Should PBA change goaltending rules? Coaches have mixed feelings

Rey Joble, InterAKTV · Monday, October 29, 2012 · 7:48 pm

InterAKTV/Justin Gener

After controversy about goaltending rules brought about by confusion over San Mig Coffee center Rafi Reavis’ game-saving swipe against Barako Bull on Sunday, coaches had different reactions when asked about whether the PBA should revise its rules.
Alaska coach Luigi Trillo said game officials should be lauded for making the correct call.
“First of all, I’d like to commend the referees for the non-call because that play made by Reavis was legal,” said Trillo.
“There were instances when Adam Parada, our import last season, tapped the ball while the ball is still bouncing or rolling on the cylinder of the rim during the last free throw attempt.”
But Trillo admitted that he wants a return to the old PBA rules, when a player couldn’t touch the ball while it’s still above the cylinder of the rim.
“But moving forward, I would want to remove it than keep it because it takes away the beauty of the game. Imagine, that could have been a game-winning play,” he said.
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao echoed Trillo’s thoughts.
“This rule was implemented so that PBA players get the feel of the international rule,” Guiao told InterAKTV.
“Pero ang rationale ko nga diyan, yung ball on downward path nga tinatawagan nila ng goaltending, why would you not call goaltending on a play where the ball has a chance of going in? It defeats the purpose of a shot and it deprives a player or a team of scoring. For me, the PBA should start thinking of abolishing this rule.”
No time to revise
But Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio, who coached Reavis at Purefoods, has no problem with carrying on with the goaltending rules.
“I don’t think we have time to revisit or revise any of our rules now. It’s a rule which wasn’t done overnight,” said Gregorio.
“Dinatnan na ni Commissioner yan, unlike a rule which he implemented just recently where a player diving for the loose ball can stand up and not being called a travelling. That one is an experiment.”
The goaltending rule was put in place during the term of former commissioner Sonny Barrios.
“This rule about a player tapping the ball while it’s still on the cylinder is something we’ve seen several times already. It’s just about a player or a team finding their edge to make that play. It just so happened that Rafi Reavis had the presence of mind to tap the ball out while it was still on the rim and it just so happened that it came during the critical stage of the match — a win or lose situation,” added Gregorio.
“In my opinion, mas magkakagulo yun if the refs counted the basket because there’s already an existing rule that once the ball hits the rim, it’s already a live ball.”
Air 21 coach Franz Pumaren, meanwhile, noted that teams who are familiar with the rule have always taken advantage of it. A former national player in the 1980s, Pumaren said the Philippine team’s naturalized players used to do that in FIBA competition.
“It’s just a matter of strategy. We’ve been doing that ever since we were playing in the NCC. Sina Jeff Moore and Dennis Still would do that, tapping the ball out while it’s still bouncing or rolling the cylinder,” said Pumaren.
“We adopted that as well when I was coaching La Salle. Sina Rico Maierhofer ginagawa rin nila yan before. Maybe Barako is not fully aware on the details of that rule.”

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/should-pba-change-goaltending-rules-coaches-have-mixed-feelings