There’s a first time for everything.
At the recent Foot Locker U20 National Championships the officials were tested on their ball knowledge (FIBA rules in particular) when a tipped shot from long range took a deflection off an unsuspecting defender into the ring.
An attempt from beyond the arc by West Australia’s Andrew Grubisa was tipped and skewed off the head of Victoria’s Owen Dowel before dropping neatly into the basket.
It was adjudicated as a three pointer in the moment following a brief conference between the officiating crew of Kaitlyn Neate, Ben Sirianna and Kyle Gammage.
Further clarification from FIBA outlines that the right call was made.
"As it was an unusual situation, the calling official and crew chief quickly conferred on what they had seen and what rules applied,” said Anthony O’Brien, Technical Commissioner, Foot Locker U20 National Championships.
“Their rule knowledge provided them with the information that the value of a goal is determined by the place on the court where it was released and therefore the status of 3 points should remain,”
"In the post-game debrief, reviewed the circumstances and consulted FIBA points of emphasis to establish if this situation fitted in with the guidance examples, which it broadly did."
Further explanation below.
Rule Knowledge Clarification – FIBA Interpretation
The Play
- Team A (Western Australia) attempts a field goal from outside the 3-point line.
- A Team B defender (Victoria), positioned inside the 2-point area, deflects the ball.
- The ball then contacts another player (Victoria) in the key (striking the head) and subsequently enters the basket.
FIBA Rule Application
There are reasonable arguments for both outcomes.
However, on the balance of probabilities and a plain-language reading of the Official Basketball Rules (OBR), the basket was correctly awarded 3 points.
- OBR 16.2.1
A successful field goal is credited according to the area from which the shot was released. As the try for goal was released from beyond the 3-point line, it retains 3-point status when it enters the basket.
- OBRI 16-1 supports this interpretation.
- OBRI 16-2 clearly establishes that a block or deflection by a defender does not change the status of a 3-point field goal attempt.
- OBRI 16-7 further reinforces this principle by confirming that even if the ball touches the floor and then enters the basket, the original 3-point status remains unchanged.
Does Contact with a Player Change the Status?
The key question is whether the ball touching another player’s face alters the status of the 3-point try.
An argument could be made under OBR 31.1.1 (shot ends when the ball no longer has the possibility to enter the basket), particularly if the ball drops below the level of the ring.
However, this logic is not applied in OBRI 16-7, where contact with the floor (clearly below ring level) still does not end the try.
