Held Ball Rule
 

Hello, and thank you for always being willing to help. Here's the situation:

Boys middle school varsity game. A1 and B1 go after a rebound and grab the ball at the same time. A1 is strong enough to pivot around and B1 holds on tight and is picked up off the floor, like a merry go round with the bigger kid as the pivot. Luckily B1 lands on his feet, while still holding onto the ball which is well within A1's grip.

My partner and I blow our whistles for a held ball at the same time. I promise myself to put air in my whistle faster next time so it won't happen again.

Well, you already guessed what happened a few minutes later. Two different players go for a loose ball. The players are coming from two different directions. A2 gets the ball and already starts his pivot when B2 grabs the ball. This time I'm right on top of it, but B2 is already being lifted off the ground, merry go round style as I put air in the whistle.

So my question to you is, do we have a specific rule for this situation? The closest I could find is 12.1.2

A held ball occurs when one or more players of each opposing team have one or both hands firmly on the ball so that neither player can gain control without undue roughness.

That doesn't seem to address what was happening. At this point it's clear that the players are doing this for fun and would continue if we didn't put a stop to it. Luckily, they are close-by rival schools so I knew players on both teams. I told them, "You guys knock it off!" and they straightened up.

Why do you think that definition does not apply to what was happening?

What is the question?

You had a held ball, what else is there to call? The whistle does not magically stop all actions.

Peace

Yes it did.

It certainly does fit. If A1 wrests the ball away from B1 without any resistance, it's nothing. If he can't do it without tossing B1 around like a ragdoll, that's "undue roughness."

Thank you for your answers and I appreciate you taking the time to help.

Maybe this would put a finer point on it: If A1 and B1 go for the ball at the same time, and B1 gets thrown around like a rag doll, as Adam accurately described it, then is it a violation of any rule? Or is it just one of those things that sometimes happens in basketball?

The reason I told the players to knock it off is that it was pretty clear they were doing it for the fun of it and I was afraid one of them would get hurt.

I'm pretty new at this, so I may be overthinking things...

It happens occasionally. As soon as it starts, blow the whistle. After that, B1 needs to let go unless he's too high in the air for a safe landing.

Yes, you are overthinking this. You (1) called the jump ball appropriately, and (2) told them to knock if off. You don't need a rule citation to do a little preventive officiating to avoid injury.

Thank you both!
Part of the problem is that my partner was a college student like me. Usually I'm paired with a senior official, and I always defer to him.

This job is much harder than I thought...

And a lot more rewarding.

Sounds like you did everything right.

Welcome to the forum, and feel free to post any other questions you might have.