NCAA, Fix It Please/Part 3

In my ongoing efforts to make the game of college basketball even more exciting and not stagnate, from time to time in Craw's Corner I will be suggesting and commenting on rule changes.



Of course the NCAA rarely listens to people who know the game as well as people like myself, but I am not giving up. And as I said before the most popular sport in America is the NFL and they constantly change their rules.



1. The ARC---This is going into college basketball next year. A circle in front of each basket which will supposedly help referees in some people's mind make better calls on block/charge and is currently in the NBA. BAD IDEA. Referees do not referee the FEET, this is going to make it harder for referees and this call in the NBA is often missed, as many replays show. I am a strong advocate of not giving referees more to watch than they already have too. Coaches who think this is great are soon going to find out this is not so great of an idea for college basketball and referees will hate it. Does anyone ever consult with referees on these changes? Apparently not.



2. Dunking---- Bring back the dunk in pre-game warm-ups. It was stupid to take it out, the players love it and so do the fans. Now, if a player hangs on the rim, just like in a game, give him a technical. If you allow players to dunk in the game, let them dunk in warm-ups as well. Some say it is a safety issue, safety also is a good cop out when you have a stupid rule. This is such an easy fix to make the game better, it is a shame for it not to be changed immediately. A no-brainer change.



3. Jump Balls---- Bring back the jump ball and eliminate the alternate possession. The jump ball is exciting, it brings lots of anticipation and is a major part of the history of the game. The old adage that referees can not make good tosses of the ball is just wrong. Referees today are doing a great job with the opening toss. Plus, this will eliminate the problem of teams making a great defensive play and creating a jump ball, only to lose out by not having the alternate possession arrow be in their favor.



I know the rules, I study them and I also know when it it time for a  change or correction.



If you disagree, post a comment or keep those great emails coming to crawscorner@gmail.com. Thank you.