I'd Love to Say It Was The First Time It Happened ...

[BillyMac]

... but that would be a lie.

Weird week.

For the third time in my forty-plus year officiating career I had a player unintentionally foul a teammate.

I'm the lead, not much room behind the endline to back up to get a wide open look.

Dribbler White A1 jumps high to shoot a right handed layup. Act of shooting. Arm comes out of a crowd of players and grabs White A1's right arm. I sound my whistle and put up my closed fist. Ball goes in the basket. Needing a player number I follow down the offending arm to the white jersey of White A2.

Immediately realized my mistake. Discussed briefly with my partner and then explained to the coaches. No foul. Good basket by White. Ball to Blue for run the endline inbounds.

On the way home, I started to think about the play. Ball was probably still in White A1's hand when I sounded my whistle. Does continuous motion apply here? Should I have not counted the basket and given the ball to White Team A for an inbound on the endline "magic spot"?

Or is this a 2-3 situation (the referee must make decisions on any points not specifically covered in the rules)?

Previous two times I called this (player unintentionally fouls a teammate) they were rebounding fouls, not act of shooting fouls.

[Raymond]

If the ball was still in A1's hand when you sounded your whistle, what does the rulebook say about continuous motion?

It would be a better conversation if we had the text of that rule posted.


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[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Raymond

If the ball was still in A1's hand when you sounded your whistle, what does the rulebook say about continuous motion?

It would be a better conversation if we had the text of that rule posted.


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I assumed he was asking rhetorically and would be along to post several more times including off-topic references

The rule is pretty clear.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

If the ball was still in A1's hand when you sounded your whistle, what does the rulebook say about continuous motion? It would be a better conversation if we had the text of that rule posted.

By the book, on a written test, it sounds like it should have been an inadvertent whistle. No foul. No basket. Ball to White A Team for "magic spot" endline inbound.

White Team A coach would have been very "displeased" with good reason.

Would anybody (in a real game, not a written test) try use 2-3 (the referee must make decisions on any points not specifically covered in the rules) in this situation (despite the fact that an inadvertent whistle is covered by the rules)?

In my situation the inadvertent whistle probably came a split second before the ball was in flight (and may have actually occurred when the ball was in flight).

Like the thousands (maybe tens of thousands) of "garden variety" act of shooting fouls that I've called over the years, all while knowing the continuous motion rule, I (instinctively) wasn't paying close attention to the exact timing of the release (not at all close to the end of the period), but to the trying motion of arm, foot (no travel), or body movements, as well as the motion of arm, foot, or body movements of the "defenders".

Who among us expects a player in a crowd to grab the arm of a teammate in the act of shooting?

6-7-5: The ball becomes dead, or remains dead, when: An official’s whistle is blown.
EXCEPTION: The ball does not become dead until the try or tap for field goal ends, or until the airborne shooter returns to the floor, when:
a. Article 5 (official’s whistle is blown), 6 (time expires), or 7 (foul, other than player-control or team-control, occurs) occurs while a try or tap for a field goal is in flight.
c. Article 7 (foul, other than player-control or team-control, occurs) occurs by any opponent of a player who has started a try or tap for field goal (is in the act of shooting) before the foul occurred, provided time did not expire before the ball was in flight. The trying motion must be continuous and begins after the ball comes to rest in the player’s hand(s) on a try or touches the hand(s) on a tap, and is completed when the ball is clearly in flight. The trying motion may include arm, foot or body movements used by the player when throwing the ball at his/her basket.

4-36: Point Of Interruption
ART. 1 Method of resuming play due to an official’s inadvertent whistle, …
ART. 2 Play shall be resumed by one of the following methods:
a. A throw-in to the team that was in control:
In the frontcourt at one of the four designated spots nearest to where the ball was located when the interruption occurred.