Can't remember if we talked about this over the summer when the decision was made, but there's a change to how block/charge is interpreted this year.

Big 12 coordinator of officials Curtis Shaw is addressing new block-charge interpretation which requires defender be set when plant foot hits floor. Says if you review 100 block-charge plays, 96 of those are now blocking fouls.

— CJ Moore (@CJMooreHoops) October 18, 2023

Curtis Shaw: "It’s almost impossible to take a legal charge anymore." https://t.co/c4CThHHFKM

— CJ Moore (@CJMooreHoops) October 18, 2023

Might be bad for us, but it's good for basketball. Charges were absolutely out of control the last few years.

Feels like this is not great news for us, as it seems it's a part of what Buzz preaches

Hopefully we can find a way to adjust

It's going to hurt us on defense, but should help on offense, maybe especially Solo and Manny who should be able to attack the rim a lot easier and Marble who isn't exactly the quickest guy laterally.

Definitely could be a cause of concern, but Buzz seems to be good at making adjustments, so we'll have to trust him here

no socks for anyone this year

This will for sure impact us more than a lot of teams, but it is also 100% the correct thing for the sport.

I still trust we can play great defense without taking a ton of charges, we were just taking advantage of the ridiculous rules that were previously in place and we were really good at it.

how do they define being "set"?

Maybe? We'll see. Of the 100 they reviewed, which ones of them were we a part of?

That's Big12 officials though, what bout SEC officials?

I know the SEC is typically a much more physical league, will that play into it too?

So many questions...

Would be much better if the refs would just make more, "No Calls" on Charging / Blocking.

Refs should be able to also interpret "acting" and embellishment.

The crap would stop quickly if there didn't, HAVE to make a call either way.

I'll believe it when I see it. These refs love them some charge calls.

I don't think the SEC is more physical in these terms. I do think they tend to let people put their hands on ball handlers a lot more and there's more contact off the ball in the paint, but I don't think that really impacts block/charge calls much.

FWIW, I'd go even further and ban charges by help defenders completely.

bobinator said:

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FWIW, I'd go even further and ban charges by help defenders completely.

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I've been on this train for a while!

was hoping this was a rule banning Rex Chapman from posting block/charge tweets.

Taking charges is lame.

I'm on the other side of this one. I think we're going the wrong direction. I like the benefit of the doubt going to the defender.

I think the game is worse for offensive players recklessly penetrating looking to pick-up fouls.

I think if charge is liberally called it would encourage ball movement and mid-range and discourage iso.

I hated guys sliding under players at the last second. It benefited us but imo was not a legitimate basketball play.

I'd rather them try to police offensive players initiating excessive force even if a defender is moving.

Sliding under a guy elevating who has beat his man is not good defense and should not be rewarded though.
Player control fouls should still get called if a guy is just barreling people over to get to the rim.

Just standing there with your hands crossed over your nuts trying to get run over isn't playing basketball though. If a guy just runs over a primary defender trying to play defense it's still gonna be a charge, but it's this absurd sliding in by help defenders that's awful. It discourages attacking the basket and, even worse, encourages flopping. It's also dangerous.

Play defense.

They do need to tighten up what offensive players get away with on picks and screens, especially off the ball.

As long as they don't clamp down on the PG dribbling down the court stopping and letting a guy bump him flop I think we're good.

bobinator said:

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Just standing there with your hands crossed over your nuts trying to get run over isn't playing basketball though. If a guy just runs over a primary defender trying to play defense it's still gonna be a charge, but it's this absurd sliding in by help defenders that's awful. It discourages attacking the basket and, even worse, encourages flopping. It's also dangerous.

Play defense.

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Or just don't run someone over, help defender or not

It discourages attacking the basketball but also discourages attacking recklessly, which is the primary goal of the rule

Whoa whoa whoa, those were VICIOUS hits that IV was taking all season. How dare you insinuate that he was exaggerating the contact. I won't stand for it sir!

Method Man said:

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As long as they don't clamp down on the PG dribbling down the court stopping and letting a guy bump him flop I think we're good.

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Method Man said:

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As long as they don't clamp down on the PG dribbling down the court stopping and letting a guy bump him flop I think we're good.

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This is hilarious!

bobinator said:

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I don't think the SEC is more physical in these terms. I do think they tend to let people put their hands on ball handlers a lot more and there's more contact off the ball in the paint, but I don't think that really impacts block/charge calls much.

FWIW, I'd go even further and ban charges by help defenders completely.

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I bet you want one of those 146-132 old ABA games. These rules give ballhandling guards way too much of an advantage. It will be almost impossible to defend a player attacking the rim.

I thought a good number of our charges taken in recent seasons were legitimate calls. Establishing your space as a defender and being rewarded when the offensive player is out of control doesn't seem like it "isn't basketball" to me. Sliding under people at the last second was never supposed to be a charge, so why they wouldn't just focus on that aspect of charge calls instead of (based on what this ref is saying) basically eliminating charges seems odd.

For this to sound good to me, they'd need to add something about a focus on players dribbling into traffic and getting bailed out with a foul call for anything and everything. That version of basketball doesn't seem like a superior game, and it's been far more rampant than taking charges.

Lance Uppercut said:

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Sliding under people at the last second was never supposed to be a charge, so why they wouldn't just focus on that aspect of charge calls instead of (based on what this ref is saying) basically eliminating charges seems odd.

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But that's what was happening with the "before a player is airborne" as it was interpreted previously. The point at which an offensive player can bail out of hitting a defensive player is quite a ways before they're actually airborne, thus the change to it being their plant foot. I'm a little skeptical that it's going to be that drastic of a change though, I think you'll just see the line on "block or charge" move a little more towards block.

We've had some players good at taking legitimate charges (Garcia) and we've had some that to me flirted more with sliding in and flopping (Gordon.)

I do agree officials need to just not call anything more often when the offensive player is out of control. It's just as annoying to see an offensive player get bailed out because he gets his feet tangled up with someone by being out of control as it players sliding in for charges.

They seem to change player control foul adjudication annually…and get it wrong annually for about half the season and prevent the gained experience from being applicable the following year…

I just hope everyone occasionally plays basketball and that this doesn't just turn every game into a free throw shooting contest.

I'd be fine with a lot more no calls. The weak charge or block call on a floater in the lane needs to go. No call - keep playing ball.

More free throws more free throws! We will thrive with this new rule!

Agreed. It benefits us and we should maximize our ability to win. I'm quite tired of seeing 6'10" guys take charges on small forwards.

jaxisback said:

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I'm on the other side of this one. I think we're going the wrong direction. I like the benefit of the doubt going to the defender.

I think the game is worse for offensive players recklessly penetrating looking to pick-up fouls.

I think if charge is liberally called it would encourage ball movement and mid-range and discourage iso.

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The "no charge" trend rule changes over the last decade and a half have ruined the game. I rarely watch it anymore. Now I won't watch at all.

What they (and most on here) don't get is it will be far more physical out there as players go to the basket with more recklessness expecting the officials to "bail" them out. Apparently, the way the rules are now written, the officials are actually obligated to. You're going to see some drives where the player just tosses a prayer up and ends up on the line.

Have fun watching that playground *****

We will

Wait, so you're telling me you think the last decade has seen less charges??