AboutBret Temple Expertise My expertise happens to be in Basketball Officiating. So I can answer any question pertaining to Basketball Rules.
Experience I have been a Basketball Official now for over 15 years, officiating all levels from Youth basketball Leagues all the way up to the High school Level.
Education/Credentials El Sorrino Officials Association Basketball School CIF (California Interscholastic Federation)Certified
Question if a defender is moving backwards trying to get out of the way and the ball handler runs into them is that a block or a charge or anything?
Answer HI John,
This is actually a great question. And unfortunately there is no exact answer. The reason is that either a block, a charge, or a no call might be the appropriate call. It depends on a lot of factors.
1. Where was the defender when the ball-handler began his move to the basket
2. Where was the ball-handler when he/she began his/her move to the basket in relation to the defender.
3. Was the ball-handler out of control when he/she made contact with the defender.
And no matter what the answers are to the questions above, it's at the interpretation of what the official sees.
So in answer to your question it can be both a block or a charge..
I will tell you one thing. IF a defender is moving, whether forward or backward, statistically, they will almost always pick up the Block call rather than taking a charge.
