Basketball rules proving controversial

By Kate Watson - The Weekly News
Rule variations introduced this year for Nova Scotia's minor basketball teams seem to be a divisive issue within the local b-ball community.
And coach Peter McLaughlin's Bantam boys team - the Celtics - got a taste of exactly what the controversy is all about in their game on Jan. 25.
As the Celtics' guard brought the ball up the floor, the members of the opposing team set up a zone defense, covering an area of the floor rather than each covering a specific man, a move that is clearly against the newly implemented rule variations.
McLaughlin brought the violation to the attention of the referees, but received little satisfaction, since these rule variations are essentially without teeth.
The refs have been instructed that they are not responsible for enforcing these variations.
At the Jan. 25 game, the refs mentioned the problem to the offending coach, who refused to change his strategy.
The game continued with the zone defense being used against the Celtics throughout.
"Obviously everyone would like to see referees have the power to make a call to stop illegal defenses," says McLaughlin. "One of the problems at the mini and bantam levels is that kids do not physically develop at the same speed. Pressing and zone pressing in particular are only a small part of the game, and at this age, they are too effective for bigger teams."
The rule against zone defense at the junior-mini, mini, and bantam levels, as well as one against double-teaming at the two younger levels, was agreed upon this year by representatives from Basketball Nova Scotia (BNS), Metro Minor Basketball Association (MBA), Nova Scotia Basketball Officials (NSBO) and other basketball organizations around the province.
Donnie Ehler, executive director of BNS, says the rules were changed in an effort to give young players the best possible basketball experience and to standardize the rules so that all teams from across the province are on the same page when they play in the provincial tournaments.
The sticking point seems to be exactly how the rules are to be enforced.
"I've been made aware that there have been issues with the enforcement of the game rules. Everyone wants to blame the officials," says Ehler. "But we never intended for them to have to be the ones to enforce these modifications."
Instead, BNS has drawn up an enforcement process that says: Any obvious playing time, zone defense and double teaming violations will be brought to the attention of the BNS representatives by the host immediately. Upon speaking with the offending coach and game officials they will determine if any discipline action is required, which could be up to and including suspension of the head coach and default of game. NSBO officials will not be responsible for calling any violations on their own.
Ed McHugh, speaking on behalf of the MBA, says he sees problems with leaving the referees out of the equation, and that he left the meeting in June with the perception that the referees would call any double-teaming and zone defenses and would inform the MBA if the offending team continued to violate the rules.
"Fundamentally, I think most people understand why these are good rules," says McHugh. "But you always have a very small percentage of coaches trying to find a way around any rule, so you have to make sure that there's a way to enforce it. That's where the refs come in."
But Greg Parsons, president of NSBO, says, "It was agreed at that meeting that the referees would not be involved in the administration of the new rules. We've stuck to that agreement and continue to follow that agreement."
Still, McLaughlin sees the whole controversy as a learning tool for the development of his players.
"I always tell my players that we cannot control what the other team is doing, only what we are doing," McLaughlin said.
"My guys are brought into the idea that we are playing and practising not to be the best team we can be this year, but the best players possible at the highest level they will end up playing at."
k-watson@ns.sympatico.ca
For a full interpretation of double-teaming and zone defense guidelines go to www.basketball.ns.ca/MinorRules.htm