Three seconds rule
Encyclopedia
The three seconds rule (also referred to as the three-second rule or three in the key, with a breach often termed a lane violation) requires that in basketball
, a player shall not remain in the opponents' restricted area for more than three consecutive seconds while his team is in control of a live ball in the frontcourt and the game clock is running.
The three-second rule was introduced in 1936 and was then expressed: no offensive player could remain in the free throw lane, with or without the ball, for more than three seconds. The three-second rule came about in part following a game at Madison Square Garden
between the University of Kentucky
(UK) and New York University
(NYU) in 1935, won by NYU 23-22. The Kentucky team did not take their own referee, a common practice at the time, despite advice to the UK coach Adolph Rupp
from Notre Dame
coach George Keogan
, who had lost to NYU the week prior and who warned Rupp of the discrepancies in officiating between the Midwest and the East. UK were unable to run their normal offense (which consisted of using screens
) without being called for a foul. New York University's Irving Terjesen and Irwin Klein guarded together
one of UK's major players Leroy Edwards
, allowing him to score a mere 6 points (the lowest output of his career). The New York Post
reported the game:
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, a player shall not remain in the opponents' restricted area for more than three consecutive seconds while his team is in control of a live ball in the frontcourt and the game clock is running.
The three-second rule was introduced in 1936 and was then expressed: no offensive player could remain in the free throw lane, with or without the ball, for more than three seconds. The three-second rule came about in part following a game at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
between the University of Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky , a founding member of the Southeastern Conference...
(UK) and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(NYU) in 1935, won by NYU 23-22. The Kentucky team did not take their own referee, a common practice at the time, despite advice to the UK coach Adolph Rupp
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
from Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame's nickname is inherited from Irish immigrant soldiers who fought in the Civil War with the Union's Irish Brigade, , recollected among other places in the poetry of Joyce Kilmer who served with one of the Irish Brigade regiments during World War I...
coach George Keogan
George Keogan
George E. Keogan was an American collegiate basketball coach, most known for coaching University of Notre Dame from 1923 to 1943. Keogan never had a losing season in his 20 years at Notre Dame....
, who had lost to NYU the week prior and who warned Rupp of the discrepancies in officiating between the Midwest and the East. UK were unable to run their normal offense (which consisted of using screens
Screen (sports)
A screen is a blocking move by an offensive player, by standing beside or behind a defender, to free a teammate to shoot, receive a pass, or drive in to score. In basketball, it is also known as a pick. Screens can be on-ball , or off-ball...
) without being called for a foul. New York University's Irving Terjesen and Irwin Klein guarded together
Double team
In basketball, a double team is a defensive alignment in which two defensive players are assigned to guard a single offensive player....
one of UK's major players Leroy Edwards
LeRoy Edwards
Leroy Edwards , nicknamed "Cowboy" and "Lefty", was one of the greatest basketball players of his era. He was an NCAA All-American at the University of Kentucky and also one of the most lauded professional players in the United States' National Basketball League's history.-High school:Edwards was...
, allowing him to score a mere 6 points (the lowest output of his career). The New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
reported the game: