Gottfried: Eddie bucket should not have counted
After Saturday’s OT win over the Hokies, N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said he wanted to see the video to discover why Jarell Eddie was not boxed out on the bucket that forced overtime.
After watching the tape, Gottfried came to the same conclusion that ESPN2 analyst Fran Fraschilla did during the telecast: Eddie’s bucket should not have counted.
The Wolfpack led 78-75 when Lorenzo Brown fouled Erick Green with 5.2 seconds left in regulation.
Green made the first free throw but intentionally missed the second, with the ball hitting the right side of the rim and backboard. When Green was at the free-throw line, Eddie was to his right — behind the 3-point arc.
Teammate Cadarian Raines moved from the right side of the lane to the left side, with two defenders following him. That gave Eddie a clear path to the right side of the basket.
A soaring Eddie grabbed the ball when it bounced off the backboard and scored on the putback to tie the score at 78 with 4 seconds left.
But Eddie left his spot behind the 3-point arc while Green’s free throw was still in the air.
Eddie ”started at the top of the key, and the rule is, is that player, if you’re not on the lane, you cannot leave and cross that plane at the top of the key until the ball hits the rim,” Gottfried said. “[Eddie] obviously did and in my opinion that basket should have been waved off. … The rule is in place for the very reason that if a player starts at the top of the key, you really don’t have any opportunity to block him out. ”
Gottfried said the ACC office is aware of the situation. (The ACC office is closed today for President’s Day; VT has not heard from the ACC office).
Here is the video of the play:
February 18, 2013 - 12:35 PM
Only a coach whose team was whistled for 12 fouls while the opponent was whistled for 28, and who took 43 foul shots compared to 7 for the opponent, would find this but of irrelevancy something to complain about. If anyone has reason to complain, it is likely to be JJ.
But, not surpised that JJ took time to practice a play that was illegal in the rule books. Weaver hires the best when he goes yard sale hunting for coaches.
Sounds as though an obscure rule that Gottfied never questioned until after hearing TV commentator on replay. Sure never protested at the time. Agree with Bob H not much sympathy for tobacco road schools on calls. Play 20 +/- games and in two leading scorer in country cannot shoot his average amt of free throws combined in 2 games. Expect the worst Thur night.
BTW,
Not to mention that I think that is a dumb rule. Once the ball leaves the shooters hand, it should be anything goes.
Gottfreid sounds like a typical NCState guy – still not satisfied even after the win. I’ve never seen a team/fanbase that are such whiny losers and sore winners as the Wolfpack.
Interestingly, of the seven free throws that VT took, two were because of the CJ Leslie technical, and two were because Lorenzo Brown chose to foul Erick Green wtih the 3-point lead with 5 second left in regulation.
For what it’s worth – Seth Greenberg on ESPN immediately recognized and described the play as illegal the first time ESPN showed it shortly after the conclusion of the game.
And to Fraschilla’s credit, he said right away while doing the game that the basket should not count, explained the rule, etc.
(But obviously I was at the game and did not hear Fraschilla until I got home late Sat. night.)
It’s not an obscure rule and is called more often than you think. I believe the rule was put in place when they abandoned using the lowest spot on the lane for free throws. It’s there to take away the advantage and offensive team has for getting rebounds on missed free throws. This isn’t a judgement call like a foul call is. The rule isn’t open for interpretation like a normal foul. It’s a cut and dry rule and one of the three officials is responsible for watching that line.
Good point Mr. Berman. I thought maybe it would have came up in the post game press conference but I guess neither coach was paying that much attention. I would be interested to know if the play is supposed to be executed that way; because, there is no way Eddie could run from behind the three point line after the ball hits the rim and get that ball. Does Johnson not know the rules on the players behind the shooter?
Mark, why is there not 1 word of coverage on the VT Womens BB game yesterday?
We have the game writeup in the college basketball roundup in the paper today and online today. But the roundup wasn’t labeled a roundup online.
http://www.roanoke.com/sports/college/wb/320507
Mark,
Why was the VT/NCSU game on page 10 of the paper yesterday?
Well, I don’t make those decisions, but if you’re asking why Tech was not on the front, I’m guessing because the state high school wrestling tournament in Salem and the UVa-UNC bubble implications game were deemed more important and more newsworthy than the last-place Hokies playing the unranked Wolfpack. Hard to argue with that. But Tech basketball is almost always on the front, and it will be again in Friday’s paper for the Duke game. This was just a rare occasion when there was a lot going on Saturday and there was only so much room on the front, so VT and its long losing streak was put inside.
UVA and UNC were on the front and neither is ranked either….
I am not complaining about not being on the front but on page 10?
