‘That’s Over the Back!’ – Obtaining and Maintaining Legal Rebounding Position

Usually the quizzes come later in the article, but let’s be different for a change and start with one. Question: Which is the most popular tune heard at every basketball game? (The solution will not be found in any rulebook.) Answer: (a) national anthem; (b) school song; (c) "Over the Back" ballad. If you answered anything but "c," you’re in the majority of one among all officials.

One way of reducing that popular chant is to fully know what a rebounder may or may not do. Unfortunately, there is not any lengthy related dissertation in either rulebook. It is briefly covered in rule four, Rebounding, and ironically, both codes are identical. There are also a few references in rule 10, Fouls and Penalties.

The purpose of this article is to spell out how rebounding position is gained and/or maintained. Those guidelines will be followed by a series of related plays. The rulings are uniform between codes, unless noted otherwise.

To start, rebounding is an attempt by a player to grab the ball after a missed try or tap for goal. No player or team control is in effect during those situations. Unlike guarding principles (legally placing the body in the path of an offensive opponent), facing the opponent’s torso and neither time nor distance are involved. The main ingredient for rebounding position is that a player gets to a spot on the floor first without illegally contacting an opponent. The latter suggests that the position is set with both feet on the floor and not moving.

However, once rebounding position is obtained, there is quite a list of "no-nos." The rebounder may not:

• Push, charge or displace an opponent.

• Extend shoulders, hips, knees or extend the arms or elbows fully or partially other than vertically to hinder an opponent’s freedom of movement.

• Bend the body abnormally to hold or displace an opponent.

• Violate the principle of verticality.

Yes, that’s quite a mouthful, so let’s try to condense those parameters a bit. 1. Get to a spot on the floor first. 2. Don’t extend or bend any parts of the anatomy to restrict your opponent’s movement. 3. Don’t forget verticality is OK and not to be penalized. That’s all she wrote, folks, and there’s not much more help in the rules. In fact there is only one situation in the NFHS casebook and none in the NCAA A.R.s. Accordingly, let’s further delve into a series of related plays in an effort to provide more rebounding clarity.

Play 1: Center A5 is double-teamed by B4 and B3, front and back. A shot is taken by A2 and it bounds back off the ring. A5 jumps straight up and grabs the ball. When returning to the floor, A5 (a) displaces or (b) merely brushes B3. B4 and B3 have maintained the original rebounding position the whole time. Ruling 1: (a) Displacing is easy. A5 gets hit with a player-control foul. (b) Not so easy; you have to earn your game fee and make a decision. Was the contact incidental? If so, no foul and don’t interrupt the game. If more severe and A5 gains an advantage, A5 gets socked with a foul here also. Seeing the whole play is the key to getting it right!

Play 2: A3 and B4 are getting into position to rebound. B4 breaks to the right toward the basket and gets his or her shoulders and head past A3’s body. A3 then moves to the right and bangs into B4. Ruling 2: Since A3 didn’t get to a spot on the floor first without illegally contacting an opponent, A3 committed a pushing foul.

If you haven’t gotten it by now, rebounding fouls are a real test of an official’s judgment abilities, as in the case of most contact. So let’s plod on with a couple additional plays in an effort to provide some more enlightenment on the topic.

Play 3: Both A2 and B3 are getting ready to rebound under the basket, with A2 in front of B3. A2 sees that the ball is going to bound backward quite a bit, so A2 backs directly into B3 with the body and moves B3 a couple of feet. The contact isn’t severe or flagrant. Ruling 3: Since B3 was dislodged, A2 gets charged with a pushing foul even if the contact wasn’t that significant. The key is displacing an opponent – a definite "no-no." The ability to distinguish incidental contact from illegal contact gets you through those situations.

OK, here’s the "grand-daddy" of the "over the back" saga. Play 4: B2 and B3 are in great position for a rebound with A4, who is the size of Yao Ming, a step beyond. When the ball bounces off of the ring, A4 just reaches over B2 and B3 and cleanly snaps up the ball. At no time is there any contact. Ruling 4: Regardless of what team B’s Von Trapp family group is singing, it’s a big fat zero, nada. Without contact, it can never be a foul. Don’t anticipate a foul just because one player reaches over an opponent.

A few last thoughts before putting this to sleep:

• Every bump on a rebound isn’t necessarily a foul.

• That doesn’t mean you allow assault and battery to occur on the court.

• See the whole play.

• Review the "no-no’s."

• Verticality does come into play.

• "Over the back" has three options:

1. Incidental contact; no call.

2. Illegal contact; blow that whistle. It’s usually a pushing foul, not "over the back."

3. No contact; game goes on!

Unlike most rules, rebounding judgment is white, black and many times gray. It’s a constant challenge and good fodder for your pregame discussion.

Written by John Katzler, who refereed various levels of basketball for nearly four decades. He lives in Mt. Prospect, Ill.