcing defensive rules, mainly around the perimeter with on-ball defenders, will help open up the game in the long run. Once players and coaches have adapted to the rule change and the new tone that referees will have when officiating games, offensive players will have more freedom to move, as well as more freedom to score the basketball.

With the downslide in scoring once again in the 2014-15 season, college basketball needs rule and officiating changes that will facilitate offensive success.

One proposed rule change that could lead to more foul calls and better vigilance from referees is the removal of the “closely guarded” five-second rule. Currently, an offensive player with a defender within six feet of him must pass or shoot within five seconds, regardless of whether or not he is dribbling.

The change would allow players to dribble and avoid being called for the violation. More importantly, it would free referees from having to count and measure six feet in their head while also trying to call fouls.

“No one, not just referees but coaches, we don’t know six feet compared to five and a half feet on the court in the middle of the action,” Saint Joseph’s head coach Phil Martelli said. “You already have a clock that dictates play, so let’s eliminate the counting and let’s get the referees to call fouls. That’s going to help the game more than anything. Call fouls.”

While referees would be able to focus more on calling defensive fouls, the NCAA still needs to set stricter guidelines and give more detailed definitions of what constitutes fouls on the defensive end.

“They didn’t go far enough here, strict enforcement of defensive rules, providing offensive players same principles of vertical protection as defensive players,” Martelli said. “Look, I think they should put out a list of four or five or six absolutes--if you do this, this is a foul. If you put a hand on a dribbler it’s a foul. If you put two hands on a low-post offensive player, it’s a foul.

"If you’re an offensive player and you dislodge the defense, it’s a foul. Not stricter enforcement, I think they should come out stronger on the game is too physical, there’s too much fouling, there’s too many collisions and there’s not enough calls in my opinion.”

With more black-and-white definitions of foul and fair, referees would be able to call more fouls.  At the same time, they would be able to give players a better idea on the court about what contact is and isn’t a foul.

“I just think the thing that will change the game, where other people think we should be with more scoring, is just call more fouls,” Temple head coach Fran Dunphy said. “It’ll slow the game down but the kids will make an adjustment, the coaches will make an adjustment and it’ll be more wide-open.”

The officiating gap between the NCAA and NBA is noticeable but understandable, given the disparity in the number of teams--350 vs. 32--and part-time vs. full-time officials. However, redefining defensive rules and calling more fouls would help eliminate officiating inconsistencies that have plagued college basketball in recent seasons.

“Freedom of movement comes from how the referees call it,” Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint said. “If they’re letting people chuck people, you’re going to get chucked. If not, you’re going to have more freedom of movement. You’re going to have to change the rules of defense if you’re talking about freedom of movement. In the NBA they have illegal defenses, you don’t have that in college.”

More whistles. More wide open play. More points. It’s a winning formula for fans, players, coaches and the NCAA alike.