Seems a bit lame. Willing to bet more RT subscribers in Blacksburg than in Grundy.
UVa-UNC was more newsworthy than the VT game, what with the bubble implications of that game for both teams.
VT was on page 10 because that’s where all the rest of the college basketball was placed. High school wrestling and swimming state championships, NASCAR preview, etc. were on the pages before that.
But VT men’s basketball usually gets on the front page of the sports section, not just the game stories but features, previews, etc., usually go out front too. This was just the exception to the rule.
Of all the uncalled fouls and violations that occur during every game it’s beyond stupid to still be pointing at Eddie’s lane violation. Incidentally the refs could call a half dozen lane violations every game if you watch closely. Eddie’s violation is just one of many that could be called and that could have changed the outcome of the game. We always want to point out the last foul as the one that cost a game.
I agree with the point already made – 7 FREE THROWS! Are you kidding? And all by one player? These odd things happen on the road in the ACC.
Rob, I hate to break it to you but nobody pays any attention to womens basketball or any other womens sports unless your daughter is playing or something. Were it not for Title IX most womens sports wouldn’t even be on scholarship. I don’t say this to be mean, but it’s the truth.
If I were Gottfried and my team shot 43 foul shots to the other teams 7, I wouldn`t be calling the ACC office about the officiating. What are they going to do about it anyway? His team won. Maybe JJ knew the rule but told Eddie to leave early anyway hoping the officials would miss the call. If Eddie`s not there State gets the ball-game over.
CR @ 4, the reason is because all State cares about is beating Carolina. And when they do, like this year, they don’t really know how to handle it. All dressed up and nowhere to go at this point. They are a good team that should make the tournament though.
On second thought, to be fair, nobody pays any attention to most mens sports either. Really not fair for me to single out womens sports, particularly womens basketball which may be one of the few womens sports that don’t operate in the red. Truthfully outside of a handful of sports I imagine most all the others are financial losers. Still you should be able to at least see the results in the sports page somewhere. Nothing is free in this world and somewhere, somehow, somebody is paying for it – probably your kids tuition.
The result of the women’s basketball game was in the sports page. It was in the college basketball roundup, along with the Ferrum women’s game, the UVa women’s game, and the Top 25 men’s games yesterday.
We also had the box in the scoreboard.
It was in the paper the same way all VT women’s games are in the paper — in the college basketball roundup.
GET OFF COACH JOHNSON’S BACK DID IT EVER OCCUR TO THE MORONS WHO HAVE BEEN UNFAIR IN THEIR CRITICISM THAT WHILE THE PLAY HAS BEEN PRACTICED, AND JOHNSON KNOWS THE RULES THAT EDDIE IS THE ONE THAT SCREWED IT UP BY JUMPING THE GUN AND SCREWING UP THE PLAY BY BEING WHERE HE WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE?? DID IT?? AS A FORMER PLAYER THATS A HARD PLAY TO EXECUTE CORRECTLY!!! A LUCK DESPERATION ATTEMPT…..
REGARDING THE STATE COACH HE’S THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER BEEN A CRYBABY…..HE WILL BE FIRED AT STATE..WATCH FOR IT GOING FORWARD.. I GREW UP ON SO CALLED TOBACCO ROAD. STATE ALWAYS THE WHINERS WHEN THEY LOOSE!! FURTHER WHO CARES WHAT GREENBERG SAYS, I FLIP THE CHANNEL…..STATE WAS PICKED TO WIN REGULAR SEASON TITLE…WHERE ARE THEY IN THE STANDINGS?? REGARDING COACH JOHNSON GREENBERG LEFT HIM A PRETTY BARE CUPBOARD….GREENBERG STAYED BUSY KEEPING UP WITH WHAT COACH AND PLAYERS WERE LEAVING THE VT PROGRAM!! WE WILL WIN AGAIN AT VT!!
Don’t think Gottfried has much to complain about. 43-7. Doesn’t seem like the refs were missing much on his end.
No mention of the 6.14 to 1 Ratio of foul shots – I wonder my since he so observent.
While Gottfried is correct, the officials blew it, and it was just a lucky as crap situation for Tech, is the ACC going to do anything to him for publicly commenting on officiating? There is something that needs to be done there, too. The coaches are supposed to handle it privately, with the conference, not in the press or on TV.
Maybe the ref that missed that call is the same one that missed all of the walks commited by Brown and Leslie
I agree that could have been a missed call ,but maybe Gotfried should not look at the video when he sees all the fouls that were not called on his on team. The announcers also commented and i agree on a block that was called and not a charge. Those calls during the game are just as important as the ones at the end.
Nice to hear from a former VT great…Howard Pardue!