Former referee is certain about the foul against Della Valle: “A no-call situation”

The controversy surrounding the events of the early game in the third round of the LBA between OJM Varese and Pallacanestro Trieste has not yet died down. In particular, there was one incident that sparked debate, and Silvio Corrias, a former Serie A referee, weighed in on it on backdoorpodcast.com.

“2.9 seconds left on the game clock in the fourth quarter. Della Valle receives the ball from Hale and rises to take a three-pointer. Deangeli makes contact with ADV: foul and three free throws. Della Valle receives the ball outside the three-point line; both Candussi and Deangeli try to block his shot! Candussi is off balance and can’t get there, while Deangeli—clearly late—jumps toward Della Valle. Deangeli first raises his arms, but it’s too late, so he lowers them and tries to get past the shooter,” the former referee recounts.

“Della Valle extends his left forearm, striking Deangeli’s chest; he also extends—and pulls back—his left foot, which lands on Deangeli’s right foot, now behind him. Thrown off balance by the contact he himself created, Della Valle ends up on the court! The trailing referee blows his whistle and penalizes Deangeli: 3 free throws for the Varese player. As always, television and replays help us better analyze the play and determine who’s at fault,” he added.

“Referee Coda initially had a good vantage point—more focused on Candussi’s defense—but at the moment of a potential—possible—contact with Deangeli, he was completely ‘blocked’ by Della Valle’s back! Probably taking one or two steps back would have provided a better viewing angle. Even the side referee—positioned slightly higher—had no angle on the contact; he saw Deangeli’s back! The assistant referee—who is, correctly, on the same side of the ball—might have had a good vantage point, but the play is truly outside his area of responsibility! Of course, since this was the decisive play, concentration, technique, and teamwork could have been better. “A no-call would have been the correct call,” Corrias concluded.

There’s also a postscript: “Contact caused by ADV does not cause any harm to opponents; while extending the forearm may be a natural defensive movement for the shooter, seeking contact with the left foot should be penalized with a technical foul for flopping.”