At what point do you call a travel when players are hustling after a loose ball and gain possession and then slide along the floor with the ball. This happened in a GV game and the players were hustling for the ball and she slide a little after she obtained possession. Do you normally give them a couple of feet to slide. Is this in the rule, anything about momentum?

I believe this is a judgement call, of course most of the floor that I have officiated on, there is little or no sliding. Most of the time what get them in trouble is when the get possesion and roll over or away from the defender. Thats when I tweet and we go the other way.

This is NOT travelling. If a player secures the ball and their momentum carries them across the floor while sliding it is not travelling regardless of how far they slide. If after their momentum stops they roll over or attempt to get up... then and only then do you have travelling.

We need to get referees to stop calling this a travel as it perpetuates the myth with fans and more importantly with coaches that sliding is travelling.

diving for loose ball, you allow them to slide til they stop sliding. after they stop sliding, they can't slide anymore. during all of this, they get no roll over or sit up.

Like BB_Junkie says, stop the myth. Another myth we can stop is when player A muffs the pass and ball hits floor. Player A gathers ball and begins dribble, fans want this to be a traveling violation and some refs give it to them.

[Edited by ChrisSportsFan on Dec 6th, 2004 at 11:27 AM]

rule?
 

Is there a Case book sitch or rule that states this. I had a coach ask me this after my game. Her question was, "Can a player slide with the ball?" I responded that it depends on how when they slide and whether or not they have established control and whether or not they are sliding due to their momentum carrying them. So I answered correctly then.

If she's on her feet, and gains player control (holding the ball), and then slides ON HER FEET, it's a travel. If she's down on the floor and it's her body that slides, it's legal, as long as she doesn't roll, and as long as she doesn't try to get up without starting a dribble first.

Reference
 

Casebook 4-43-5 Situation B.

reference
 

Thanks for the reference Rick and everyone else that helped out.

For those who don't look up the rules reference, let me just add here that the key thing to look for is this: when did the player obtain control of the ball? If the player obtains control of the ball on her feet (or while falling to the floor), as soon as she hits the floor with the ball it is a travel (regardless of momentum).

What is NOT a travel is when a player gains possession of the ball on the floor and her momentum takes her in a slide.

So, basically, if a player dives for a ball on the floor, she can continue her slide (but, as others have said, no "roll") until it ends. But a player cannot hustle for a loose ball, gain possession, and then go to floor and slide.

Actually they can sit up
 

Chris,

I'm not sure if this constitutes sitting up in your mind or not, but if you slide on your back and then after coming to a stop you bend from the waist so that you back is no longer on the ground but your legs are, this is legal. Now, any further movement from there is illegal. Getting up on one knee. Even putting the ball down and then standing up, if you are the first to touch the ball, thats a travel. Although, I'm not sure of the reasoning behind this last one. Any ideas?

Thanks!
Randall

Rolling does not make it a travel automatically. The real question is has the players momentum ceased to propel them.

I can't imagine a player rolling more than once or maybe twice with real good momentum. But you have to judge when there momentum stopped and the self propelled rolling started.