[Mizzou B-ball fan]

dola

Interview of Mike Anderson over the injured free throw shooter rule change. I really like his idea of giving the team the option to take the ball out rather than shoot the free throws if the player is injured.

MU's Anderson doesn't like rule change
BY VAHE GREGORIAN
OF THE POST-DISPATCH
06/17/2009

An NCAA men's basketball rule change apparently precipitated by Mizzou's invocation of the old standard in the NCAA Tournament has not been well-received by MU coach Mike Anderson.

"I'll be pretty blunt: I think it's a bad rule," Anderson said Tuesday during the Big 12 men's basketball summer teleconference.

The rule change announced last week calls for the coach of the offending team to choose among four players remaining on the floor in the event of a foul by his own team that injures an opposing player and prevents him from shooting free throws.

No longer does the coach of the team whose player is hurt have the option to call on any player from his own squad in such an instance, as Anderson did in summoning Kim English from the bench when J.T. Tiller aggravated a wrist injury against Marquette in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

With 5.5 seconds left, English made both free throws to break a 79-79 tie in MU's 83-79 victory.

Anderson said other alternatives should have been considered, since the new rule enables the team that commits the foul to have the competitive advantage of putting the worst free-throw shooter on the floor at the line despite being the one to commit the transgression.

Among alternatives, he said, might have been allowing the team fouled to take the ball out instead of shooting free throws.

Instead, he said, more weight is being put on officials.

"Let's let the (players) decide the game," said Anderson, reiterating, "I think it's a bad rule, but that's me personally, though."