backcourt

[Mark Padgett]

Originally posted by Ralph Stubenthal
Mark Padgett, I know you are probably tired of answering backcourt questions, but I was just wondering if you would please post your discertation on backcourt one more time since it is the beginning of season and me and no doubt many others could really stand the review. Thanks.

Wow - a personal request on a discussion board. This confirms I'm a legend in my own mind. (although some coaches and, of course, my wife would say "What mind?)

Here's the definitive statement on "over and back" compiled from years of posts from such respected contributors to discussion boards as Bradley Batt, Bob Jenkins and Camron Rust.

Under NF rules, there must be four elements present to have an over and back call. If even one of the elements are missing, you do not have the call - period - no exceptions. The four elements are:

1) there must be team control
2) the ball must have achieved frontcourt status
3) the team in team control must be the last to touch the ball in the frontcourt
4) that same team must be the first to touch the ball after it has been in the backcourt

Note there is no condition requiring player control.

At a clinic a few years ago, a veteran ref told me he was reluctant to make this call in the following situation: A1 dribbling in frontcourt. B1 hits the ball off A1's leg and the ball goes into A's backcourt where it is first touched by a member of team A. He said he feels, that in this case (which does happen every once in a while) B1 "caused" the ball to go into the backcourt, even though it hit off A1's leg. I explained to him that, under NF rules, the last player to touch a ball before it does something is the player that "causes" the ball to do whatever it did.

I told him to look at it this way: if after hitting A1 in the leg, the ball would have gone OOB, whose ball would it be and why? He said it would be team B's ball because A1 was last to touch before going OOB. I said that it is the same principle. He thought about it and agreed.