Ok so here is a slight twist that I need your help with. Thrower is standing 3 feet off the line as I hand the ball into him. Defender is standing up almost on the line but not breaking it (yet). Thrower televised his pass that he was about to make across the key and defender starts to move along the baseline that direction. The ball is released from throwers hand. Defender reaches across the line (out of bounds) and slaps the ball down towards his own feet inbounds, gathers the ball and tweet. I blew my whistle and gave the team its first warning.
The coach argued later that because the ball was released out of the throwers hands it was ok. I still see the defender reaching across the line. (Of course the coach also argued that the ball was in play when touched by the defender, who knows maybe he did have a better look at it from center court then I did from the baseline 6 feet away.)
Still a illegal act even though the ball left the throwers hands correct?
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