[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

It has "always" (with apologies to the late J. Dallas Shirley; and always in this context means as long as I have been involved in basketball, I started playing when I was nine years old and started officiating when I was nineteen years old) been a violation for the Jumper to gain control of the ball before the Jump Ball ended. When the Alternating Possession Rule (an abomination upon the game) was adopted the powers that be on both the NFHS and NCAA Rules Committees adopted a Casebook Play/Approved Ruling to address this situation.

The RULING stated that A1 established Player Control (and therefore Team Control) and simultaneously committed the aforementioned Jump Ball Violation and that Team B would then receive the ball for a throw-in nearest the spot of the violation and the AP Arrow would be set toward Team B's basket when the ball was placed At The Disposal of Team B for its throw-in for the Jump Ball Violation Penalty. The setting of the AP Arrow is the correct way to set the arrow for a Jump Ball Violation.

This remained the RULING until the 1993-94 season when only the NCAA changed (without Editorial Comment) its Approved Ruling to: That A1 does not establish Player Control (and therefore Team Control) and simultaneously commit the aforementioned Jump Ball Violation. Team B would then receive the ball for a throw-in nearest the spot of the violation and the AP Arrow would be set toward Team A's basket after the Team B's throw-in had ended (this setting of the AP Arrow was in direct conflict with the Rules that stated that the AP Arrow should be set toward Team A's basket when the ball was placed At The Disposal of Team B for its throw-in for the Jump Ball Violation Penalty). The NCAA never addressed this quirk in its RULING.

The NFHS changed its Casebook Play RULING for the 1994-95 season to: That A1 does not establish Player Control (and therefore Team Control) and simultaneously commit the aforementioned Jump Ball Violation. Team B would then receive the ball for a throw-in nearest the spot of the violation and the AP Arrow would be set toward Team A's basket when the ball was placed At The Disposal for Team B or its throw-in for the Jump Ball Violation Penalty.

So ends today's history lesson.

MTD, Sr.