Fumble Recovery
 

A1 ends his dribble and jumps to shoot. Ball slips (fumble) from his hand and he regains it prior to returning to the floor. Is this legal?

NCAA = legal according to a recent A.R.
NFHS = not legal per a rather old interpretation ruling (20+ years ago). Most people seem to permit this based upon the temporary loss of player control. The issue is that that principle conflicts with the rule stating that a player who jumps with the ball must pass or try for goal before returning to the floor. We had a rather lengthy discussion on this play a few years ago and either Bob or JR produced the old NFHS ruling calling this traveling.

Fumbles are never penalized. Would like to see any rule/case/interpretation that suggests otherwise in order to correct myself.

Interpretation ...
 

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Shot Attempt ...
 

The shooter can retrieve his or her own airball, if the referee considers it to be a shot attempt. The release ends team control. It is not a violation for that player to start another dribble at that point. When an airborne player keeps control of an attempted shot that is blocked, is unable to release the ball, and returns to the floor with it, that player has not traveled; it is a held ball. If, in this situation, the shooter loses control of the ball because of the block, then this is simply a blocked shot, and play continues. If, in this situation, the defender simply touches the ball, and the airborne shooter returns to the floor holding the ball, it’s a traveling violation. When an airborne player tries for goal, sees that the try will be blocked, purposely drops the ball, and touches the ball after it hits the floor, that player has traveled by starting a dribble with the pivot foot off the floor.

Hmm, I am not...quite...convinced. I do not like the wording "..A1 fumbles the ball (while still in the air) and drops it." Heck, I am not happy with the typo of "ball". I also do not feel that the thread was very convincing. Most called it legal.

What about the play we have all seen many times?:

A1 jumps to shoot a mid-range shot. The ball is wet and slips out of the airborne shooter's hands in an upward motion. The ball comes down where A1 is the first to touch the ball.

I seem to recall a case play, perhaps it was NCAA, that allowed this action.

So for NFHS, is everyone agreeing, based on the interpretation, that this case would indeed be a travel? Wouldn't this be then the 2nd exception to having control of the ball in order to have traveling?