9-9-1 exception

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

Absolutely nothing.

It is someone's way out of pushing a bogus interpretation without admitting they were wrong.

Originally Posted by SC Official

Here's the interpretation from 2017-18 that was erroneous and is no longer valid (but of course they wouldn't admit to it). They put out the same interpretation ~10 years earlier and doubled down on it last year before making the exception this year.

SITUATION 7: A1, in the team’s frontcourt, passes towards A2, also in the team’s frontcourt. B1 deflects the ball toward Team A’s backcourt. The ball bounces only in Team A’s frontcourt before crossing the division line. While the ball is still in the air over Team A’s backcourt, but never having touched in Team A’s backcourt, A2 gains possession of the ball while standing in Team A’s backcourt. RULING: Backcourt violation on Team A. Team A was still in team control and caused the ball to have backcourt status. Had A2 permitted the ball to bounce in the backcourt after having been deflected by B1, there would have been no backcourt violation.

1) The NFHS 2017-18 Rules Interpretation SITUATION 7 and its RULING was neither a "bogus" nor an "erroneous" Interpretation. And it has always been my opinion that the Situation 7 Ruling is the correct Interpretation.

2) But moving forward with this discussion, as a long time commentator in the Basketball Forum I can attest that discussions regarding this play have been taking place all across the country for at least ten years.

3) I started officiating basketball in 1971. I graduated from H.S. in 1969 and played H.S. basketball for a Head Coach who had been an OhioHSAA registered basketball official since his college days after World War II until he retired from coaching in 1971. What that meant is that his players were taught the rules of the game as part of learning how to play the game of basketball. As an example since my freshmen year I have been able to quote chapter and verse with regard to Guarding and Screening (Block/Charge).

4i) Prior to the NFHS 2018-19 R9-S9-A1 EXCEPTION being adopted, the RULING that a Backcourt Violation had occurred for 2017-18 SITUATION 7 goes back to before 1960, at least.

4ii) The logic behind the RULING is described as follows: A2 does two things simultaneously: 1) Causes the Ball to go from Team A's Front Court to Team A's Backcourt and 2) Is the first to touch the Ball in the Backcourt after causing it to go from Team A's Front Court to Team A's Backourt. And for the vast majority of old geezers like me, this analysis is logical, LOL. And that is why the "old" RULING was neither "bogus" or "erroneous".

5) It has only been in the last ten years or so that younger (I mean by experience) and some older (also by experience) that have questioned this RULING.

6) I have always been a proponent of the original RULING (and had I been voting on the Rules Change I would have voted against the new RULING), meaning I prefer the old RULING, and there are many people on the Forum that will agree that I have always been an ardent proponent of the old RULING.

7) BUT as far as I am concerned I am not going to lose any sleep over the new RULING. It is the new RULING so lets move on.

MTD, Sr.