[Nevadaref]

Originally posted by Mark Dexter
Well, my rulebooks are currently packed away, but I can tell you the reasoning for this is that once a player achieves frontcourt status, he maintains that until he touches the backcourt. While in the air, he's in the frontcourt, and once he touches down, he's then in the backcourt - same as carrying it back if dribbling.

Here are the rule citations that go with Mark's explanation:

RULE 4 -- SECTION 35 PLAYER LOCATION
ART. 1 . . . The location of a player or nonplayer is determined by where the player is touching the floor as far as being:

a. Inbounds or out of bounds.
b. In the frontcourt or backcourt.
c. Outside (behind/beyond) or inside the three-point field-goal line.

ART. 2 . . . When a player is touching the backcourt, out of bounds or the three-point line, the player is located in backcourt, out of bounds,or inside the three-point line, respectively.

ART. 3 . . . The location of an airborne player with reference to the three factors of Article 1 is the same as at the time such player was last in contact with the floor or an extension of the floor, such as a bleacher.


RULE 9 -- SECTION 9 BACKCOURT
A player shall not…
ART. 1 . . . Be the first to touch a 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.
ART. 2 . . . While in team control in its backcourt, cause the ball to go from backcourt to frontcourt and return to backcourt, without the ball touching a player in the frontcourt, and be the first to touch it in the backcourt.

Furthermore:
ART. 3 . . . A player from the team not in control (defensive player or during a jump ball or throw-in) may legally jump from his/her frontcourt, secure control of the ball with both feet off the floor and return to the floor with one or both feet in the backcourt. The player may make a normal landing and it makes no difference whether the first foot down is in the frontcourt or backcourt.
PENALTY: (Section 9) The ball is dead when the violation occurs and is awarded to the opponents for a throw-in from the designated out-of-bounds spot nearest the violation.


Notice that the airborne player does not qualify for the 9-9-3 exception to the backcourt violation because he is from the team that is in control already.