In our chapter meeting last night, this situation was presented:

A1 begins to take a shot for goal at the top of the key. A) Before A1 releases the ball, or B) After A1 releases the ball, B1 swats the ball from behind and the ball bounces off of A2 who is in front court and bounces into back court where A3 retrieves the ball. Violation or Not? Why?

Violation in (a) as team control still exists. Not a violation in (b) because team control ended when the ball left A1'a hands on a try.

We discussed it last year.

It's on the NFHS website this year.

Not crazy about the interpretation for A) but guess we'll live with it.

I agree on both points!
 

Not really sure how B1 could swat the ball from behind and have it result in a BC violation . . . :p, but the interpretation makes sense from the team control perspective.

I don't think I would call bk in either situation. I would think that the act of shooting would consitute loss of team control. But if the interpretation is the other way then that is what I must call.

What difference does front or behind make. The interp is that if B knocks ball loose before release, it isn't a shot and there is no loss of team control. Why does B's position on this play matter to you? If A still has team control and A2 touches before it goes backcourt, it is a backcourt violation by rule. Not that I like it. . .

But please explain the significance of B's positioning on this play.

I think Mark is concerned with the physics - he does that a lot you know...no one likes a show-off Mark! :)

It doesn't affect the interpretation, just makes for a poorly worded situation. I'm assuming that, in taking a shot, A1 is facing the basket. If B1 comes up behind A1 and swats the ball away, it's probably going to go toward the basket and/or endline.

Since I wrote the play in the first place, I'll clarify.

In real life the defender came from the side. Also the ball did not hit a teammate of the shooter, he spun around and knocked the ball into the backcourt himself to prevent the defender who blocked his shot from picking it up. Then his teammate gained possession.

Hawks Coach, for part a, even though the ball was not released, it is still a try and a blocked shot by definition. Team control simply continues though because the try was never in flight.

I'll also bet that the PA refs didn't give me credit when bringing up this play at their meeting! :(