Travelling (pick up game)???

[ijhutch]

Hi all. New to the board, but can't seem to find a definitive resolution to a question that came up today while playing hoops at my local gym. (where's the search function here? Anyways...)

Two opposing players go up for a rebound, come down with it simultaneously. They struggle, the ball gets closer and closer to the floor, then Team A player lets go and the Team B player falls to the floor with the ball. Did the Team B player travel in the context of High School rules? NCAA rules? NBA rules? International rules?

What I have found for NCAA is:

A.R. 38. Is it traveling when a player (a) falls to the playing court while holding the ball; or
(b) gains control of the ball while on the playing court and then, because of momentum, rolls
or slides, after which the player passes or starts a dribble before getting to his or her feet?
RULING: In (a), yes, because it is virtually impossible not to move the pivot foot when
falling to the playing floor. In (b), no. The player may pass, shoot, start a dribble or call a
timeout. Once the player has the ball and is no longer sliding, he or she may not roll over.
When flat on his or her back, the player may sit up without violating. When the player puts
the ball on the floor, then rises and is the first to touch the ball, it also is traveling. When a
player rises to his or her feet while holding the ball, it is traveling. When a player falls to one
knee while holding the ball, it is traveling if the pivot foot moves.

So under a), it's travelling. b) implies that it might not be, but a) is pretty clear.


But for NBA rules, it says:

Section XIV-Traveling
i. A player who falls to the floor while holding the ball, or while coming to a stop, may not make progress by sliding.

This strongly *implies* that falling to the floor with the ball is OK as long as one doesn't try to improve position by sliding around.

As for Arizona High School rules, I didn't find anything. Ditto for International rules.

Any advice would be appreciated. I guess it kind of depends on what "rules" are played in a pick up game. But I play basketball for fun and aerobic exercise. I was the Team B player, but the Team A player (a young kid with lots of talent) was pretty adamant that it was travelling and a turnover by the rules (I should have asked him which).

Thanks.

* ijhutch *