Rebounding Foul and Double Whistle

In this Alaska playoff game, a rebounding foul and double whistle led to the disqualification of a player with five fouls. The critical issue was whether the contact during the rebound warranted a foul. Officials must determine if there was illegal displacement, as not all contact in rebounding situations is enough to call a foul.

While both officials signaled for a foul, the contact seemed minimal, and the taller player simply used their height advantage. It’s essential to evaluate whether the contact truly affected the other player’s ability to rebound. In high-pressure situations like this, especially in the playoffs, officials need to be certain before making a foul call.

Effective communication is crucial when double whistles occur, and officials must be on the same page regarding the nature of the foul.

LINK TO THE FULL EPISODE

Actionable Tips for Basketball Officials:

1. Evaluate Displacement: Ensure there is illegal displacement before calling a foul.
2. Communicate on Double Whistles: Keep the crew aligned to avoid conflicting calls.
3. Make Sure the Call is Justified: Especially in tight situations, be confident in your decision-making. 

Video Transcript:

That’ll stop the clock with 3:34 to go. Metlow looks to regain her composure real quick, and Lano gets a piece of it — he saw that one coming! A three by Booth — no good! And over the back on the rebound — that’s going to go on Micah Kinok. Let’s see how many fouls Kinok has. I've got him as four, but…that's five! Kinok is now the second player to foul out.

This rebounding foul ruled Kinok’s fifth foul, disqualifying him by rule. We’re going to result in bonus free throws. This is an Alaska playoff game — I love the team names, but they’d be a mouthful to pronounce!

We have a double whistle on this play. Let's look at all the things.

The player goes to the floor  —  just an inadvertent trip. We’ve got rebounding action, and we have a defender with hands in the back, but this is just spacing out and getting a feel for where the players are. Does the player in white displace the player in blue? That’s the question. I don’t see obvious displacement on this play, nor do I see the lead official having any sort of look based on their angle. Should we have a double whistle in this instance?

For me personally, anytime I see body action where the official is fooled or surprised by the ball coming their way, it’s because they are ball-watching. If we were just officiating the players in our primary coverage area, this wouldn’t be a surprise. We’d see Blue #3 stepping back for the pass, and their body motion and actions would indicate that they’re about to receive the basketball. When that player starts moving back, we should step down — that’s a clue for me.

We have a double whistle on this play. Let’s look at the actual rebounding action and determine if we have displacement.

White places two hands on the opponent. This is not an illegal action — they aren’t preventing their opponent from moving. They’re simply trying to create a sense of where they can establish position. This action itself is not illegal. Both players jump. Does white move slightly forward? Possibly. Do they contact the basketball first? Yes. Is blue displaced? I’d say no.

We have a double whistle, and now let's review the lead official’s position.

The shot goes up, and the lead focuses on their primary coverage area — the rebounding action. There’s definitely contact, but is there displacement? The fact that one player gets the ball because they’re taller and can leap higher doesn’t automatically equate to displacement.

If I called this a disqualifying foul on a team down by five with three minutes left in an elimination playoff game, I’d not be happy with that call. It doesn’t rise to that level, in my opinion.

Of course, you could make the case that there was contact, but what we’re looking for in rebounding action is illegal contact: grabbing, holding, pushing, pulling, etc. In this play, I don’t see anything that rises to the level of a foul.