New rules speed up play for basketball
By Ryan Rogers
Sports Editor
October 10, 2007
The Wilson Cup champion Lancers Men’s Basketball team will hit the court with a new set of rules to deal with as they begin their defense of the OUA title. The new rules have been adopted by the CIS from the International Basketball Federation, who get their acronym from the French moniker ‘Fédération Internationale de Basketball.’
The most impact that the new rules have will be on the speed of the play of the game, although the actual length of a game may increase.
At any point in a game, a player may only hold the ball for five seconds, leading to more passing and possibly more turnovers, which is different from last year where that rule only applied in the front court. Additionally, teams must move the ball into the frontcourt in eight seconds instead of the 10 permitted seconds from last season.
“This will speed up the game action,” said Head Coach Chris Oliver. “Teams will also try and disrupt with full-court/half-court pressure more. Not necessarily to get an eight-second count as much as to take time off the shot clock so there is less time to get a good shot.” Oliver suspects that this will be an advantage to more talented teams who can convert on possessions, and hurt less talented teams who will have a hard time slowing down the game.
The shot clock has also been dwindled down to only 24 seconds, quite a bit shorter than the 30 permitted last season.
But another change, moving to 10-minute quarters instead of 20-minute halves, could increase the actual length of a game. Oliver said, “Not sure what the point is, really, because with two minutes in between each quarter and a 15- minute half-time, this will lengthen game duration for sure.” He does admit that there will be more, however, for coaches to strategize with their team.
Coaches will also have a little less time with their teams during time outs, however, where they’ll receive 15 seconds less than last year, for a total of 60, with their players.
Oliver said, “By and large though our style of play does not have to change that much because of the FIBA rules. We are trying to play a little faster but that is more a decision based on our experience and depth rather than the new rules.”
Oliver also felt comforted saying, “Much of what we did last year including our defense and the triangle offense all fit in quite nicely with the shorter shot clock.”
Play won’t just be affected on the shot clock, but on the court as well. Now players are free to get into position anywhere they’d like during a throw-in, while previously they were not permitted onto or around the circle before the ball had left the official’s hands. As well, the player carrying the ball will no longer be penalized with an automatic traveling violation if he falls while holding the ball.
More interestingly, once the ball has hit the rim, the offense or defense can now touch it. This was considered basket interference before, but now a player can jump up and knock it out of the ‘imaginary cylinder’ above the rim. Oliver said, “Having watched FIBA basketball games on TV over the last two years, I don’t really see this rule come into play that much, but we’ll see.”
There is no longer a rule that regulates ‘faking’ a free throw to lure a member of the opposing team into a violation at the free- throw line. What this means is, whether its sportsman-like or not, a shooter can psyche out the opposing team by faking a shot at the net, to draw them off the line. In so doing, they would draw a violation, but it could work both ways, if they draw a member of their own team into violation.
There is now a penalty bonus that allows for two shots after the fifth team foul, which was previously set at the tenth team foul. Oliver says, this could also slow the game down because every free throw is two shots. “As usual it makes shooting a high percentage at the [free throw] line and playing great defense without fouling a priority.” He continued, “No real change from what I would currently believe to be true.”
The FIBA rules are not new to the Lancers Women’s Basketball team, who adopted them last year. And Lancers Greg Surmacz and Kevin Kloostra had some experience while representing Canada in the Super 4 Tournament hosted in Argentina last summer using the international rules as well.
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