OK, don't want this thread to turn into a HR6 debate..lord knows I've had some of those...but that won't happen here unless we have a rule misunderstanding/misinterpretation. Having said that, in my view the question of "over the back" as answered by a few of you is basically, like many other basketball situations, a judgement play, while applying basic rule knowledge. Since a foul is defined as (paraphrasing) contact against an opponent that clearly hinders an opponent from performing basic offensive or defensive movements, simply reaching over an opponent from behind the opponent, or outjumping the opponent and grabbing a rebound is not a foul. In refereeing this play, officials are taught to look for an unfair advantage gained, in most cases by the player from behind. Does he make illegal contact, does he displace the opponent either by pushing him forward on the jumping motion so that he "overruns" the ball, or holding him inside so that his jump is mistimed (a good old timers move most high schoolers have not as yet picked up), does he make clear contact on the opponents arm as the opponent is reaching for or in the process of securing the ball? These are some, NOT ALL, types of contact seen on these plays. Also, with one eye on the players, an official should have a keen sense of the flight of the rebound, where it will come down, the players position in relation to the flight of the ball, is one player more "entitled" to it by position than another. In officials sanctums, this is sometimes described as "having a good feel for the game". While unusual, sometimes the player with inside position can actually be called for the foul, a play that drives the average fan (and some coaches) a little crazy. This happens occasionally, but certainly not only, on a longer rebound, one that in the officials view was coming down more towards the player that is being properly blocked out. As the ball comes into his space above him, his opponent contacts him illegally from the front side and we have a whistle. Some of these cases can look a lot like over the back contact, but the player with the better position in relation to the ball has to be allowed to reach for the ball. Sometimes there is contact on rebounds...sometimes a lot. Doesn't mean it has to be a foul everytime, if in the referees judgement it was not illegal contact that disadvantaged one player or either team. All of these are things officials are trained to watch for and happen many times a game in a matter of a few seconds...on top of all the other stuff that goes on in a mere 32 minutes..oh yeah, that I know of, the words "over the back" do NOT appear in the NFHS book.
Those of you that are reading this and may not be officials, next time you watch a game and you see one of these calls, look for the players position, ball flight, and the officials position and give 'em the benefit of the doubt. They know the rule and are attempting split second decisions, most of which are made from far different positioning or angles than those in the stands have.
OK I hope everyone agrees (at least somewhat) with my opinion here and that's really all it is...I'm certainly no expert, just love the game, spend a lot of time around it, pride myself on attempting to keep up with the rules, and enjoy proper discussion and debate. Hope everyone enjoys this weekends games, has safe travels to and from, and injury free contests. If anyone has some weird plays/rules to discuss, let's talk about it Monday. I may have next week's subject already in mind...
