Goal-Tending for the WIN!!!!

Today's blog post was written by Remy Lewis.  Remy is a Psychology Major at Purdue University North Central and is a former Division One Track and Field Athlete at Indiana State University.  He is currently an intern with Play Like a Champion.  He is also a Coach, Scout, and Trainer for Sports Prep NBA.

In sports today, it feels like we have rules and regulations for just about every situation you can think of. Sometimes we do not always agree with these rules, Often, due to a difference of opinion on  interpretation. For example, in most contact sports, a foul occurs as a result of illegal contact with an opponent and/or a form of physical "unsportsmanlike" conduct  A foul always results in some form of a penalty. However, what constitutes a foul can seem to vary according to each officials. In basketball, some violations occur with a small amount of contact, others only with major forms of contact. Determining what is and is not illegal contact is all up to the officiating crew.

A game, and more specifically a call, on Thursday, March 19th 2015, recent sparked a very controversial discussion.  Towards the end a first round game of the NCAA tournament, an official called "goal-tending" during the SMU vs. UCLA basketball game. With little time left on the clock, UCLA attempted a 3 point shot.  The ball never got to the basket since an SMU player touched the ball as it was on its way down towards the rim.  Touching the ball on its downward trajectory is generally called goal-tending.  UCLA was rewarded the 3 points and then won the game by 1 point, advancing to the next round. Yanick Moreira, the SMU player called for goal-tending, stated that he thought it was an air ball and was going to grab the missed shot. The main controversy has come from two issues:

1. A goal tend is not a review-able play according to NCAA rules.
2. Did the call meet every requirement in order for it to be deemed a goal tend?

In the past, most believed the rules to be that if the ball was on its way down towards the rim, and in or near the vertical cylinder, then the ball should not be touched. After the game had ended, NCAA members expanded on the true definition of the rule stating, "Goal tending occurs when a defensive player touches the ball during a field goal try and each of the following conditions are met.

1. The ball is on its downward flight
2.  The ball is above the level of the rim and has the possibility, while in flight, of entering the basket and is not on the cylinder." 

What has made it a controversy now is the statement  "has a chance of entering the basket", which most have been saying that there is no way the shot would have gone in, while others who freeze the picture on the point of contact believe the shot did have a chance to go in.

Essentially, rules may need to change in the future over this call. In my opinion, it needs to become a play that can be reviewed during games, and the wording may also need to be modified in order to clarify any misconceptions over the rule and the call. In my opinion, it was a goal tend. Every picture I have seen looks that way. If you remove the players' hand, the ball will definitely touch the rim, and could either bounce off the rim and out or off the rim and in. At this point it falls under the rule that states "has a chance of entering the basket."

In the end, the beauty of the NCAA Tournament is the superior level of basketball that people across the country get involved in.  The NCAA Tournament is fun--fun for the players, fun for the coaches, and fun for the fans.  Fun is why kids play games, and I'm glad its still fun at such an elite level, even if there are occasionally controversial calls.