Inbounds pass needs a rule

Sun., Feb. 17, 2008

The Spokesman-Review

“Washington didn’t just beat rugged UCLA. The Huskies beat up the big bad Bruins – literally socked one of them in the nose.” – Gregg Bell, Associated Press (“Dawgs bite Bruins,” Feb. 11).

I’m not a Huskies fan, but they played a heck of a game and deserve to be on the ever-temporary cloud nine of the NCAA.

Speaking of the NCAA, the rules committee needs to act swiftly to enact a rule barring the inbounds passer from bouncing the ball off a closely guarding defender from the base of the neck up.

If you saw the play involving Huskies’ Tim Morris and the Bruins’ Alfred Aboya, you should know what I mean. Morris, in danger of a 5-second inbounds violation, wound up slamming the ball into Aboya’s face with the force of a glass-shattering dunk. How Aboya walked away without serious injury is beyond me. Aboya’s reaction: “It did hurt, but that’s the game.”

Well, it shouldn’t be the game. Aboya apparently was lucky. The next player may not be. The rules committee needs to act now.

Gary Puntney

Spokane Valley

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Inbounds pass needs a rule

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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