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true, his leaving the court isn't intentional because left through momentum, but his leaving the ball is intentional, as he realizes he is leaving the court and intentionally drops the ball in bounds. Here is the issue in my mind: do we just set aside the issue that that is the start of a dribble? It doesn't neatly fit into the 'interrupted dribble' definition, as the ball didn't 'momentarily get away from the dribbler'. that in my mind implies no intent. yet the casebook seems to clearly allow this as an exception, even though he had player control when he left the court and intentionally started his dribble. Given that, my conclusion is that anytime he leaves through momentum, through a basketball play, however you want to describe it, and isn't actively dribbling the ball whether touching it or not as he leaves the court, then he can come back in and be the first to touch, both in high school and college.
I thought I understood the rule before this happened actually playing, and as I dug into the books I realized it was more complicated than I thought. If it happened in a game that I was officiating, I would have a very loose interpretation if someone was dribbling as they went OOB, versus an interrupted dribble. If they had abandoned the ball in any way, even if intentional in the abandonment but was leaving involuntarily, I would rule that they can come back in and be the first to touch.
Than you Bob for your reasoned response to the issues at hand.
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