[just another ref]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

My opinion (I know, it's just that) is that the player is in control while dribbling. If he realizes, after stepping out of bounds, that the he needs to relinquish control, it's too late. And yes, I think you can tell by his actions whether the dribble became interrupted before or after he stepped OOB.

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Agree....except for the "too late" part. There's no rules backing that I know of that will back up your saying that.

If he doesn't touch the ball again after stepping OOB, the dribble was either interrupted or ended. There are no other options afaik, rules-wise. And if you call it an "interrupted dribble", that means it became an interrupted dribble when it was last touched.

If the player himself doesn't realize it until it happens, then whatever he may do to abandon the dribble is indeed too late. A dribble is a dribble on the way to the floor and back again, not just on the touch. The interrupted dribble could start at any time, not just at last touch.