[BillyMac]

Here's the article from the September IAABO Sportorials magazine:

When To Count The Three-Point Goal

Counting a three-point try seems relatively easy. Make sure both feet are outside the three-point arc when the shot is taken, and if it goes in, award the three points.

But what about when the ball is tipped? What if it’s tipped by the shooter’s teammate? How about if it’s tipped by the opponent? Would it matter if the teammate or opponent is inside or outside the three-point arc?

To clarify these slightly more complicated situations, the NFHS has issued interpretations to help officials more clearly understand when three points are awarded when a ball is thrown from behind the arc. There are a couple of key components to keep in mind:
- The ball must be thrown by the offensive team from behind the arc, toward their own basket.
- The ball must stay above the rim.
- The ball must have a chance to go in.

If those three conditions are met and the ball goes in, three points are awarded, regardless of whether the thrown ball was an actual try. A high lob pass, for example, might meet these criteria.

This situation is addressed in the NFHS Casebook 5.2.1, Situation B Try for Goal: B1 has the ball on the left wing in B’s frontcourt, standing behind the three-point arc. B5 makes a backdoor cut toward the basket. B1 passes the ball toward the ring and B5 leaps for the potential ‘alley-oop’ dunk. The ball, however, goes through the basket directly from B1’s pass and is not touched by B5. Ruling: Score three points for team B. A ball that is thrown toward a team’s own basket from behind
the three-point arc, stays above the ring, and thus has a chance to be successful, scores three points, regardless of whether the thrown ball was an actual try for goal.”

If the ball is below rim level after being released from outside the three-point arc and is deflected into the goal, it is not considered a try and only counts as two points. This will most likely occur when a sharp pass from outside the arc gets deflected upward and finds its way through the basket. Because the ball was below the rim, two points are scored.

Let’s move on to a tipped ball. This gets a bit more complicated. Start with the same scenario: the ball is thrown by A1 toward their own basket, from beyond the arc. The ball is above the rim with an opportunity to go in (all three conditions have been met).

The ball is then legally touched by:
A) B1 who is in the three-point area
B) B1 who is in the two-point area
C) A2 who is in the three-point area
D) A2 who is in the two-point area

From Casebook 5.2.1, Situation C: Ruling: In (A) and (B), three points are scored since the legal touching was by the defense, and the ball was thrown by A1 from behind the three point line. In (C), score three points since the legal touch by a teammate occurred behind the three-point line. In (D), score two points, since the legal touch by a teammate occurred within the two-point area.” In (C) and (D), the key point to remember is that if it is touched by a teammate, the location of the teammate determines whether it is a two- or three-point goal.

Remember, if the ball is below the rim, the try is not considered a three point attempt if it is tipped (typically on a pass). If the try is not toward the offensive player’s basket, it cannot be a three-point attempt, even if it is tipped from behind the three-point arc. And, if it has no chance of being successful (e.g., the ball is way off course, but the tip redirects it into the basket), then it cannot be counted as three points.

These NFHS interpretations for the 2024 season are designed to provide clarity for officials determining whether a thrown ball from behind the arc should count for two or three points.

Of course, only 15,000 officials are IAABO members, so I'm looking forward to new NFHS interpretations for the 2024-25 season.