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Originally Posted by just another ref
I think this is true 99 percent of the time. But, that one time when the defender knocks the ball out of bounds two inches before it touches the illegal dribbler's hand, I think you have to call the first violation first.
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My point is that waiting for the result allows you to determine whether it was a dribble or not; removing the need for judgment on this play. You can simply wait about a quarter second and the result tells you everything you need to know.
The dribble may start when the player releases the ball (this definition tells us when a player must lift his pivot foot prior to dribbling in order to avoid traveling), but it doesn't become a dribble until he touches it again.
In old Iowa girls' rules, back when they played 6 on 6 "half court" basketball and were only allowed to bounce (dribble) the ball twice, the start of the dribble was defined differently. By definition, the dribble started when the player began pushing the ball towards the floor. It was not necessary to actually release the ball prior to lifting the pivot foot, only to begin the pushing motion towards the floor. By your definition, an illegal dribble would then occur if a player, who had already used her dribble, began to push the ball towards the floor: regardless of the result of that push. Yet it seems absurd.