[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

And NOTHING the NFHS has published this off-season mentions anything about an offensive player touching the ball last. So I'm trying to figure out why you keep quoting and debating me since I've say about 100 times now that the only thing the NFHS has done is publish an "exception" that makes it legal for the offense to catch/touch a ball in the air that was deflected by the defense in the FC.

Agree 100%. I apologize for being so picky. The reason why I'm paying close attention to the language posted is because there are closed minded Forum members who don't agree with us, who only skim through, or not even read, everything posted, who aren't open to factual evidence presented, who might come across a slightly incorrect word that may support their side of the issue, and who will cherry pick that slightly incorrect word to support their cause.

It's actually quite simple. It's not complicated at all. All we need is the NFHS new rule language. No more, no less. Everything that we need is already there. No reason to speculate. No reason to paraphrase. No reason to change any words. No reason to add any additional language to the existing language.

9-9-1: A player shall not be the first to touch the ball after it has been in team control in the frontcourt, if he/she or a teammate last touched or was touched by the ball in the frontcourt before it went to the backcourt. EXCEPTION: Any player located in the backcourt may recover a ball deflected from the frontcourt by the defense.

That's all we need because this (above) gets rid of this (below).

SITUATION 7: A1, in the team’s frontcourt, passes towards A2, also in the team’s frontcourt. B1 deflects the ball toward Team A’s backcourt. The ball bounces only in Team A’s frontcourt before crossing the division line. While the ball is still in the air over Team A’s backcourt, but never having touched in Team A’s backcourt, A2 gains possession of the ball while standing in Team A’s backcourt. RULING: Backcourt violation on Team A. Team A was still in team control and caused the ball to have backcourt status. Had A2 permitted the ball to bounce in the backcourt after having been deflected by B1, there would have been no backcourt violation. (4-4-1, 4-4-3, 9-9-1)

Just as the NFHS rules committee intended.