[drinkeii]

Hi - I have 2 questions - both of these are prompted by my students. One I can't explain, and the other, I am just checking to see if my explanation is right. (I am a PIAA Basketball official)

1) If a player places the ball on the floor, prior to starting a dribble, and rolls the ball around with his hand, is this some kind of violation or not? I don't quite know what to tell them. Then what happens if they pick up the ball? Can they start a dribble at this point? What about if the situation had them stopping a dribble, putting the ball down, and rolling it around?

2) This one seems a little more cut and dried. A1 goes up for a layup. The ball hits the front of the backboard, and skips away, still heading up and toward the basket. B1 bats the ball, outside of the imaginary cylinder, while the ball is still on its upward ascent. The kids are saying that is considered goaltending, because the ball hit the backboard. I told them that the rule for goaltending only says "on its downward descent, outside the imaginary cylinder above the rim" - they don't believe me! Can I get a confirmation on this one (or a slap on the wrist if I'm wrong, which I don't think I am)?

Thank you very much!