Thu May 12, 2005, 09:01pm
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Official Forum Member
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Kaukauna, WI
Posts: 832
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Quote:
Originally posted by Lotto
Quote:
Originally posted by ysong
a player picked up his dribble and pivoted back and forth a couple times, then he tried to make a big step toward the basket. but because he wanted to cover a big distance with this step, instead of stepping (at least one foot on the floor at any given time), he in fact noticeably jumpped off his pivot foot before his non-pivot foot touched the floor, then he moved along and jumped off his non-pivot foot and made a basket, before his pivot foot ever touched the floor again.
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This is a legal play as long as the player jumps "cleanly" with the pivot foot; that is, as long as the player doesn't slide the pivot foot while jumping. In fact, something almost identical happens all the time during a layup---a player catches the ball in the air, one foot down, then the other, then the layup. If this happens while the player is in full stride, then the pivot foot (first one down) will leave the floor before the other foot touches the floor.
The question got me thinking, though. Let's leave out jump stops and the case where a player is starting a dribble. The rule says that "[a]fter coming to a stop and establishing the pivot foot ... [t]he pivot foot may be lifted, but not returned to the playing court, before the ball is released on a pass or try for goal." Imagine a player who establishes his/her left foot as the pivot foot. After he/she lifts that foot, he/she hops once or twice on the right foot without the left foot touching the floor again, then passes or shoots. Since the pivot foot never touches the floor, it seems as though, by rule, no violation has occurred. Thoughts?
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True, I see your point. It's semantic. The foot they are hopping on is not technically called their pivot foot, because that had previously been established. But you and I both know that if that foot leaves the ground and returns, there had bloody well better be a travel call.
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