Jeff Did Not Travel

[Highsmith]

Not that this matters as far as the outcome of the game, but it has bothered me since I didn't see it as a travel, but all the "talking heads" seemed to be saying it was. Maybe they should do what I did and actually check the NCAA travelling rules. Here they are below--pay special attention to Article 4.

Rule 4, Section 66.
Travel:

Art. 1. Traveling occurs when a player holding the ball moves a foot or both
feet in any direction in excess of prescribed limits described in this Rule.
Art. 2. A player who catches the ball with both feet on the playing court
may pivot, using either foot. When one foot is lifted, the other is the pivot
foot.
Art. 3. A player who catches the ball while moving or dribbling may stop
and establish a pivot foot as follows:
a. When both feet are off the playing court and the player lands:
1. Simultaneously on both feet, either may be the pivot foot;
2. On one foot followed by the other, the first foot to touch shall be
the pivot foot;
3. On one foot, the player may jump off that foot and simultane-
ously land on both; neither foot can be the pivot foot.
b. When one foot is on the playing court:
1. That foot shall be the pivot foot when the other foot touches in a
step;
2. The player may jump off that foot and simultaneously land on
both; neither foot can then be the pivot foot.
Art. 4. After coming to a stop and establishing the pivot foot:
a. The pivot foot may be lifted, but not returned to the playing court,
before the ball is released on a pass or try for goal;
b. The pivot foot shall not be lifted before the ball is released to start a
dribble.
Art. 5. After coming to a stop when neither foot can be the pivot foot:
a. One or both feet may be lifted, but may not be returned to the play-
ing court, before the ball is released on a pass or try for goal;
b. Neither foot shall be lifted, before the ball is released, to start a drib-
ble.

Jeff lifted his pivot foot and then jumped off the other foot to take the shot. His pivot foot never came back down until the shot was taken. The comments by Seth Davis and others that as soon as he lifted his pivot foot, a travel should have been called, are completely wrong. I don't have the play on tape, but I have watched it enough to think that I have interpreted this correctly. If someone has it to watch and sees Jeff did something differently, please add that to the thread. Otherwise, based on NCAA rules, the travelling call is a complete non-issue. GO HOYAS!!! JEFF IS THE MAN!!!!

[krey23]

There we go, no excuses for Vandy, go Hoyas, Go Jeff!

[cuvahoya]

Nice explanation. I didn't see a travel either. However, everyone who is so upset at the missed travel call should be just as mad that they didn't call a foul on the play & about the last 3 ridiculous foul calls that all went against Georgetown.

[Locker]

Thanks for posting this. This is pretty definitive.

[Highsmith]

I sent a message to CBS with a similar explanation. They probably won't do anything, but to have their analysts tarnishing the outcome of a great game and an incredible game-winning shot is wrong.

[GUJook97]

Yeh, I hope there is a change in explanation at some point. What exactly did you send, Highsmith?

I agree with you. He established the pivot foot, and then jumped off of it, but didnt come back down.

It's just obnoxious that that has to be the focus of the game highlights. You can argue calls all day.

[perrymcruled]

Cool post. Btw, I really don't mind if he even did travel because Gtown got screwed by bad calls on the last couple of Vandy possessions.

[CO_Hoya]

Nice work, Highsmith.

[HoNYaSaxa]

It's not definitive at all, but I'll take it.

[hoya89]

For what it's worth, Duke fans agree:
www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1058

[CO_Hoya]

hoya89 said:

For what it's worth, Duke fans agree

I feel dirty

[Locker]

It's only definitive if the rule means what it says. I think it means what it says.

[Highsmith]

cohoya said:

hoya89 said:

For what it's worth, Duke fans agree

I feel dirty

How do you think I feel?!? ;D

[GUJook97]

Thank you, Billy Packer.

[TC]

Now they've invented a new angle to this whole thing to try to cover up the fact they don't know the pivot foot rule - they are slow motioning on Green and trying to say that both his feet were off the floor at the same time.

[][-][ 0 `/ /-\ 5]

Hate to ruin the thread but CBS just showed a blown up replay. Jeff BARELY lifted his right(pivot) foot above the ground when he turned on it in his spin. It wasnt when he stepped and took off on his left foot that he traveled but on the spin. But, as the commentators said, it was a sick play and the foot was so close to the ground that there is no way someone could call a travel on it in the middle of the game, they had to look at a slowed down, blown up replay

[DanMcQ]

Did not help, highsmith. CBS just replayed and said it was a travel but, amazingly, Packer disagreed.

However, the blown up replay shows that IF Green lifted his right foot, it was because his leg was pushed off the floor by the Vandy defenders right leg.

[doublehoya]

The only opinions I really give a damn about come from the guys with the striped shirts that are one the court with the players. They didn't call it, so it doesn't matter. Move on, CBS!!!

[Highsmith]

OK, now they are focusing on a different foot movement than what Seth Davis was commenting on and Clark Kellogg thinks it is a travel--they went to Nance/Packer and Billy is backing off the push for a travel call. If you have to slow it down and blow it up that much and it is still too hard to definitively tell, then it has to be a no-call. Whether it was a travel or not, the comments by Seth Davis were clearly (to me anyway) about the lifted foot right before the shot and that was incorrect. That big grainy slow-motion blow up they did for Kellogg to analyze--seems like they are really reaching to save face on a clear error by a number of their announcers and I actually give Packer credit for backing off the original comments he and others were making about the play.

[GUJook97]

But the CBS replay just points out how absurd it was to call that. It is basically a call that would be made in the NFL with instant replay. Are Clark Kellogg and the talking heads really going to make a call like that the focus of the game highlights?