Two Points Or Three Points ...

[BillyMac]

For those that are wondering, here are some situations that I'm talking about.

From 1987-1988 (when the three point arc was introduced) to the clarification in 2001-02, the two following examples would have been ruled two points if the officials had not been 100% sure that it was an actual try.

1) A1, from behind the three point line, attempts a lob pass to A2 for an alley oop dunk. The pass is slightly off and the ball directly enters the basket untouched by A2.

2) A1, from behind the three point line, attempts a pass to A3, also behind the three point line. A3 is unprepared to catch the pass and the ball hits A3 in the head and deflects directly into the basket, untouched by any other player.

Here's the relevant rule, clarified in 2001-02:

NFHS 5-2-1: A successful try, tap or thrown ball from the field by a player who is located behind the team’s own 19-foot, 9-inch arc counts three points. A ball that touches the floor, a teammate inside the arc, an official, or any other goal from the field counts two points for the team into whose basket the ball is thrown.