Astute Coach …

[BillyMac]

I’m the trail. Team A, who has been struggling to break Team B’s press all day, is once again struggling in their own backcourt and, as usual, I’m counting ten seconds.

Ball is deflected by Team B, and “pin balls” on the floor for a few seconds, but I’m keeping my count because Team A never lost team control. I’m getting really close to ten when A1 picks up the ball on the table side “neutral block” and gets ready to throw a pass. I figure it’s going to be thrown into the frontcourt, but instead A1 passes it to A2, still in their backcourt, across the basket line, past the “wing” position, near the sideline. I’m past ten when the pass is in the air, so I sound my whistle just before A2 catches the ball.

My partner, the new trail, is getting ready to administer a opposite table side sideline throwin, when Team B coach politely asks, “Isn’t it a throwin from the lane area?”.

He catches me off guard and I start to say, “No”, but give it a second thought and say, “Yeah, you’re right”.

4-4-3: A ball which is in flight retains the same location as when it was last in contact with a player or the court.

9-8-Penalty: The ball is dead when the violation occurs. The opponent is awarded a possession throw-in in its frontcourt at one of the four designated spots nearest the violation.