Pregame dunking in high school is a no-no, but why?
Northview senior Parker Swartz dunks during a game in July, 2022, when he was playing for the MBA Lakeshore 17U travel team. He is one of the more prolific dunkers in West Michigan. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Ethan Erickson stood at the free-throw line and drained both shots.
That’s not unusual for Erickson, who is one of the best free-throw shooters in West Michigan. He was a star at Forest Hills Northern at the time and now is playing at Ferris State.
But this happened before the game even started.
Why? Because a player on the opposing team dunked during pregame warmups and was assessed a technical foul.
In this case, it was Zeeland East’s Nathan Claerbaut, a 6-foot-10 center.
“Apparently Nate dunked it and Coach (Joe) Soules saw it and the refs saw it, too,” Erickson said. “I didn’t think Nate would dunk (during warmups) since it was such a big game. The rules are dumb, but it was for our favor so I can’t complain.”
Ironically, Erickson is now roommates with Claerbaut, who also plays at Ferris State.
The National Federation of High Schools, which sets the rules for all 50 states, says that basketball players cannot dunk during pregame warmups once the referees are present on the court. If they do, it is a technical foul for each player caught dunking.
There’s more to it than just a technical.
Personal foul to the dunking player
Opposing team gets two free throws for each dunk
The technical also is a team foul
The coach has to sit because he loses possession of the coaches’ box
No opening tip. Opposing team gains possession
West Michigan referees, from left, Jason Martin, Arnulfo Perez and Bob Wojcik work a basketball game at the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
“I think it’s for the safety of the kids,” said long-time referee Arnulfo Perez. “I think the tech should be given to the kid, but the coach shouldn’t lose the coaches’ box and we should still start with the jump ball. Because they also lose possession. It’s a tough one.”
Perez was one of the referees at the game between Forest Hills Northern and Zeeland East.
This wasn’t just any game. It pitted the 17-1 FH Northern team against 19-0 Zeeland East in a Division I regional title game on April 1, 2021 at Muskegon Reeths-Puffer.
“Everything seemed out of place that night,” FH Northern coach Joe Soules recalled. “Not just because it was Covid (and only parents were allowed in the gym), but there was an official that was stuck in traffic … so everything was just a few minutes off. And guys were out there dunking and having a good time. I specifically tell our guys not to (dunk).
Forest Hills Northern boys basketball coach Joe Soules, left, greets Ethan Erickson after the team won a Division 1 regional basketball title on April 1, 2021 at Reeths-Puffer. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
Soules said he was still in the locker room when the technical was issued.
“When I was told that (the technical) was going to happen, it was before the 10 minute mark of warmups,” he said. “When I got word from Noof (referee Arnulfo Perez), he said ‘hey, it’s a technical.’ I told them ‘Don’t count it. Don’t even worry about it. Let’s start zero-zero’ because I knew it would fire Zeeland East up.”
The two points did matter. It was a two-point game in the final minutes and FH Northern held on to win 53-49.
Erickson still says the rule is archaic.
“I don’t like the rule,” he said. “It takes the fun out of warmups. If they are dunking in games, you might as well do it in layup lines. It’s not like they have the old hoops that might snap.”
The NCAA removed the rule before the 2015 season, but high schools still go by it.
But why? How did it start?
There is no set genesis that I could find. But theories are:
1. To avoid intimidating the opposing team
2. Keeping the backboard and rim aligned.
3. Player safety, since dunking can rip open a player’s hand and the impact of leaping and landing takes a toll on a players legs.
Northview’s Tyran Thomas, left, goes up for a dunk while being defended by Hudsonville’s Breylan McPhaul during a Fall Ball game in November, 2022. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
One of the biggest dunkers in West Michigan is Northview senior Tyran Thomas.
“I try to throw one down before the refs get out there,” Thomas said. “But not too hard. Just a little flush to get my legs warm. I’ve seen it called. Last year at Calvin, someone flushed it (in warmups) and a ref called a tech. So I’ve seen it before. But It’s never been called on me.”
Thomas’ teammate, Parker Swartz, who is another prolific dunker, said dunking gets him warmed up.
“I’ve seen it (a technical called) at a few games, but it’s never been called on me or anyone on my team,” Swartz said. “I don’t really think it’s a bad rule, but it’s not the best rule either. But the dunkers … to get warmed up, they need to dunk.”
Bob Wojcik, who has been a West Michigan basketball referee for decades said he hasn’t had to call a pregame technical for dunking in years. But he had a close call recently.
“We missed one last year,” Wojcik said. “I saw the kid dunk out of the corner of my eye, but we didn’t know the kid’s number. The (opposing) coach saw it, but we couldn’t enforce it because we didn’t know which kid it was that did it. Because when you (issue a tech), you have to give the kid a personal foul.”
If players want to dunk before the referees walk on the court, that is allowed.
“Now we really pay attention when we go out on the court 15 minutes before game time,” Wojcik said. “Now, they can dunk before we get out there. But once we get on the court, that’s when our jurisdiction starts.”
Perez said he hates to call pregame technicals, but it is a rule.
“I had a game at Grand Rapids Catholic Central against Union,” Perez recalled. “And a kid from Union went out there and just started dunking in warmups. Sure enough, the coach from Catholic Central noticed it right away. So he was looking at us officials saying ‘what are you going to do about it?’ So then I issued the tech. Then I went to the Union kid and said ‘I want you to go to your coach and tell him why he’s losing the coaches’ box and why they’re going to be shooting two free throws.’”
A Twitter poll asked West Michigan fans “Should pre-game dunks in high school basketball games be assessed a technical?” Of the 289 people who voted, 87 percent did not like the rule.
“Do I agree with with the dunking before? I don’t know,” Soules said. “I know why they don’t. I don’t think we need to dunk before games. More bad comes from it. The kids are gonna get their hands torn up.”
But for now, a rule’s a rule. So don’t dunk during pregame warmups when the referees are on the floor.
