SoCalHoops Recruiting News

What's An "Assist"?... Inquiring
Minds Want To Know--(May 29, 2001)

Occasionally we get some really good questions on the message forum.  Really good questions.  You know, questions to which the answers are so seemingly simple, so naively and facially simplistic that everyone looks at them and says, "Hey, that's easy,  I know the answer."

But when it actually comes down to explaining what it is we all just know,  sometimes that's impossible or very difficult.

That's where we come in.

We've gotten into more arguments with more people than we can remember about the concept of what constitutes an "assist".  

It seems that just about every year, someone posts a message on the board asking "What's the rule for an 'assist' in high school or college?"

And each time, some know it all will respond, telling us what we all know, or at least what he thinks he knows.  And 90% of the time, the answer is wrong.

So we actually decided to root out the answer to this particular question.  And the answers are going to surprise a lot of people, including some "purists" out there who think they know what an "assist" is and when it should be awarded and when it shouldn't.

First, in high school scoring, there is no "official" rule that we've found defining an "assist."  There is nothing in any CIF manuals or bylaws defining officially categories of statistics in basketball, nor how they should be scored and kept during game play.  Likewise,   California uses the National Federation of High Schools rulebook for basketball.   And much to our surprise, there's nothing about scoring statistics in the NFHS rulebook other than when to award points on a try (believe us,  there are some really odball situations in those rules just for scoring points).

But that doesn't mean that there are no standards for when an assist should or should not be awarded.  There really are answers.  And the NCAA has them.

The NCAA has prepared a "College Basketball Statistician's Manual".   You can read the entire thing (it's really short, but illuminating) by simply clicking on the link shown (you'll need Adobe Acrobat to read it).  Or you can just read the excerpt below. 

Here's the official answer on what constitutes an "assist" and when it should and should not be scored: 

SECTION 5—ASSISTS

A player is credited with an assist when the player make s, in the judgment of the statistician, the principal pass contributing directly to a field goal (or an awarded score of two or three points).Only one assist is to be credited on any field goal and only when the pass was a major part of the play.

Such a pass should be either (a) a pass that finds a player free after he or she has maneuvered without the ball for a positional advantage, or (b) a pass that gives the receiving player a positional advantage he or she otherwise would not have had.

Philosophy.   An assist should be more than a routine pass that just happens to be followed by a field goal.   It should be a conscious effort to find the open player or to help a player work free.  There should not be a limit on the number of dribbles by the receiver.   It is not even necessary that the assist be given on the last pass.  There is no restraint on the distance or type of shot made, for these are not the crucial factors in determining whether an assist should be credited.

The Manual then gives many different examples (shown as "A.R." with a number following-- which stands for "Approved Ruling"):

A . R .1 . Adams passes to Allen who is breaking for the basket and Allen shoots and scores. (a) Allen was free when he or she got the pass,  (b) Allen was well-guarded and had to make a move to get  free, or (c) Allen was guarded but had no problem getting the shot off.

RULING : In (a), credit Adams with an assist. In (b), do not credit Adams with an assist. In (c), it will be a matter for the statistician to decide the relative importance of the pass.  If the statistician feels that the pass gave the shooter enough advantage to shoot, then an assist should be credited to Adams.

A . R . 2 . Adams passes to Allen, who (a) in the same motion with which Allen receives the pass shoots a hook shot and scores or (b) turns around and falls away as he or she shoots and scores

RULING : In (a), credit Adams with an assist. In (b), since it appears that Allen had to make quite a move to work free, do not credit Adams with an assist.

A . R . 3 . Adams lobs the ball to Allen, who catches it and shoots while still in the air and scores.

RULING : Credit Adams with an assist.

A . R . 4 . (a) Adams throws a long inbounds   pass or (b) takes a rebound off the defensive board and throws a long outlet pass to Allen, who shoots and scores.

RULING : In both instances, unless Allen had to make a move to get free after catching the pass, credit Adams with an assist.

A . R . 5 . Adams passes to Allen, who is about 20 feet out from the basket.  Allen immediately shoots and scores.

RULING : This probably is the toughest decision involving assists.  If Adams found Allen unguarded, Adams probably should get the assist. If the ball merely was being passed around in hopes of finding a way to penetrate the defense and Allen merely decided to shoot, then no assist should be credited .

A . R . 6 . On an inbounds play under the basket, Adams passes to Allen who is in the area of the free-throw circle behind a double screen .   Allen shoots and scores.

RULING : Credit Adams with an assist .

A . R . 7. Adams dribbles into the lane and draws the defense to him or her. Adams then hits Allen with the pass. Allen is open, shoots and scores.

RULING : Credit Adams with an assist.

A . R .8 . Adams dribbles to the free-throw line, turns away from the basket and flips the ball to Allen while at the same time setting a screen for Allen.  Allen now is open, shoots and scores.

RULING : Credit Adams with an assist.

A . R . 9 . Adams passes to Allen in a situation that normally would warrant an assist but does not produce a field goal because (a) there is defensive goaltending or defensive basket interference, (b) Allen is fouled in the act of shooting, or (c) Allen travels, fumbles the pass out of bounds or has the shot   blocked.

RULING : In (a), there will be an awarded score, so credit Adams with an assist.  In (b) and (c), no assist will be awarded.

A . R . 10 . After taking a rebound off the defensive board, Adams passes quickly to Allen at the midcourt line. (a) Allen is open but passes to Adler, who scores an uncontested layup ; (b) Allen is open but passes back to Adams, who had broken to the basket immediately after the first pass and receives Allen’s pass to score the uncontested layup ; (c) Allen is covered and passes to Adler, who scores an uncontested layup ; or (d) Allen is covered, passes to Adler, who returns the ball to Allen, who then scores having lost his or her defensive man after the pass to Adler.

RULING : In (a), credit Adams with an assist. In (b) and (c), credit Allen with an assist. In (d), credit Adler with an assist.

A . R . 11 . Adams goes up to either shoot or pass. The ball goes straight up, is caught by Allen, who is open and scores.

RULING: No assist is credited.

A . R . 1 2 . Adams passes to Allen. The ball is deflected and is caught by Adler who is open for a layup.

RULING:  No assist is credited.

A . R . 1 3 . In a jump-ball situation, Adams controls the tip to Allen, who is open for a lay up. 

RULING:  If it is evident that Adams had sufficient control and intended to tip the ball to Allen, then credit Adams with an assist.

A . R . 1 4 . Adams passes the length of the court to Allen who is open far behind the defense.  Allen shoots a lay up, misses, but immediately rebounds and makes a follow shot before any of the defensive players get close.

RULING : Credit Adams with an assist.

Note : While a fair amount of latitude exists in deciding whether to award an assist, an attempt has been made to achieve some level of consistency.

It is impossible to specify how many assists should be given during a game.

However, from game analysis, about 50-60 percent of a team’s field goals involve the crediting of an assist. This is only an average figure; individual games and individual teams may vary considerably and may not fall within this range. The style of play of the teams involved will have a bearing on the number of assists credited. If a play-by-play is available, check it to determine what types of shots were made. Chances are, these factors will help you decide whether you are correctly awarding assists.

It is strongly recommended that the same member of the crew of statisticians be responsible for keeping assists for both teams and that this person’s duties other than keeping assists not be so great as to hamper the keeping of assists. By having the same person keep assists for both teams, the differences of opinion that exist in borderline cases will not affect the balance between the two teams.

There, now you have it on good authority.    Hope this answers some questions.

©Copyright SoCalHoops 1997-2001
All rights reserved
Contact: jegesq@SoCalHoops.com