Traveling and falling down
 

In HS is it automatically a travel when a player falls to the ground holding the ball? I thought it was, but have seen several plays in the last week where it wasn’t called, so I was wondering if I was wrong. (In several there was at least arguably a foul that caused the fall—but I though it needed to be either a foul or a travel, not a nothing.)

Yes.

I've Fallen And I Can't Get Up ...
 

More often than you might think, a player falling down while holding the ball lets go of the ball to free up hands to brace the fall, then gets the ball back when on the floor. This, of course, is perfectly legal.

Multiple Choices ...
 

At which point he may not attempt to get up, stand, rollover; or put the ball on the floor, rise, and be the first to touch the ball. These are all illegal acts that result in a travel violation.

But he can pass, shoot, start a dribble (if he hasn't dribbled already), request a timeout; or if the player is flat on his back, that player may sit up. These are all legal acts, and are not violations. Play on.

Wow. Basketball officials need to know a lot of stuff.

Kinda odd that a player, standing and holding the ball, can throw the ball in the air, lay on the floor, and catch the ball but yet.. A player, laying on the floor and holding the ball, cannot throw it in the air, stand, and catch the ball. In this case, if you allow one set of actions, why not allow the reverse set of actions?

Who said a standing player can throw the ball up, lay down, then catch the ball?

A Pennsylvania Coach in an above post. I extrapolated my case from his but the technical actions appear to be the same. A player, in control of the ball, loses control, falls, and then gains control.

In one situation a player is drops the ball and it hits the ground, and they regain possession after falling; in the other situation the player throws the ball up in the air goes to the ground and catches it.

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I do not know where you get "..it hits the ground,.." That is not in his case as described.

"More often than you might think, a player falling down while holding the ball lets go of the ball to free up hands to brace the fall, then gets the ball back when on the floor. This, of course, is perfectly legal."

If that player who is falling catches the ball without it hitting the ground, it's a travel.

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Well, now you can have a debate with A Pennsylvania Coach.

I guarantee you in his scenario the ball hits the ground, hence the word "drops".

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That's not at all what I said.

I think the bigger distinction is between "fumble" (which is what happens when a player who is falling loses the ball to brace fro the fall) and a ball thrown in the air.