A1 dribbles in frontcourt with B1 closely guarding: B1 is "guarding" which means "in the path of an offensive opponent," And B1 is also "closely guarding" : B1 is in a guarding stance at a distance not exceeeding 6 feet.

Begin the 5-second count.

A1 dribble-penetrates - A1 beats B1 by a step - so that B1 is no longer "in the path of an offensive opponent." Now B1 is on A1's hip or fanny - a step behind A1....yet still within 6 feet. Is B1 still 'closely guarding' A1 ?

Do you (a) reward A1's good penetrating dribble move by stopping the 5-second count...

or Do you (b) reward B1's good defensive effort by continuing the 5-second count?

End the count. rule book talks about the dribbler getting head and shoulders past, That's when the count ends.

Rulebook is in my bag, and I'm at work, but I end the 5 second count when the player begin to advance toward the basket.

Did I miss something?

If B1 is still in legal guarding position, it doesn't matter which direction A1 is going with the ball. 5 second count doesn't stop until B1 gets beat. B2 may take over, as long as there is no break between the players' legal guarding position.

Adam

It seems to be a common misconception that if A1 is "moving toward the basket" that the 5 second count should stop. But if B1 is still in a legal guarding position between A1 and the basket and A1 drives to the hoop and you stop your count, but then A1 pulls back out because the lane has closed, still dribbling, you just penalized B1 for some good defense.

This misconception comes from what, I believe, used to be the rule about 20 years ago where this was true.

If I remember right, back then the front court was divided into the mid-court(28' line to center) and fore-court(end line to 28' line). If the dribbler,while closely guarded went from the mid-court into the fore-court, you started a new 5 second count as soon as the dribbler moved into the fore-court. However, if a closely guarded dribbler went from the fore-court into the mid-court, the same 5 second count kept running.